George Geist

I've never known anyone to have done it outside of chipping the edges and such. I'm thinking if it were even possible to break one in half it would require a lot of deliberate effort. On the issue of Vulcans I know there are people out there that love them but I never was very impressed by them. They always looked like inferior quality so it comes as no surprise that somebody could break one.

You think Forge and Anvil are that easily hurt by fire? Let's see now I'm no expert on fire but to my limited knowledge a class A fire burns at about 800 degreesF. Steel starts to turn red at about 1000F then gets brighter and brighter until eventually melting at between 2000 and 2500 F Depending upon what it's alloyed with. Not very hot when compared to a modern arc welder which operates at about 6000 F. These basic facts in and of themselves prove the 9/11 story to be bogus but I digress. Absolutely plenty of stuff could have been salvaged from a destroyed shop which is precisely why the stuff was vandalized as much as possible before they started on the building Any kind of essential tools or machinery were primary targets. Oftentimes yes. Plenty of stuff can and often is salvaged from fires. You think so? To a non smithing observer watching horses get shod they see the horn get used a lot. Maybe more than any other kind of smithing. Vandals aren't often noted for being overly bright. I'm sure it seemed logical to them. One other thing I'd like to say about these oral histories. When I was a young fellow just entering the work force at the tender age of about 19. I met a man on a job I had that was well into his '60s at the time. The man was a WWII vet who served in the horse drawn field artillery and probably forgot more about horses and horsemanship than I'll ever learn. This man's Grandfather was an Irish immigrant who served in the Civil War. During his service there was an election. It was understood that in the Army you had to vote for Lincoln. There was no secret ballot. Those voting for Lincoln got on one side of the room those voting for his opponent stood on the other side. Those who didn't vote for Lincoln didn't get their 3 day pass. For the rest of that man's life he never voted for another Republican again. Is there any documentation to this occurring? To my knowledge no. I see no reason for the man to have lied about something like that though so I believe it. With the whole Army voting for Lincoln he couldn't really lose right? Reason I tell this is because stories like this should not be poo pooed because it doesn't come from Dan Blather or some college professor. Personally if I want to know what's going on in Iraq or Afghanistan today, I'd be much more inclined to ask somebody who was there. Not the media. Not the politicians. Not those who write magazine articles but actual eyewitnesses. Tales of Civil War destruction and carnage I trust the words of eyewitnesses also

I just furnished a stack of books, many written before we all were born. How you figure that? I for one have never had a shop. I've done most of my work out of the back of some kind of a vehicle. I can't think of too many things I've done without using my anvil though. What makes everybody think the shop building is so necessary and essential? I'd be inclined to think wrecking the forge and anvil would shut a business down much more effectively that wrecking the rest of the smithy-which they did too.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Union+Army+destroying+Blacksmith+Shops 5,640 results in 0.56 seconds Not sure why this forum has such a widespread belief that stuff doesn't get wrecked in war. George

A little explanation as to why it's not desirable to have sharp edges on an anvil. When all folks new to the trade find them used and rounded off slightly, they're that way for a reason. Ordinarily I'd never show or condone taking an angle grinder near an anvil but in this case I can assure everybody this guy knows exactly what he's doing and why. George

Turning cams are for cold shoeing cowboys who never learned to use their horn. JHM for some inexplicable reason only has one pritchel hole drilled dead center. Completely wrong for punching out a clipped horseshoes thus making necessary the slot in the heel. Normal made heel is much better for pulling clips on a heavy work horse shoe. Purpose is defeated with cams in heel. George

No experience using but looking at them they appear to be ok. Should serve your needs. Blacksmith style would probably be best choice. Not that there's anything wrong with using a Horseshoers anvil but most of the contemporary ones are loaded with unnecessary trash nobody needs like turning cams, hooking holes and such. If you do get a Horseshoers get an older style one. George

Is true they do but majority of it is for show and trying to keep up with the jones'. Essentially a van, pickup with camper shell or some other such vehicle is really all that's needed or necessary. As to the OP in the suburbs, a garage will certainly suffice. Also joining a local blacksmith club can help as many of them have hammer-ins at somebody's shop on a regular schedule. George

Looks neat. Question for the OP how did you install it? Did you go rent various lifts, come alongs and such? George

All the best to everybody Saoirse! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eTr4me7i5s

Don't break it up. Add to it. Get as many anvils as you can. The fun that comes with aggravating people by doing that is priceless George

Maybe so, I don't look at the trades as separate like a lot of people do. Not every Blacksmith shoes horses but every Horseshoer is a Blacksmith. Is a specialty within the trade. Many innovative ideas and inventions we take for granted came from the brains of Blacksmiths over the centuries. In many cases they invented themselves out of work. Horseshoers..... well, not quite so much. Why does everybody use side clips on front shoes? Why does everybody use Kerkhart shoes? The list goes on and on with the same answer. Cause it's what everybody else is doing. Even the word, The word "Farrier" didn't come into common American parlance before the 1970's Why do you guys all call yourselves that? Come on guys, I know I'm poking a hornets nest. Who wants to play? George

Don't worry, I'll stir the pot for you. You stumbled upon something about horseshoers. They're copycats. Biggest ones I know. The whole so called "Rugged Individualist" and " Independent" labels they wear with pride are a myth. Truth is most of them have never had an original idea in their lives and will copy one another right down to the style of business cards. Go ahead guys, fire away George

Interesting piece, I've never seen one before. Wasn't aware PW ever made them in that style. Looks like a real nice score George

Anybody read this story out of Wisconsin? https://www.americanfarriers.com/articles/9798-highway-damage-caused-by-horseshoes-prompts-wisconsin-bill?utm_source=omail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=deu&utm_content=afj&ajs_uid=5578C0141245D5Z Crying out loud what will they think of next?

Good deal. Not just on the anvil but on all the other stuff too. Should serve you well George

There are plenty of decent American made anvils out there. NC is a poor excuse for a Horseshoers anvil and just barely out of the ASO class. Rather than be redundant I'll refer you to this thread: George

Nice job. Is it working out good for you? George

That place has been around for a long time. Was an old railroad shop if I remember correctly. They've been trying to figure out what to do with it for at least 20 years now as yours truly looked into the place back in the '90s. Biggest problem is the location. Johnstown is an impoverished, depressed, rust belt town that died with the steel mill. It has no real hope of recovery. If somebody out there wants to try a school while there are already plenty of them in better places, best of luck to them. George

9. To run roughshod

8. Cut to the quick

It was often done deliberately. I don't think there was any need to overdo but perhaps from stabbing themselves, or tearing their pants or whatever reason, smiths of yesteryear often blunted their horns. George

Majority of them are usually 7/8" George

From this vantage point it looks like a Multi Products anvil. They were at their manufacturing high water mark in the 1960's. If not that then I'd guess maybe a Little Tex. George

First, in the name of St Dunstan and all that is holy get those grinders and weld stingers away from it!!!!!