pintail1

Picked up a Trenton on Wednesday: S/N looks to be 1363 (per AIA it would be 1898)(there is an A to the left of the SN) (both are on the right side foot under the horn) On the right side of the foot under the horn is the letter T. It seems to be marked at 150#. Wire brushed with brass wheel. Overall it is is excellent condition. I'm located in Rehoboth MA in case anyones keeping track of Trentons. Also picked up a nice stake anvil pictured (no markings). Plan to use this weekend.

Motor is a Dayton but I really didn't look at HP. It's ten miles from me so it is easy to return and take a look. Machine is very hardy but I can't find any info. on the web for Wyman. All comments, thoughts and user wisdom appreciated. For me this is a tool that can accomplish what my 1" belt sander can't; and I can justify $299 for my hobby (though my wife will curse me for taking even more room in the garage... or as she calls it the tool shed)

Have the chance to pick up a Ryman Belt Grinder 2" X 40 something (??) (belts are available per sller) and works as it should. Wanted for knife making and other stock reduction projects. It's $299.- and is far less than any other 2" belt sander I've seen. It is set-up horizontal and also has arbor for adding wheel or buffer. (arbor has wire wheel in the photo). Runs at 3600 rpm. (I can modulate) Any advice. (This is a real heavy piece of machinery and very solid OEM table)

Here's mine

Acquired an Atha ball pein hammer that look to be NOS: has paper Atha sticker on handle. New to smithing and have a rounding hammer, a few cross pein hammers, etc. and recently got some tongs (good deal cause I also sold spare Pexto 36" finger brake for a whole lot more than the tongs cost) Like the hammer, but is this a keeper or an ebayer (collectors seem to like this kind of thing): If I make a few bucks I can get something I need more. Thanks for the advice!

I cut the taper on my table saw (nothing fancy) with a tapering jig I made in about 10 minutes: Have photo of q jig (mine not so fancy) and schematic of stand attached. Stand Diagram.tiff

Put together and anvil stand over the past few days (anvil is peter wright) and also forged my first metal: heated metal in my woodstove (Tough to get a good hat but I managed). It felt great. We are starting to thaw (Northeast) and in the next several weeks I hope to get the forge (Centaur) operating.

They look very "elegant"; like they might be French or something.

Haven't fired it up: the weather in the Northeast has been very uncooperative. Not sure on the power, have been spending all my time clearing snow, going to work, and finishing an addition (where the forge will live). So have not looked that carefully. I wrote to Centaur and they provided me a brochure page showing the forge; I have attached. They had no other info. How is it to work with? Centaur Forge.tiff

Picked up a hammer several weeks ago that had initials welded onto the flat part: I spent some time and ground them off today and got back to the original metal. Hammer weighs 5.9#: marking are an M in diamond 186? on the other side (photos attached). Any info appreciated.

Recently acquired a Centaur Forge with blower and foot pedal (see photo) together with a Hay Budden (~250#) , Peter Wright 1.1.24...I've also acquired a few tongs and hammer and am looking forward to my first time moving metal (also planning to take classes at Hannaway Blacksmith Shop in Lincoln, RI). After reading several of articles I think I have a pretty good idea of how to start a burn: how do you determine how much fuel to add to the forge (I think I'll figure hat out) but how do folks stop the burn to conserve fuel. Bought 80# of nut coal at Cranston Coal (Cranston, Rhode Island). Have burned a woodstove for years and now how to manage that so I always have a good bed of coals in the AM: have just never wanted to "stop" a burn. Thanks Centaur Forge.tiff

Congratulation on the new granddaughter: looking at the snow outside you may plan for a July visit. Let me know when your coming: I'm real close to Attleboro

Thanks VaughnT If you succumb to your desires and give in to your addictive tendencies for a hit 'n' miss engine one won't be enough: It's like a monkey on your back. It's a nice monkey so I say go ahead and give in to your desires: whats the worst that could happen, you end up with a nice monkey on your back. I've got more projects than time and more time than money: that said the engines, anvils, tractors, etc. that I'ce collected have all been gotten at very good prices (recent anvil purchases a prime example), I enjoy the dickens out of and use them, and they are appreciating in value a whole lot more thna the .5% the bank is offering, and when I sell things, for cash, I don't owe a dime to the tax man. What can be better than that.

Dave, sounds like a nice collection: I've found with mine I keep one each of 12 and 6 volt battery and swap them between the tractor I plan to use. I plan to start small with blacksmithing as taking on somethin too big too early can be discouraging: baby steps...

Centaur responded; it is one of their forges (discontinued) they enclosed the folloing from an old catalog. I plan to write back to see if they have operating instructions/manual. Very nice of them to follow through with response.

Not sure what you mean by "carefully grind and file back the side and edges to get a decent working area." I've attached a few more higher res photos of "mystery anvil" (seems also to be a marked in the center I did not notice). So far as "Wilkinson" is concered is their mark "crossed blades" (as in the razor). Sides on the mystery anvil are preetey dinged, but I'll clean off a little more and who knows. Also atteched photo of Peter Wright (bacground), mystery anvil (center), and Fischer (foreground). Better photo also of Fischer edges. Most damage seems to be near the sweetest spoy on the anvil.

Little Guy- I'm in Rehoboth Ma, not too far away from you by Texas standards but light years away by Massachusets standards. In Wilbraham I'd bet there are 50 anvils within a twenty (more like a ten or five) mile radius from you: most of them are: 1 coveted by their owner 2 valued and used on occasion by their owner 3 seen as a potential source of income by their owner, and 4 some small amount just taking up space, a pain in the neck to move, and always in the way. Find someone in category 4 and they may pay you to take it away! (Not likely but one can always hope) at least you may get one on the cheap.

Compared to the Peter Wright anvil I was lucky to get, the "mystery" anvil has nice edges and rebounds very well. In shape it looks a little more like a Hay Budden. I don't plan to keep the Fischer but thought it may have good "barter" value with someone who has something I'm looking for. May send it to school with my son who is at technical HS to see if they can build up the edges.

Compared to the Peter Wright anvil I was lucky to get, the "mystery" anvil has nice edges and rebounds very well. In shape it looks a little more like a Hay Budden. I don't plan to keep the Fischer but thought it may have good "barter" value with someone who has something I'm looking for. May send it to school with my son who is at technical HS to see if they can build up the edges.

You might try putting up some flyers at your church (and other local churches): fellowship halls usually have notice boards. You might also know of some local shops that have the same. I was looking for an old engine cart (to hold hit & miss engines) that are even harder to find than anvils (price per pound engine cart to anvil would be about 4-5 to 1) and placed postings at the church and also the town butcher shop we use...I received several calls as the result and was able to find what I wanted, in fact a few of them, for pennies over what I would have paid on E-bay (they also don't ship well or cheaply). Make sure to add a picture of an anvil: if someone has one taking up room in their garage, shed or barn its more than likeley useless to them, they won't know the value, and you can make yourself a good deal. I'm new to smithing but my son has done some at his school (techical HS) (which started me down this path): I've found some good equipment a good prices. When I first started welding I didn't need the perfect welder but I needed a welder (not two rocks and a coat hanger): its easy to say "make do" with whats at hand, and if you have lots of experience that works pretty well, though I'd agree its not the tool but the person using the tool that makes the difference. When I fisrt started rebuilding engines I thought I needed the right tool to remove (and replace) cylinder rings; I learned from someone with alot of experience that the best tool to use in that situation was an old shop rag - grab one end of the ring with one end of the cloth and the other end with the orther end of the cloth, pull apart and remove...that's experience. I didn't know the shop rag was a "tool at hand" but learned. Hope you find a great anvil and I'd agree with the earlier posters, keep building up the pile of pennies!

You might try putting up some flyers at your church (and other local churches): fellowship halls usually have notice boards. You might also know of some local shops that have the same. I was looking for an old engine cart (to hold hit & miss engines) that are even harder to find than anvils (price per pound engine cart to anvil would be about 4-5 to 1) and placed postings at the church and also the town butcher shop we use...I received several calls as the result and was able to find what I wanted, in fact a few of them, for pennies. Make sure to add a picture of an anvil: if someone has one taking up room in their garage, shed or barn its more than likeley useless to them, they won't know the value, and you can make yourself a good deal. I'm new to smithing but my son has done some at his school (techical HS) (which started me down this path): I've found some good equipment a good prices. When I first started welding I didn't need the perfect welder but I needed a welder: its easy to say "make do" with whats at hand, and if you have lost of experience that works. Hope you find a great anvil!

New to smithing and have been tryting to buy a hammer and few pair of tongs: I met with a gentlemnan this morning who adverstised tongs on Craigsist: I ended up with two anvils: one mystery and the other a Fischer (50%). I also ended up with a few pair of tongs, nippers. (price was too good to pass up) and figure they may have bareter value in the future. The mystery anvil is: Weight (125-150#) L = 24"; Horn 9 1/4"; Width 4"; H 10" Base W 8 1/8" & L 10 1/4" It has two small marking on the base, horn end (small circles in a square) (photo attached) (It about the same size, maybe a little smaller than my Peter Wright 1.1.24) (Have not been able to see any other markings) Fischer show #5 and 1883 N and ~50# (Edges on one side a badly scored) L 13 1/4"; W 2 3/4: H 7 1/2" Base (L 7" & W 6 1/2") Can anyone ID the mystery anvil from the small to markings? Thanks

Haven't heard back from centaur but will check with them again. Haven't had a chance to try out: alll I;ve been doing the past few weeks is going to work and taking care of snow - we've had a ton of it.

Dave, Thanks: If you gte a hit and miss you will be hooked: they are perfect form and function. I can start one up and watch it run for hours - betty than anything on TV. What have you got for tractors: what we see around here for the most part is the smaller tractors as the farms are usually small....I've seen some monsters out your way, so I'd bet your are bigger 'n' mine. Today I ended up getting two more anvils, One is a mystery and the other is a Fischer. Just starting out I've been trying to find a couple of hammers and a few pair of tongs so that I have something to works with: stopped by this korning to see a gentleman who advertised on Craigslist for some tongs, and ended up with 2 Anvils, two tongs, two nippers, and a cross pein hammer. (didn't expect to buy the anvils but they may be good for horse trading down the line). I'll send a separte post with deatil on the anvils. Pics of the lot are attached. (My responses have been slow too: All I've been doing is going to work and dealing with snow...no time for any fun right now.) Can't wait to get some iron hot.

My son is a freshman in a local technical school and has been exposed to blacksmithing together with lots of other really great things (CAD/CAM for design, metal fabrication, HVAC, 3-D Printing...) He really enjoyed the blacksmithing and I have to admit I have been interested since seeing live blacksmithing at Woodstock Fair (Ct) and at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne VT. Anyways I was able to buy some nice equipment for a really good price (Hay Budden Anvil (~250#), Peter Wright Anvil (~156#) a blacksmith vice and Centaur Forge (I'll attach pics). Getting started what should I look for for hammers and tongs to get started and can someone suggest a good beginners project. I've watched lots of videos and would love to make some tongs, but that may be too ambitious a starting point. I restore old tractors and hit and miss engines and have gotten pretty handy working with sheet metal, such as bending shaping, welsing, etc. I'm also a hobby cabinet maker making Queen Anne reproductions...Acted as GC when building my house, a post and beam, and learned plumbing, electrical, really bad plastering (I've gotten better but will leave that to the pros). My older son is a Sr at the Agricultural HS and he helped me learn welding (not so easy as I thought) (have a hard time to see the weld puddle) and have takjen a few classes. So when I say new to smithing that means having bought some of the basics, read alot, and watched quite a few videos. Couls also use some advise on operating the Cnetaur Forge. Thanks.