njanvilman

A few answers:

1940 = the year cast

The eagle holding an anchor = logo used by Fisher at the time

10 on the leg = 100 lbs. This can be confirmed by weighing it. Usually accuate to =/- 5 lbs. I don't think it is a 7(0). Looks like a 10 to me.

L111 = Foundry marks by the moldmakers that I am still trying make sense of

S = ??Where is this on the anvil? Probably also just a foundry mark, maybe the moldmaker.

Any other questions, just ask.

The steel part of the Fisher horns were never hardened. Only the steel face was. The quenching after heating was also a test of the weld. The horn steel was actually in an annealed state as it was heated to a welding heat, then cooled slowly over several days.

Actually I stopped counting about two years ago.

How many anvils are there in the complete collection?

A lot.

I can't say that I have ever tried sleeping on the anvils. They are a bit cold even to sit on. :)

I am proud that after 12 years of searching(and a dear amount of $$), I have the only complete collection of all sizes of Fisher anvils, and all six sizes of Fisher chain vises that exist. IFI community, email me for visit.

I have 15 twenty lb Fisher anvils. None have a factory bolt hole in the bottom. That is not saying, however, that it is not factory. Fisher prided themselves on producing whatever the customer wanted. If they did not have a particular size or shape anvil, they would create a pattern and make it. I am sure that if a customer wanted a threaded hole in the bottom of the anvil, they would have not problem drilling and tapping it in. There is really no way to tell whether this is factory or not. With a good drill press and the correct tap, this is about a 10 minute job for someone who knows what they are doing. The piece of threaded rod can easily be created by a machinist, or someone who has the correct materials.

Anyway, nice Fisher. (Although I have met very few Fishers I do not like!)

here is an ugly ugly anvil http://www.ebay.com/...=item4abd472f71

That one was on CL for $499 two days ago. Still overpriced, unless one wants a "hornless" anvil.

It looks to me to be a cast iron product. Definately not the same steel as in the rail. I am sure that it could take a lot of pounding, given the mass of the thing. But it is not made to be heat treated.

I had no idea that Fishers used a coded date, I've never seen anything other than an actual date, this is good to know.

On the "Crossley era", is this a good time in Fisher's history, meaning are the anvils of the same quality as earlier ones?

My friend is going to buy this regardless and I'll post some better pictures once he has it. These ones are from the seller.

Thanks for the history!

Dave

Wire wheel off the paint on the weight mark, the date, and the emblem area(if there is one) and post some new photos. I will try to fill in the blanks.

The anvils Crossley made were made by the same employees who made them at Fisher. When the Fisher factory closed, a few employees went to Crossley to continue the anvil production. They used the same everything, including all of the equipment. Crossley Fisher anvils are exactly the same as original Fisher anvils.

May not be a coded date but a "in 19XX they changed the pattern board and the new pattern board was marked XYZ" sort of thing---or like knowing when the USA require point of origin markings on imported anvils.

Tom Powers: What are you talking about?? To me, your post makes no sense. This is a Fisher anvil, made in Trenton, New Jersey between 1962 and 1979.

The date number is L6x, which indicates it was made after 1962, during the Crossley era. The weight mark looks like a 150 or 180, indicating those weights. It is hard to tell from the picture. If you can get a better photo of the weight mark, it would be a lot easier to tell.

The anvil looks to be in very nice shape, and has that typical blue school paint color. Did it come out of a high school?

it is not a rehash because this is an amalgamated post, generalist, on buying anvils....................it is a "rehash" of a compendium of information, all drawn together into a primer on anvil selection...............which I do not see on this forum, so this compendium is in fact original

I totally agree with Stewart. And I do not understand anyone criticizing him for creating this topic or for taking his time to put together his original post. I thought it was a good topic, and one that can be added to. I will be glad to add any info on FISHER anvils, my specialty.

That is so cool. I would look great in front of my museum. I want....

Is the body steel or aluminum? Terrific job!

Looking forward to my FIRST QS event. Most people cannot believe I have never been there. Also looking forward to meeting lots of IFI and others. Leaving 500am Wednesday morning, getting there late afternoon. (Picking up a special Fisher item mentioned here last February, cannot wait).

I third the motion. Leave it alone.

And he uses twisted wire brushes by the case. He sells the "used" ones cheap. To most of us, his used ones are still very usable. He is constantly switching out to new wheels and their sharp ends. No blasting, no baths. I have been there. Not a guess.

Could you expain how the new top was put on? Weld build up or new plate attached some how?

With knowing where it has been hiding the past years, I would bet that the layer you scraped off was a cosmoline type preservative put on by the US government. With all of the government stuff related to Alaska, it probably came out of one of the armed service branches. Fisher was kept alive for many of their years by their production for the GSA. Typical orders were for 50 to 150 anvils at a time. (Clark Fisher wrote the specs for anvils for the gov't. No suprise that they speced out Fisher type anvils).

Its hard to put a date for production on it, but I would guess it was made in the 1950's. BTW, I have the round stamp that made your Eagle in my museum).

Could you send me some pictures from all sides before you use it? And if you have any with the "goo" before you cleaned it. Thanks.

An early (1850's) 20 lb Fisher anvil sold on EBAY last night for $660. $33/lb. Obviously it went to a collector. No, not me. Too rich for my budget. So some items are still selling for to dollar. Just depends on how many people want it.

If the tools do a job as intended, or do something neat by accident, then that is the answer. Use whatever works for you. We are all makers....

Boiled linseed oil on wood is fine. It will soak it up. I hope you are planning on a real long term. Even with no treatment, a log in a dry shed, even on dirt will last a long time. And replacements are cheap(free) and readily available.

Woodsmith: Photos of the Fisher anvil would be great. If you can ever persuade them to part with it would be even better. Keep me in mind if it ever becomes available.

1. My specs put a 38" overall anvil at 500 lbs. It only take a bit more to make it a 600 lber. Markings on the front foot indicate its weight; weighing it works best.

2. VaughnT, please DO NOT ever mention xxxxx or any other false stuff about Fisher anvils. It was never used. I realize this was an attempt at humor, but it is also how false rumors get started. Please remove it from you post.

3. No Fisher anvil above 400 lb ever had mounting lugs, except by special order. The lack of them on an anvil this big has nothing to do with the date.

4. If there is a date, it will be on the slope under the heel. If not, a better picture of the "Eagle" would help to date it.

5. As long as the face plate is intact, torch cuts can be ground and welded, then reground. I do not know the correct rods; I leave that advise to pro welders.

I see them at local flea markets almost every time I visit.