George Geist

Yes, An excellent deal. Good score. I started out in 1980 with the same stuff. Back then that same anvil which I still have cost $400 new. Served me well for many years. Shod a lot of horses and made a lot of things with it. The double cliphorn is a nice feature to accomodate a lefty if necessary. Some guys don't like the flattish horn or it's being hollow. They were the biggest complaints. I never found either of those things to be a problem. It was nice for throwing in and out of a truck yet big enough to do anything I ever needed to do including making shoes for heavy drafts. The forge was one of the first commercially available gas forges. Although there are better ones out there (most guys prefer venturi blown atmospheric) it is still a good useable forge that will sure enough get your metal hot. George

Ok thanks. ;) B)

Sure thing Charles, is a few of us around here ;) George

Hey guys, When and where is the next PABA deal at? I'd really like to re-join but those guys are terrible about communications. George

Is more common than it should be unfortunately. It SHOULDN'T wreck an anvil though. Damage to anvils comes from ham handed workmen regardless of the trade they pursue. Cold shoeing is oftentimes the only way to get it done depending on where one finds himself. Some of the xxxx holes horseshoers serve are very un friendly to trucks. Horses can be stabled out on the north forty in a pasture and is no way to get the truck near enough to them to use the forge. In places like that they get done cold or they don't get done. Aside of that legitimate excuse there are also the guys who are too lazy or lacking in skill to do them hot. Ready made keg shoes of high quality such as are available now tend to make high skill levels unnecessary and overrated I'm ashamed to say. George

Ok so where's this going? What is it you guys want to talk about? George

I always quench north and south. Never thought it worth taking the chance. George

200# @ $750 is $8 or $9 a pound? What's that the new math? According to my old math it comes out to $3.75 a pound. Anyway, I could say that most new contemporary stuff out there right now sucks. I could also say that a classic Trenton is one of the best the likes of which will never be made again. Main reason being that it would be far too expensive to produce something like that today. Problem is if I explained it to you you wouldn't understand. George

Is a good anvil. As for price that's what anvils cost. Go ahead and buy it. At the rate prices of this stuff rises you'll at least make somebody a happy widow someday ;) George

Kohlswa is one of the best. Buy it! You'll be glad you did :) George

Is dangerous to assume, but it sounds like you're a young guy? For horseshoeing you really don't want to be over 35 or so if just starting out. Some do ok at it. Most don't stay with it. The unregulated nature of it along with the mental instability of most horse owners causes a high turnover of people making it a tough way to make a living. It is a good way to learn blacksmithing though. Plenty of overlap in the jobs, more so than any of the other metalworking trades. Is plenty of general smiths out there who started their lives as horseshoers. George

That's really a separate trade unto itself. You'd probably be best served by having that done for you at one of the firms that offer that service. I had mine done by an outfit in California. Universal Metal Marking. Nice work, fast turnaround. Recommend them highly. George

Can't really see this "pocket" you're talking about. Looks like an interesting anvil though. Since it bears a clip horn it was obviously made with horseshoeing in mind but doesn't look much like a horseshoers anvil. My SWAG is that it may have been a hybrid. An anvil made for both shoeing and general smithing. Combination types like that were popular for places like ranches or any place else where general smiths shod horses as part of their business. Hope somebody else can tell you more. George

Well guys they needed to get it all into a half hour show so I guess a few steps needed to be edited out ;) Legend has it that Bowie's knife was made from a meteorite. Supposedly they found six dead mexicans around his deathbed at the Alamo that he got before they got him. Not sure as to the truth of many of the tales of Col Bowie but it does make for interesting talk B) George

If you rent the movie Rodeo Girl there is a scene with noted actor and horseshoer Wilford Brimley shoeing a horse. Is not just a scripted scene he's actually doing it. This one might not be what you guys are talking about but is pretty entertaining anyway Enjoy guys :) George

That being the case why did they go to the trouble of making anvils with those depressions on them? Granted I wasn't around in the middle ages and can't say I saw it done but in this vid it seems to work pretty good:

Good for you! :) The design of it with the church windows made it suitable to make armor. Looks old enough to have been used for that. If the thing could only talk B) George

Originally posted by Yves: There you go Yves, have at it

That is dangerously close to qualifying as an ASO. Is a poor excuse for a horseshoers anvil which became popular a few years back for several reasons. 1) It's light weight makes it popular among girls. They're the fastest growing segment of new horseshoers entering the trade. 2) It's 70# weight enabled it to be shipped by UPS instead of commercial truck 3) One of thexxxxxxx horseshoeing schools had a deal with the manufacturer of that "thing" that for price of tuition every graduate would get one of those. As a result they were mass produced and low priced. For it to really work right for you you need to by it's clamp on locking stand. That will make it almost usable. xxx that it is. If you're planning on doing any modifications to it please do yourself and the rest of the world a favor and get rid of those turning cams. They're sacreligious and hurt most of our eyes. George

For good draw the height is much more important than the diameter. Make good and sure the top of your stack is at least 2' higher than the highest part of your roof. That formula will ensure a good draft. George

Looks like a nice one, good score!!! ;) I'll second that about size. The bigger and heavier the better for shop use. Aside of it being obviously of British manufacture, from this vantage point I cant make out any writing on it. It helps a lot to rub some talk or baby powder on any inscriptions you see as it makes it easier to read. George

Meader Supply in Rochester NH has good blacksmith coal. 1-800-4HORSES. Real good people and no sales tax in NH. Buy enough of it and pay no shipping.

In order for your smokestack to draw properly make sure it's at least 2' higher than the highest part of your roof if indoors. Outside like you are try to funnel it up as high as you can anyway in order not to get cinders all over your neck and down your shirt :)

Trexlertown??? How's Washington treated you?

Interesting piece. Is the return spring missing too or did the chain type not have a spring? Any of you guys know?