njanvilman

PM sent.

Good doorstop or anchor.

Your anvil is a Crossley era Fisher, 1962 -1979. The offset mounting lugs were done some time in the 1970's; I am still trying to pinpoint the exact year. Your anvil is in very good shape with very little use.

I have always enjoyed working on a Fisher, if only for the lack of ring. That said, I usually still wear ear muffs most of the time in the forge to help preserved the hearing I have left. I have never like the sharp ring of forged anvils.

Which airline? But limits bringing almost anything back to zero. And other costs of being out there without easy transportation. As I said, I am just exploring possibilities of the trip. Nothing is decided yet. Just putting a feeler out there to see if any one of the EastSide near NJ is having the same thoughts. One more thing to add for possible riders is "NO" smokers.

I am trying to make up my mind if I want to tackle the 1700 mile each way trip from NJ to Rapid City. Flying from here to small airports is very expensive. I can drive it in my 09 Corolla, round trip on under 100 gallons of fuel plus tolls. I figure $500 for the expenses. I was wondering if one or two people near NJ or on the Rt 80 or RT 70 corridor are interested in sharing driving and costs. Plus one motel night each way. Yes, I plan on 800+ miles/day. Only legal licensed drivers please, with clean driving records. I am still not sure if I will commit to the trip, just looking to see if anyone is interested. Either post here or PM me.

Just a point of information about the Fisher mounting lugs: They first appeared on Fisher anvils in 1892, 27 years after the end of the conflict. And the lack of the Eagle on the some Fisher anvil being related to marketing is still only a RUMOR. There has been no established documentation of this found. If anyone has historical documentation, please produce it. Everything in AIA is not correct. That is why Mr. Postman has produced a revised edition with a lot of corrections, including many I sent him about the Fisher family. He will be releasing this edition eventually. Hopefully I will finish my book about the Fisher family and company with all the facts I have gathered.

It looks like that break happened a long time ago. The failure of the forge-welded components of these early English anvils appears to be not too uncommon.

Not exactly blacksmith related, but I always use a tip jar(an old one gallon Mayonaise jar with a slot) at my Christmas tree operation. I give away candy canes and penny chocolate. I always seed the jar with a $5, several $1's and a few quarters. It works.The general public needs to be taught what to do.

Not quite that many, but about one for each day of the year. But remember, I have then on display in my museum, and open it for any person who has a genuine interest in the material. Also are the archives of the Fisher company, saved at the last minute before they were disposed of.

I would leave the small anvil alone and just keep it as a family heirloom. I have taken small pieces of railroad rail and sanded and polished them to use as small stakes. With a bit of work, I have gotten them to a mirror finish. Just a lot of sanding to fine grits, then buffing though the compounds.

So very sad to hear this news. I always enjoyed reading his posts and he never failed to impress me with his depth of knowledge.

The only exception is probably the FISHER double screw vises. They are cast, with steel jaws. The screws are steel. The thread box is machined into the cast iron. Their mounting plate is part of the casting. I do have a few traditional vises with cast iron mounting plates, usually with the manufacturers name cast in. That is the only part that is cast. The rest is forged.

Always build as big as you can afford. The builder who put up my pole barn told me that his biggest complaint from clients is that they did not build big enough or tall enough. Clear span gives you flexibility as to your setup. One post effectively gives you 4 quadrants, two posts give you 6 sections. Not having to work around posts is easier. Have high sides can give you provision for side lean-to's for metal storage later. Just build an extra header into the outside walls for hanging rafters onto. Also, give yourself at least one big overhead or sliding door. 10'x10' minimum. Should be big enough to get a loader or big forklift through. Even bigger would be better. Layout your proposed building size on the ground with rope, and figure out a possible solution of equipment placement. Then see if you have enough room for everything, and room to work around it.

If I was offered that hammer, and it was within a decent hauling range, I would be all over it. Of course, one would now have a big bill for hauling, concrete, timbers, plumbing, and an air or steam source. I love the heavy stuff.

You stopped asking why he needs another anvil, at least 10 anvils ago.

BLACKSMITHING/ METALS/ TOOLS/ TECHNIQUES/ IRON PLEASE. This is not the forum for this arguement! Staff notice: We do not agree, so you are over ruled :D

That is a super nice gift. And nicely done.

Nice iron!

Thanks for that info. When will I be in New Jersey? Frank Turley It would be an honor if you ever made it to this side of the country and could spent some time here. You are always welcome to visit and stay as long as you want. I know I met you (I think) at the two Flagstaff events. Anyone who visits here had better budget at least 4 hours or more. Yes, there is a lot of neat stuff here. I also sell live Christmas trees that I grow on my farm from Thanksgiving on, during the weekends. Anyone can get a tree, and have a look around. I am just not available to give a guided tour.

I have seven of the early post vises you describe. All through tenons, pins and wedges. The biggest is perhaps a 4". A few years ago, Peter Ross stopped by my museum and after a quick look at the anvils, spent the next half hour studying the vises. If he had more time, I am sure that he could have spent all day. None have any ID on them. And they all work fine. All were random finds around the northeast at auctions, flea markets and yes, blacksmith gatherings. None were expensive. I think the most I paid was around $50.

Wow! I just checked out those sculptures. They are fantastic. I might try one, but will start small, like the turtle....

What are new shoes worth? I would not even know what to ask.

I don't go anywhere near the underside of a horse. Pretty to look at, but thats it. Sorta like owning a boat....

Went to a local garage sale on Saturday and came away with 8 boxes or about 300 lbs of new horseshoes. They are NOS, probably 25 or more years old. Some have some rust, but most do not. And cheap enough, less than local scrap price for steel. Now, what to do with a few hundred horseshoes. I have build lamps and table legs in the past with my blue glue gun. Certainly easier that starting with used shoes and having to spend time cleaning the organic matter from them. I am open to new ideas......