Old South Creations

doesn't answer the question of "what is it?" but there is a similar shoe listed on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Blacksmith-Farrier-Handmade-Horseshoe-Metalworking-Wester-/160774524027?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256ee88c7b

love it!

My turns both ways as well. Next time you have a stuck bolt on something try a little heat on it. A small plumbers torch (Mapp gas) usually works for me. Good luck!

ain't it nice to be able to make what you need? I love that about having a forge

very nice!

Nice colonial anvil. Nothing special except it looks like it's in really good shape for it's age. According to AIA it would be pre-1780 (it lacks a pritchel which would have appeared around 1830 and it lacks a table which would have appeared around 1780).

Anvil shoots have been around for quite some time...at least the mid 19th century. They do an anvil shoot at the end of each Southern Blacksmith Association Conference. I understand that ABANA frowns upon the practice.

nice work

nice work

Good score on the forge! While not ideal, a hair dryer will get you by until you can find something better. Keep an eye out on eBay & Craigslist...you can find good deals sometimes. Any blacksmith groups in your area? Someone may have something close to you. Good luck!

I know this is a wide range but your anvil was made somewhere between 1860 & 1910...maybe some other folks can narrow it down a little more. If you don't already know, the numbers 1 0 12 indicate the weight...124 lbs. It's interesting that "solid wrought" doesn't circle the middle number...most of them do. As far as the "s" & "s", Peter Wrights had different numbers, letters, etc stamped on the legs...no one knows for sure what they indicate. The "other piece" is a hardy tool...specifically a hot cutter. It fits in the hardy hole (the square one) on the anvil and is used for cutting hot stock. They're great anvils...enjoy!

sweet! I love the texture

did they advertise it as "no ring"? not sure, but they were cast with a steel face so they are pretty quiet

I agree, it's a Star sawmaker's anvil...mid 19th century

with all due respect "glowing red" is not "hot enough". You'll beat yourself to death trying to move something the size of a railroad spike if it's only glowing red. My forge is similar to the "55" design and I've used both coal and charcoal and found them both to work great. I don't know if it's the same in AZ but in SC I can buy real lump charcoal at Lowes, Wal-mart, etc...NOT BBQ briquettes. If you must use wood then follow Glenn's instructions and you should be fine.

great work!

wow, beautiful work!

It sounds like your anvil is an early farriers anvil as well. I agree with you, 300 pounds seems awfully big for a farriers anvil. Even mine, at 181lb, seems big for a farriers anvil but I'm now convinced that is exactly what I have. I'll be honest, I had never seen the early English farrier anvils in AIA until you said what you did about page 80. The only farrier pattern I was familiar with was the modern cliphorn. I don't know how long the English made their farrier anvils but I do know the "modern" farrier pattern (cliphorn) anvil came on the scene around 1882. Unfortunately, you may never know who made your anvil. I have a couple of anvils that I would LOVE to ID but there just isn't enough info for me to do it. Some people would say "who cares... it's a tool, use it!" but as a lover of history I like to know as much as I can.

you are correct, a stone is equal to 14 US pounds BUT where are you getting 11 stones from? The anvil is marked 1 26 16 I'm not saying they're not out there but I haven't seen an anvil marked in stones only (as in, this x 14 equals your anvil weight). English anvils are generally marked using the hundredweight system..a hundredweight being 114 pounds (or 8 stones) the 1st number multiplied by 112 lb (can be 0) the 2nd number is multiplied by 28 (can be 0-3) the 3rd number is individual pounds (can be 0-27) That's cool...must have been a nice fiddle to go from Oregon to Tennessee!

this may be a little hard to tell...if the face is made of 2 or more plates it will be between 1860 and 1885 and if the face is made of one plate it will be between 1885 and 1910

Interesting weight markings...reckon the 2nd number is meant to be read in single pounds like the 3rd? That would make it 154 lb...close to your bathroom scale weight

Made somewhere between 1860 and 1910. With better pictures of the entire anvil, especially the face & horn, it can be narrowed down a little more.

if you read the text that accompanies the picture on page 80 it says that "C" and "D" are mislabled..."C" is the farrier pattern and "D" is the coachmakers. Early English farrier anvils have no table and Coachmaker or carriage makers anvils have an EXTRA table on the side. There is no indication my anvil is anything but a Peter Wright as it's marked. It's features are in no way like a Mousehole and there are not dots or punches or anything between the numbers. What I know for sure is it is a Peter Wright manufactured sometime bewteen 1830 and 1852. The unusual features are the lack of a table and the fact that it is marked simply "Peter Wright" ...no "warranted" or "patented" or any other marks except the weight which is marked on the opposite side...which is the way the early Peter Wrights were marked. After reading more on early English farrier anvils in AIA, I believe my Peter Wright is an early example of a farriers anvil. On p25 of AIA Postman states that smith anvils were not ideal for farrier work so "to remedy these deficiencies, several English makers removed the table. This produced a larger horn near the body". This is NOT what we generally refer to today as a Farriers pattern. What we call a Farriers pattern has a clip horn...a small table on the side of the horn. These "modern" farriers anvil began to appear somewhere around 1882. Soooooooooo....here's what I now believe I have....a pre 1852 Peter Wright farriers anvil

nice work

Plistix is a good substitute for the ITC-100 and a lot cheaper. Wayne Coe, who is a member here, sells the Pilistix as well as insulating blanket, castable refractory, etc. Here is his website... http://www.waynecoeartistblacksmith.com/