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The Columbian is in very nice shape.....the Ajax, as you said, has seen much more use and the edges are gone. I'd recommend using the Columbian for forging and hanging on to the Ajax as it is without doing any repairs. Chances are the repairs aren't going to completely match the original anvil, you may soften what's left of the face, etc....too much to go wrong. The anvils are similar in size - just use the good one for now. David

Frosty, I found your post and I think I'm darn near as excited as you are! I don't post as much as I read, but I know you've talked about the difficulty of finding a power hammer in your neck of the woods for a long time! Sounds like a great machine and you're taking care to prepare for this trip the right way so I'm sure things will go smoothly for you. How are you planning on off loading once you get it home? Did you build any type of overhead crane or hoisting spot into your shop? Best of luck tomorrow, it'll be a day your remember fondly for a long, long time. Have fun and keep us posted with updates (and pictures!)! David

I've been following this thread with much interest, and I've learned some valuable things about the Champion line of hammers. They don't seem to be too common and there isn't that much discussion of them.....this is probably the first thread I've seen devoted to Champions! I purchased a #2 from the local DOT a couple of years ago, but I don't have it operational yet. It took me 2.5 years to finish my shop that will be home to the hammer and I'm just now moving in and hope (fingers crossed) that I could get the hammer running this summer or fall. I've included some pics of the hammer at its orginal location, in transport, and at home. It's a sizeable machine - I think the #2 is a 135lb class machine, the top of the pulley is about 8' off the ground, and the scales we crossed (pre & post hammer) put the weight at 3,900-4,000lbs. I'm aware of one other #2 that a smith in KY obtained about the same time I did, and his is now up and running. I can't wait.......! One question....I don't see any adjustments on the toggle arms to adjust the sag in the ram. I'm sure mine is over 3/4" of an inch. Without the threaded ends on the toggle arms how do I adjust this? Any thoughts, or should I just try it like it is? Thanks! David

A couple of other points to keep in mind during your search: The small side of your range (50-70lb) is bordering on the transition from "small anvil" to "rare and pricey anvil". I've been amazed at the $ per lb price some of the small anvils get. Luckily, 70-80lb is just small and doesn't seem to have the associated rareness. Also in the size you're looking for, eBay becomes an option if you would consider going that route. 50-70lb is easy to ship, with or without a box, by any of the common carriers. I think once you get over 150lb you're looking at LTL freight. Good Luck! David

I tend to agree w/ the first two responses........the shape of the horn would lead me to believe it's a H-B. Either way, H-B or Trenton, it's still a quality anvil that appears to be in good shape, and priced well for the weight and condition. Good luck and Merry Christmas! David

I fabricated this stand for my 172lb Hay Budden using 2" sch40 for the legs, 1/4" plate for the top, and a 2" thick slab of poplar between the the 1/4" plate and the bottom of the anvil. A previous owner had welded a plate to the bottom of the anvil with the two bolt holes which I used to fasten it all together. Can't say that I would advise welding to the anvil, but it does work well. Things I like about the stand include the stability (legs angled outward), the foot room to get up close to the anvil, the mesh shelf underneath, and the small rack for a few select hammers or tongs. The only thing I wish I would have done differently is made the stand about 1" - 1-1/2" taller so I may have to retrofit the feet on the legs at some point. David

Minotaur, Looks like you're off to a good start. Did you hire the excavation work out or rent the machine and do it yourself? I'm about 90% done with my shop and it's been 2 years since I cut the trees down to clear the site - hopefully your progress will go more quickly than mine! A word of advice is to think everything through, as thoroughly and as many times as you can. A few items that I eventually thought of include anchor spots in the floor (to pull a machine off a trailer, for example), a built in pipe through the wall to vent a wood stove, and an extra thick section of concrete slab for a power hammer. These things were easy enough to install intially, but would be more difficult later on. Please keep us posted on the progress and we always like to see pics! David

That's a real nice anvil, looks to be in excellent shape, and a good size. Be proud of that anvil and you'll get many years of happy hammering out of it! David

Be careful collecting items from along rail lines. Items like that are clearly the property of the railroad, taking them is theft, and around here they are more dilligent of monitoring the corridor along RR tracks. You may want to contact the RR they are from and seek permission to keep them, and if they give you the OK then you'll have quite a stock of RR spikes to work with! David

Wanted to say thanks to everyone for their input, certainly a variety of repsonses! I think at this point I will see if my local steel yard will special order some 1/8" (or 3/16" as one poster mentioned) stock in lieu of trying to collect election signs. Normally they don't stock it because, as they say, no one wants it and it gets damaged (bent & twisted) to easily to bother stocking. Seems like it will probably be the simpler option, and I'll rest easy knowing it was obtained legally. It may cost a little more up front, but I bet it's cheaper than my wife posting bail and the cost of hiring a lawyer to avoid being prosecuted for theft! Thanks everyone! David

Scratch, your roller looks very well built, I imagine you get a lot of good use out of it! Does the hydraulic jack provide enough fine control to adjust your finish sizes by small increments as needed? David

Eyrian, I agree completely about taking signs from people's yards - I should have been more descriptive in my original post that most of the signs around here are along routes with businesses, shops, and commercial development. I figured that signs at residences may have been obtained by the homeowner and hold some value to them, but the signs I've seen put out along the commercial areas are typically done by workers in a truck with 100's of signs. However as you have pointed out, asking is the best route to go. I wonder who owns, intalls, or removes the masses of signs that are put out along the business corridors? Thanks for the reply! David

Hello Group, I'm a longtime lurker making his first post. I reside in NC and have been working on constructing my workshop for the past two years and the end is near. I can't wait to get back to blacksmithing once I get moved in to the new shop. With that in mind, and given the election next week, I was going to ask about scavenging steel from election signs. Seems that a lot of the smaller signs use 1/8" diameter steel for support, the cheap ones are plain and the more expensive signs appear to be zinc plated or galvanized (not a good choice). Obviously I would wait until the election is over, maybe head out late in the evening or the next day, but beyond that are there any other rules or proper etiquette for collection of these signs? Are they free for the taking, or does it depend on the candidate? Any other thoughts or suggestions on the subject? What items do you make out of this stock? Thanks! David