ndnchf

Well, I got the leg straightened out today. I took a 3' section of I-beam and layed it across my 3 ton Dake press as an anvil. Then set the bent leg on it with the high point of the bend under the ram. Mr. Dake straightened it right out, no muss, no fuss. There was a little spring in the metal, so I pressed it a little past straight and it flexed back right where I wanted it. Now its ready to get cleaned up and painted. Thanks for the advice guys.

Oops, must have lost a bead off my abacus....

That first photo was taken when I first got it. Since then I have taken it completely apart. The nut at the bottom had been overtightened, causing the outer jaw leg to be pinched very tightly at the bottom, not allowing the spring to push it open. I have taken care of that problem and it now opens pretty well by the spring. But I have not yet lubed and painted it, because I want to take care of the bent leg first. I'll take it back apart and put that leg in a press and see if I can straighten it out. Glad to hear I'm not missing anything after all. Thanks Guys

I'm just about finished with sandblasting and paint. I started putting it back together last night. No brake drum, no lineing, just stock. The hood is too big for my blast cabinet, so I may put it in an electrolysis tank this weekend for de-rusting. But in the meantime, I'll fire it up and get it broken in.

Here is a photo that better shows the leg of my vise. Its not a big bend, but it is noticeable. Here is a close up of the vise showing the dished collar. So from what you guys are saying, there should be a washer between the collar and outer jaw - right?

It does have a heavy cup washer at both ends. I thought it did when I took it apart earlier. I had to zoom in to the photo to be sure. So there should be a flat washer (or thrust bearing) under the cupped washer at the handle end? I'll get some close up photos tonight. The threads have a little wear at the handle end, but not too bad.

Is there any way to easily tell if this vise is wrough iron? It has the older style bench mount with key and wedge. But I'm not sure how to tell its age or composition otherwise. The thrust bearing sounds like a very good idea.

I need to take a better photo of the leg where the bend is. This one doesn't show it very well. When looking at the profile, I'd say the bend is about 1.5" - 2" off vertical at the bottom. I hadn't noticed the missing washer, thanks for the heads-up. I'll a search for similar columbians and see what it looks like. It shouldn't be hard to make.

I'm a newbie and I recently picked up this Columbian #2 vise. Its in good shape except for a little bit of a bend in the leg. What is the best way straighten it? Can it be done cold (it got bent cold) or is it safer to heat it up to a dark red first? I'd appreciate your insight and experience. Thanks - Steve

I will mostly be making simple, small stuff. Cooking utensiles, lifting hooks, lamp holders, tent stakes and such. I think it will be ok in stock configuration. I just throught that while I had it apart, it would be a good time to make any small improvements I could. Adding this drum would be a simple bolt-in addition. I just throught it would hold the coal together a little better, acting somehwhat like a fire pot. It would also help proctect the bottom of the forge from direct heat. Maybe I'm over thinking it.

I plan to do more than just rivets with this, so I'd like to make it a little more efficient if possible. Most likely I will get a bigger forge, but this is a good place to start. I have most of it blasted and painted, so it should be going back together this weekend. I've not done anything to the hood yet. I may just put that on when needed, its only 3 bolts. I appreciate everyone's input.

By the code, I believe it should weigh in at around 266 lbs. Nice find - congrats.

I've decided to tear the forge down, bead blast and repaint it. I'm thinking about a couple of improvements. Looking around for something to use as a fire pot of sorts, I found this pressed steel brake drum (yes Pugh Man, it a model T drum). It's not very big, but it seems like it would help contain the fire, but not be too high in order to rake in more coal as needed. What do you think - would it be beneficial?

The pan is stamped steel, not cast iron. So maybe I don't need to line it. Its got some surface rust, but its quite solid. But I would like to make some sort of fire pot or enclosure, maybe like Butterfield did. Wheels would be a nice addition too. Thanks.

The blower would barely turn when I got it. But I partially disassembled it, cleaned out the debris and oilied all the bearings and gears. Now it turns smoothly and pumps out air nicely. I got another identical blower with it as a spare. Good eye Pugh Man. That's my 1924 Ford touring car in the background. Butterfield - I was just reading your thread about the fire brick. That looks like a simple, yet effective way to concentrate the fire. Do you have any photos of just the angle iron frame you made for it? I may try to do something similar. I will probably add a 4' stove pipe to the hood to keep the smoke out of my face. I'd like to also add a tong rack to the front of it somehow to keep tools handy. Has anyone done this?

I'm pretty pleased with it. i wired wheeled the horn and top yesterday to get a clean working surface. Nothing bad hidden under the paint. I think this is a good size for me to start on. I also got a 3/4" hardy cut off that fits it. Its heavy enough for light work I'll be doing, yet light enough that I can move it without hurting myself. Here's a couple more shots taken after I got it home.

Hi Guys, Newbie here. I just picked up my first forge and 100 lb Fisher anvil. Its a Buffalo Forge, rivet forge ( think that's what these are referred to) with a small hand cranked blower. Its a little crusty looking, but the pan and legs are solid. The hood is a little worse for wear, but still servicable. I took the blower apart, cleaned and oiled it. It now works great. I've been reading through the files and I think I will use the Portland cement/sand mix to line the pan. What other improvements could be made to the little forge? I thought about cutting an access door in the rear to put longer pieces in. There is no fire pot on these. Has anyone added a fire pot somehow? Is it beneficial in this type of forge? I'll continue to search the archives, but would appreciate any comments. Thanks - Steve

I went out and looked at the anvil yesterday. It was as good as it appeared in the photo, I brought a bathroom scale and it weighed in about 100lbs. I couldn't find any markings on it, but they may be hidden under the paint. I'm going to clean the paint off and see if anything can be found. I ended up getting it for $220 including a hardy cutoff tool that fits it and a big set of tongs. I'm pretty pleased.

I'm a newbie too and looking for a small forge like that. You are very fortunate to have that one in your family. I'm watching this thread and am enjoying watch you restore it. Keep posting photos, I can't wait to see it all finished.

I didn't realize the horn had a tool steel covered top also, I thought it was just the top plate, That's good to know. NJA - i've been reading yourback posts and learning a lot. Many thanks.

I really appreciate your input guys. But I'm a little confused about the cast iron aspect. I keep reading about how cast iron anvils are bad, but no one seems to think it is an issue with these. I understand the tool steel face gives it a great working surface, but is it not more prone to cracking under heavy blows? Am I correct in assuming that the horn is cast iron, not tool steel? I wouldn't expect to be doing heaving blows on the horn, but wouldn't a cast iron horn be rather fragile? i like this anvil and hope i'm just misunderstanding something and my concerns are unwarranted. I'm an ageing civil war reenactor and thinking that this slightly post-war anvil would be suitable to use for a wartime impression in the future. Thanks again fellas!

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your input. 1870s era Fisher, great. I'm going to look at a couple others tomorrow and this one next week some time. It looks to be in pretty good condtion for its age don't you think? Although it looks like there is a small hole drilled into the horn.

I have not seen it in person yet, the seller sent me the photo. Here is a close up of the logo. Seller didnt say if there were any markings on it. Reading more in the archives, it looks like it may be an early Fisher eagle.

New guy here. I recently took a weekend blacksmithing class and am really excited about learning more. I've started looking for an anvil in my area. This is one I found about an hour away. The seller says its an "eagle" and it has the eagle logo on the side. I searched the forum and read a good deal about eagles. But I'm hoping some of you can tell me more about this one. It seems to have a short horn. Is it a farrier's anvil rather than a blacksmith anvil? The seller estimates its weight at 100-200 lbs, a pretty big range. How old do you think this one is. The top surface looks pretty good. He is asking $250. Thanks for your help - Steve