Sask Mark

Congratulations Dave.  You have some truly outstanding skills.  

Trenton anvils weren't being produced in the 1860's.  Based on the length of the anvil I would guess it is 450-500 pounds.  The weight should be stamped on the left side of the front foot and the serial number should be stamped on the right side of the front foot.  The serial number can be decoded to give the year it was made. 

Very cool.  Sam, you always manage to add a cool flair element to functional items.

My wife lets me keep a 25 pound ACME/Trenton stamped for a local hardware company on our fireplace hearth.  She's a good wife...

It could be worse.  It's around -45 with windchill around here.

Did Grant's screw press go to Kayne's when they purchased OCP?

You can't blame 'kid's these days' for wanting to have things handed to them.  You blame society and their parents for raising them to expect that.

I work in an industry in a very busy place where we have a hard time hiring and keeping good staff.  Our local construction association held a seminar that explained a LOT to me when it focussed on generational differences.  What we are having problems with (as are most of the people who are complaining about youth in this thread) seemed to be that they don't know how to relate to Generation Y.

The presenter explained the general characteristics of each generation.  When she got to Generation Y, she said that almost all the major events that had media coverage of their youth were tragedies (terrorist attacks, mass shootings etc.).  Parents tend to try to protect their youth more and do more for them.  They arrange the kid's entire schedule for them, they attend every event, and they provide constant feedback.  Parents are now perpetually hovering over their kids.  This is a generalization that does not hold true to all kids, but it can be applied to many.

You are not going to change society.  If you are having problems with the way some members are asking for information, you have some options.  You can ignore it, get mad about it, or change the way YOU approach it.  If you think it is bad now just wait until Generation Z starts to blacksmith.

The negative attitudes of some members is the main reason why I don't come to IFI as much anymore.  There is enough miserable stuff going on in the world, I don't need it in my hobbies too.

Fontanini anvils are gorgeous:

http://www.fontaninianvilandtool.com/http___www.fontaninianvilandtool.com/Welcome.html

They kind of look like a hybrid of a few different types to me.

It's a free XXXXXXX country.  He can do whatever he wants with his money.  He's not hurting anyone.

Nice space Justin.  Time to tool up!

It's probably a William Foster.

It does have a picture of a stamping in the ad that shows Peter Wright.  

I have seen ledges like that on the feet of Soderfors anvils. 

I can't read it but I have seen 'SOLID WROUGHT' or 'SOLID WROT' stamped in that circular pattern in the past on other anvils.  

I bought this anvil 45 years ago from an old guy that lived in Morro Bay California. [EDIT: I believe his last name was Daniel or Daniels]. He claimed to be the inventor of the "powder activated nail gun" used for shooting nails into concrete. I believed him because he had some of his early test pieces using antique pistol cartridges.

 

I own a machine shop and until recently had little use for the anvil. But my current [retirement] hobbies are changing.

 

I've taken an interest in the history of this particular anvil. Came to this site and hope someone can help me identify its age.

 

Some markings I didn't include in photos include a "hand stamped, with a center punch, the numbers/letters "SA110".

 

Also near the top with number/letter stamps is "SAL22".

 

I don't know if any of this helps. Hopefully the pictures will reveal info to someone that knows what to look for.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

DON

The serial number 3253X corresponds to a year of manufacture of approximately 1902 according to Anvils in America.  The stamping Z135 indicates the anvil weighed 135 pounds when it was new.

 

While they're at it, could someone look up the serial number of my Trenton anvil?   - W105   A  94479 - 

 

SN 94479 = circa 1910 according to Anvils in America.

That's the deepest stamping I have ever seen on an A&H. They are usually quite faint.

A couple of years ago I remember reading an auction notice having one of those anvils. I would also like to learn more about them. My wife's name is Juanita. I figure if I could get my hands on one of those, I could talk her into another acquired anvil based on the name alone.

Sodefors seemed to vary quite a bit with their stampings and markings through the years. Mine has stampings on the front of the foot, on the back of the foot and on the side.

Paragon are Swedish-made, cast steel, high quality anvils. I believe they were made by Soderfors.


Oops. Looks like Clinton beat me to it.

My condolences for everything you and your family are going through. I'm hoping for the best for your wife.

Very nice and elegant lines.

Looks good Julius.

I got a very large Reed mounted to platen table I bought for scrap prices. The handle was missing, the jaws were frozen, and the locking screws for the base are seized. I made a handle for it out of 1" round rod and got the jaws freed up. I never did get the locking screws freed up. I think that thing weighs well over 150 pounds.