Direwolf

Hi Gil, Black Frog is right definitely a Trenton anvil interesting find. Here are my thoughts: About that time, early 1950's Arm & Hammer brand quit production of anvils and a year or two later closed their forging business completely. CFI, who made the Trenton brand, continued anvil production for a few more years. I would speculate that Columbus Anvil and Forge purchased some anvils from their cross town competitor to fulfil the last of an anvil contract of their Arm & Hammer brand. I believe that Mr Postman the author of Anvils in America now owns all the records from CFI an inquiry to him may shed some light. One way or another, you have a nice high quality anvil. Those late Trentons are two piece, the entire top half are tool steel with no face plate. I am now retired, but where I formerly worked we had an identical Trenton about 140 lbs. Tough anvil, the boys in the heavy equipment shop used to pound cold steel heavy equipment parts on it all the time, made me cringe but they never damaged it.

Hi DC, that is a nice anvil. I would repair it but not like you suggest for these reasons: Both Trenton and Arm & Hammer brands were electric welded at the waist beginning in the 1940,s by just chamfering or scarfing a 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch V around the perimeter then welding with one pass. They did this to stay competitive as it saves time and $. There are thousands of them still in use, I own my share. I have been welding and repairing everything from heavy equipment to delicate cast iron for over 40 years and have repaired a Trenton by method described, no problems. Trying to space the halves and then weld is a lot of work for little to no gain. There is potential for lots of slag inclusions, minimal penetration to the anvil and Lots of heat generated never mind extra time and $. If you have a copy of AIA look in the Trenton section there are descriptions and a picture of and anvil being welded at the waist. I have a beautiful Trenton just the upper half I found in a scrap pile while picking at a farm, never found the base. I started to weld up a base out of plate but put it aside for 10 years as I did not have time. I retired a month ago and may complete the job at some point, I will never get my money back if I consider the time it will take! Yours should be easy and there is nothing you will do in your use to make it fail. Good luck, have fun and enjoy the anvil!

Hi Black Frog, the serial is 38863, the first 3 was miss stamped so they reoriented the stamp to the correct position and restamped. Littleblacksmith, ha ha, must make 'em faster, the only good thing about paint it keeps the rust at bay. This sat in the original owner's shop it's whole life. Before I took the grime and paint off the rebound was 50%. When cleaned 95%.

Here is a different Arm & Hammer anvil. I picked this up trading with another picker friend of mine. Traded some antique traps and a few signs for this, a nice Fisher and some odds n' ends. When I cleaned off the grime and paint the stamping showed quite clearly. It was deeply stamped and professionally done I would say by the manufacturer there is no sign of the normal A&H stamp. Wedgeway was the signature trade mark of the Morley-Murphy hardware supply company of Green Bay, Wi. I have found a number of their axes with the Wedgeway stamp but never an anvil. The serial # puts it 1918 or so, 155 lbs pretty decent shape. I suspect they had a few stamped one year. There may be a few more around. Morley-Murphy shifted away from hardware eventually and are still in business. As with most A&H anvils it has 95% rebound, loud ring.

Hi Jerryt, definitely a Hay Budden as the others pointed out.. As to the size, it is not 400- 500 pounds, the combined weight of anvil and stand is though. I have a number of them from 50-400 lbs, I quick measured a 310 lb one it is 34 inches x 5 inch face, with 1.25 hardy hole, and a 375 lb that is 36 x 6 inch face, 1.5 hardy, that matches Mr Postman's table in Anvils in America which gives the dimensions for a 300 lb anvil as 5" x 21" face, 13" horn and 1.25" hardy. So I would feel confident to estimate the one you picture in a range from 275 to 300 lbs, perhaps a little more or less. The logo and weight are always stamped on the side you look at if you are standing with your right hand on the horn and left on the heel as in the picture third from the top, the weight will be below the logo. They are great anvils some of the best made. As Frank pointed out it would clean up nice. Due to the rust you may not be able to make out the logo or weight but a little wire brushing might reveal something. If you go look check the rebound with a ball bearing preferably 1-inch or tap around on the face with a hammer. I hope this info helps you.

Here are a few pictures in my shop, of a S&H I got from our mutual friend a few years back. It Is clearly stamped and in wonderful condition. It weighs in around 210 lbs, I'm not sure what the No 8 stamped on the back means, style, inspector mark? As you can see it is a church window pattern of sorts. It has 90%+ rebound and is a pleasure to work on or just to look at. I did not grow up around these so I don't claim to know much of their history. However they are superbly crafted by master makers and the form and functionality are unmatched, in my opinion. To my eye the form, symmetry and craftsmanship make this a working piece of art. I wonder if they made anvils to special order like the interesting one you posted?

Yep you are correct there are brake drums/rotors made from other materials I think racing applications have some different ones too. Most of the common drums and rotors we use are cast. We have 2 semis, 8 triaxle end dumps two lowboys two 45' trailers several trailers with pintle hitches we use to move dozers and smaller excavators. On all we use the standard cast drums, much more economical and best for heavy off highway. I do brake jobs on them occasionally, the drums new are 120 lbs we've got a special dolly to cradle and move them saves lots of backaches and fingers, one of my coworkers lost a finger in the shop when a drum slipped. I too have considered making a bell from one of the drums just haven't got around to it! Fun project though. My favorite bases are dozer sprockets, they are heavy and low profile. Every time we do an undercarrige on one of the JD 550 or case 850's I drag the old sprockets home and sometimes an idler as they are heavy too. I'm lucky to have the equipment and thus the scrap at work to bring home, I also like to use old cutting edges from the dozers and graders as it is good for projects too. If you know anyone in the construction or equipment repair you might inquire for dozer sprockets and old cutting edges. Incidentally the bigger dozers and excavators have multi-piece sprockets which are easy to replace but no good for bases. Around here scrap is next to worthless too, we just hauled a dump truck load just to get it out of the way. We've got a pallet or two of rotors from the fleet pickups just sitting there too I brought a bunch home to hold a tarp over one of my wood piles. Some of them are shaped such that they are deep enough to make a fire pot for a forge.

Hey Panday, let me save you some time. Semi brake drums and for that matter all brake drums and rotors are made out of cast iron. They are useful for bases as described by others above. I drag them home from work and use them mostly for bases, I also scrap them they are worth more than regular cast iron due to their type of cast iron so I scrap them separate from other cast. Also if you have a angle grinder try doing a spark test if you are not sure what you have when you find something like that.

Eujeankilt hit it right on. I still use those at times, painting, changing windows. I quickly hung one on a small ladder after I cleaned out my outdoor boiler to give you an idea how they work. They are handy if you do any carpentry or painting.

Hi Ethan, good anvil seems to have great rebound! I never worry about some chips on the heel very rarely use the heel for forging. As to its origins I think you have an anvil made by Henry Wright. They resemble a Peter Wright right down to the ledge on the feet, but I have seen 10 or 12 over the years and all had the weight stamped in pounds on the offside just like yours. As others pointed out it is not uncommon to see an anvil with a hardware company logo instead of the manufacture's logo. This is more common with the American manufacturer's. I don't know much about Henry Wright anvils, maybe one of our friends from England can help there. All I have seen were stamped exactly like a Peter Wright except Henry instead of Peter. Forge on and enjoy your new anvil! Hope this helps

Hi BBH, what you have there is an early Trenton brand made by the Columbus Forge and Iron Company. They are high quality anvils some of the best ever made. Yours was produced around 1903. The logo if still intact is located on the side of the anvil you look at with your right hand on the horn and left hand on the heel. Some times the logo is gone from use and rust. You will have to clean it a bit if not visible. Usually Trenton in a diamond but some were stamped with other hardware company logos such as Acme (for Sears & Robuck) I have used a 250 Lb Trenton for a long time, my favorite anvil. As to value don't know where you are, around where I live in the $500.00 to 800.00 range, give or take some. I'd get to using it if you have the interest they are a fine anvil to forge on! If no logo the give away is that Trenton was the only manufacturer that stamped the front foot with weight and serial # like yours. I have a number of them and have looked at lots more. Hope this helps Take care

You did well, wilton vises are tough! I have a number of them I've acquired over the years as Frosty said mount it on a corner like the 4" in my pic and use it. They made them from 2" jaws up to 8" at least that is the range I have seen. I included a few pics, one has a 2" sitting on a 4". The other is one a 4" mounted to a movable base, I use it all the time for welding, fabrication and mechanic work, I can move it to a piece or whatever equipment I'm working on. If you ever see a 2" model pick it up if the price is right as they are kinda scarce. At work we have an old wilton that I belive has 8" jaws, it is massive beyond description, at least 250 to 300 lbs, I'd love to have it in my shop. By the way I haven't been on for a while, Glenn and crew great job with the new site format! Real easy to upload pics!

Here is my only William Foster, dated 1851, 2-0-25 on the off side for weight which works out to 249 LBS. I have owned it for a while it is 5-1/2" wide face and 25-1/2" long. A stocky anvil with a big sweet spot to work on. It is in quite good shape for 164 years old. It has been used for what it was meant for, for many years, I'm sure a smith or two made a living with this William Foster. It was -15 F in the shop this morning once again so I only took one picture which I hope I attached correctly. It has a great rebound and ring and any smith, this one included, can't help but feel proud to work on this one. It seems to have the letters IH stamped below the logo. I have no idea what the letter stamps mean, perhaps inspection marks? Cheers

Hi Pintail looked at your pics, hard to say with any certainty, but it does look to be English made of good quality. If I had to guess I would say Wilkinson. They had the handling hole in the front foot like yours. Also clean off both sides as Wilkinson had their logo on one side and the weight marks on the other. English anvils often seem to have inspector marks stamped like yours. I have a large 400 lb Wilkinson that a friend traded to me for some signs years ago that I finally cleaned up a few years ago at first I saw no markings but after more cleaning the weight marks showed up and then on the other side in the right light there was the Wilkinson crossed sword logo. The logo is on the near side, right hand on the horn left on the heel. Often no markings are left and you can never tell for sure. Good score!

Hi Curly, Charles is right on the money but I will add this: The arc length and angle of the electrode to the workpiece makes a difference also, just a slight increase or decrease in length of arc will change the amperage or voltage depending on the type of machine and type of welding. More so for me with stick welding. When I weld out of position as in overhead I lower the amperage a bit and as Charles said use the correct rod/wire. I always try to rotate my work so I weld flat if I can but that is not always an option. Depending on what I am welding I sometimes run a few test beads on similar material to get set up for what works best for the conditions. With Mig make sure you have the correct shielding gas for the type of wire too. For general mild steel I commonly use E70S6 with good results with CO2 or mix argon CO2. With stick I use 6010, 6011 both are Fast Freeze rods work better for overhead. Hope this helps and good luck, I almost always get a few spatter burns when welding overhead!

I'm with Jim, my first thought upon seeing Rapula's anvil was corrosion from either a wet agressive soil such as a bog or wetland or perhaps being in salt water. Also looks like some mechanical damage. I have worked as a civil engineer for 36 years for the Forest Service and spend most of my time working on bridges large drainage structures and for 25 years I worked in SE Alaske where I worked on many marine facilities. I have seen very similar damage many times on all of the above while replacing or repairing them. As the Anvil man said if it could talk.... Very cool

Well, here is an abused Fisher I'll add to the sorry lot of abused anvils. Almost looks to be deliberate damage. Beside the heel being broke off at the hardy hole, take a close look. Looks as if someone took a chisel or torch to the face and horn area note the three cut lines. Wonder what happened to it? I picked it up 8 years ago, I had bought a bunch of antiques from a fellow clearing out space in an old barn including a nice 275LB Peter Wright. He said "hey there is an old anvil in the scrap pile". I dug around and sure enough this was it. He had recently purchased the place and had no history to explain it. I do not usually waste time and money on anvils like this but the horn looked good and I decided to drag it home before it went to scrap I paid him scrap price for it I think ten bucks at the time. I've always been meticulous about caring for my tools it is a good reminder to take care of them!

As noted above hard to ID one thing. I do a lot of mechanic work and restoration plus welding and blacksmithing. The one tool I'd hate to give up is my Dewalt portable band saw. Seems I'm always cutting something and have O/A torches, chop saw plus lots of other options but I've had my trusty porta band saw at least 20 years and use it constantly. Cuts anything fast with not much kerf, carry it to any work piece. Also like my pneumatic needle scalers. Great for removing weld slag, rust and crud and can be used to texture a piece of metal.

Must be nice to have that much time on your hands! Cool wood pile. I have been making firewood my whole life but never had enough time for an artistic woodpile. I own 40 acres of mature hard maple and heat my old farm house with wood. I have to make 12 to 15 pulp cords by myself so my main concern is getting it near the outdoor boiler and ready to go so I don't even make a stacked pile. I love to swing a hammer or maul so I spilt all my wood with a axe or maul, It is a lot of work.

Here are a couple of pics of a Hercules Hay Budden, it is about 120 lbs. Hope this helps. It came out of an old farm blacksmith shop lots of use but mostly legible logo. I threw out my back and its not quite healed yet so didn't want to lug it out in better light but the logo shows up ok.

Hi Black Frog, I have a Hay Budden Hercules I will try to get some pics of the stamp for you and get em posted tonight or tomorrow morning. I think they were a Midwest hardware company a friend of mine in Two Harbors has a couple of them too. That's a nice looking Hay Budden a good size to use!

Here are a few pics, the first is a Champion, I got at a farm auction. It was mounted to a large heavy steel work table, converted to electric with a 3/4" Jacobs chuck. It has a lever/handle to manually feed the bit while drilling. It works great as I found it, it is set to run at approximately 100 rpm, small 2" pulley on the motor, large 14" pulley on the drill. I use a huge milling machine vise to hold the work piece. The second is a very large Boynton & Plummer meant to run off a line shaft. I bought it this summer at a farm auction for $10.00 it is so big that took three of us to load in my truck about 300LBS. If I hadn't bought it it would be gone to scrap, smashed up before it left the farm, there were several scrappers there. I will find a good home for it. It is a beautiful functional drill in mint shape, just takes up a lot of space. DSW if you lived closer to me I would be happy to set you up with a post drill. Vann, that is a beautiful drill! Silver made, IMO, probably the best drills. I have a large one I rescued off my neighbors stone fence for free just had to drag it to the truck. It sat there for 50 years in the sun and weather. It took a bit of time to free up but works perfect!

Here are some pics of typical sets of post drill bits. As mentioned they have 1/2" shafts with a flat side that the set screw holds on. I have quite a few post drills from very small to very large. I have one that I use that was set up on a welding/work table. It is a champion and is powered by an electric motor also has a 3/4 Jacobs chuck. I bought it that way at a farm auction. The table is so big and heavy no one would bid, I bought it for $5.00 had to go to the next door farm and borrow a tractor to load it. I unloaded it with my tractor but had to get 4 guys to help get it in the shop. No regrets it works great the way I found it. I'll post pics in the show your post drill topic.

Hi Rainbows, the step is milled out and there is no faceplate welded on.

Hi Copilot, nice anvil,good find! Here are a few pics of a couple that I found over the years. Someone spent quite a bit of time to machine and grind them to shape. I have seen others also, I sometimes wonder if someone commercially produced these? One of my neighbor farmers that I work for has one that he too found at a garage sale. They are good steel and great for small work or pleasant to just look at!