MC Hammer

The fisher has dandruff but looks like a solid performer. At that price you did ok so long as the HB weld job was done correctly. Is there weld repairs on the HB? Tough to tell by that pictures.

Upsetter, You better just hang it up because that space is just terrible......Just kidding of course! Many of us can only dream of a dedicated shop like that with all those goodies. My power hammer only comes in the right hand or left hand version powered by breakfast and lunch. Someday.............Ahhh, I can dream right? Seriously, nice set-up.

Looks like something Harbor Freight would make and market for the guy who likes to tinker but isn't really serious about doing anything in particular. Similar concepts would look ridiculous when applied to say a bathroom where a toilet contraption with accessories attached served as the sink, tooth brush holder, mirror and soap dispenser all in one handy thing secured to your septic with a wax seal Saves space and for an extra $39.99 you can have a hair dryer/hand drying nozzle!

Does the closest guess win the anvil and free shipping to the winner's address?

Glad you could bring something back from the trip. I look forward to seeing the pictures.

Thanks everyone. Sounds like a wide variety of opinions out on it. I think I'm going to like the flats on it, but I'll have to forge for a few hours before I know for sure. They definitely don't roll as much. Thinning down the stock handles it came with helped a lot too.

That's what I thought Lionel. Maybe some others will chime in on the smaller one that looks like a Peter Wright

Dire - I never would have guessed it to be a hammer for changing tires. Heck, I'll use it and see what happens. Was it something that was used on model T's or something? It looks like it's been around for a long time.

My garage is below my house so it's technically heated and stays between 45 - 54 during the winter so like Thomas, I can wheel out warm equipment if the outside temps get pleasant. My basement shop is used for woodworking so I store my forge, anvil, and post vise in there away from the woodworking stuff and just wheel it all out with an old antique barrel cart. All that effort just isn't worth it if the dirt driveway is snowy, icy, or the outside temps are below 40 in the winter. I use the winter to repair tools, tweak equipment, buy new equipment, and think up new projects to do when it's "forging weather" here in NY. I don't mind it though, when I add onto my flintknapping shop to make a forge I'll just extend the heating ducts into the forge and I'll appreciate a nice forge all the more after having moved everything in and out for years. I think paying your "dues" like that really makes a guy appreciate things better.

I just don't forge when it's this cold. -8 this morning. If it gets up into the 40's during the winter I'll haul everything out and forge, otherwise I don't get much time to beat the hot metal before it quickly cools. I know that's not too helpful, but sometimes the weather dictates things for those of us who live in the north. When I build a forge, yeah, it's going to be heated with a furnace to keep all the tools at least in the 40's during the winter months.

I had the opportunity to get a couple armfuls of blacksmithing tongs and hammers from a picker and he threw this hammer in for free. From what I can see, the hammer head was cast as there seems to be a casting line vertically down the side of it. The metal seems soft by just observing the mushrooming of the business end. I did touch a magnet to it and it has good attraction to the magnet so it definitely is some sort of iron. Can anyone tell me what this hammer's particular use was?

I picked this vise up from a friend for $50. I'm guessing from the open screw box that it is a Columbian........early 1900's?? The screw is in great shape and the jaws are 4 inches wide. Thoughts anyone? She's slated for a clean-up & greasing of the screw next. Here's the little 3 3/4 inch post vise I'm currently using. I'm told it could be a Peter Wright, but I found no markings on the screw box when I cleaned & greased the screw. Anyone have any ideas as to the maker and age? I'm told the smaller vises like this could be older.

While making a new handle for a small 3/4 pound cross peen I picked up at an antique store, I decided to re-profile my 3 lb & 2.5 lb cross peens with the octagonal shape. I know this has been talked about already in various other threads, but I'd be interested in hearing from guys who've tried the octagon shaped handles and liked them and from those that tried them and didn't like them. My initial thoughts are that I do seem to be able to grip the hammer better and with less effort. I think this will equate to less fatigue over hours of forging. They certainly don't feel slippery in the hand but I wonder about blisters forming where the hand comes into contact with those small ridges of the octagon shape. Let's hear from you if you use or used octagon shaped handles. Thanks, much appreciated!

The fingerless gloves have also saved me from incidental burns - a lot of stupid brush against type of burns. I have to agree with the guys who say full on gloves can sometimes make a guy a little careless around their hot steel, especially black hot steel, but I find the fingerless gloves eliminate any temptation to handle hot steel with the hands yet still cover me for the dumb luck stuff. I'll keep in mind about the wheel chair gloves.

I read some place that they also angled the anvils away from them slightly so the scale would slide off. Never seen an old picture that showed an angled anvil. I'd rather have the face of the anvil as level as can be and the anvil secured down tightly. Like Marc1 said, I'd rather have my hearing than than hope that vibration takes off the scale. I wear weight lifter gloves that are leather but have the fingers exposed so it's really easy to swipe off the scale with the covered palm of my hand.

Thanks Irondragon. I knew about the rubber bladder and wondered if it was a bugger to get out. I like the idea of having a top on a hinge so if there is a problem I can be a few feet away and shut the lid with a long piece of stock instead of having to walk over there and try to put a top over it.

Anyone every use one of those blue expansion tanks that go between your plumbing and your water well? I scored one and my thinking is that I can cut the top off it then hinge the top so it has a lid.

Someday in the far future this anvil will come up on this forum with someone asking to identify the anvil they just bought Great job. I think this falls into the category of "I did it to see if I could do it." You certainly made a practical and usable anvil. Let us know how it works and rebounds.

Great anvil Joe. If you search the forum you'll see that many search for a decent anvil for a long time and end up having to pay hundreds of dollars for them. It sounds like you got yours for free and the "damage" you site isn't really anything to be concerned about. Horns of anvils were hammered dull on the point so that blacksmiths weren't constantly getting poked by the sharp point as they moved around the anvil working. The shelf more times than not has heavy use because, well, better to mark up the shelf than the face. Your shelf is in better shape than mine. Like others have said, don't take an angle grinder to it or have the face squared up and flattened. This takes years of life and hard steel off the face. Just use it as it is and look at the dings and things to the edges as testimony of good use by many blacksmiths that have been the caretaker before you. You are just the latest caretaker of it and will pass it on to another blacksmith someday. Clean her up with a wire wheel on an angle grinder, some soap & water after that, and then coat her with rust preventative like clean motor oil or boiled linseed oil, then get working hot metal on her. You scored a great anvil there.

My Dad and I had a conversation about anvil prices the other day and he remembers when you couldn't hardly get a bid on an anvil when they came up at auctions. Guys were picking them up for $50 or less and if they were too large to move they went for less. My uncle bought every one he had a chance to do, but nobody knows or wants to admit where all the anvils went. Anyways, it makes me laugh to see some of these listings. I think though that the market is driven higher because people are unwilling to wait to find a decently priced anvil. They want an anvil NOW and not 2 months from now because they want to make swords and knives like they see on FIF on the History Channel. So, sellers are selling anvils of all kinds at those prices. I used a borrowed junky anvil until I could find a decent one at a decent price. Like others have said, I think when FIF goes off the air there will be a influx of forging tools, anvils, and forges that hit the market at cheap prices. We'll all be ready to harvest the reward of waiting it out.

Mount that thing the other way, up and down and you'll do better with it. It's a good start!

Lorne there are a couple of good threads to read about CO (not CO2) and gas forges. Enclosed spaces without proper air coming in and CO being vented out is a huge no no. Some are happy with cross ventilation while others here have spec'd out systems that move the fresh air in at a calculated rate that the CO contaminated air is being moved out. There are proper calculations also for the amount of air used in the combustion process with the propane forge. This isn't something you experiment with. While we all love to forge and have dedicated much of our time and treasure to do it, it's simply not worth dying for. Worse yet, if your enclosed space is connected to your living space you could come in from a successful day of forging to find your loved ones dead. Don't risk your life.

I'm glad the cleaning procedure worked well for you. Thanks for posting clean-up pictures.

That's a decent $300 - $350 anvil at best. Peter Wright is a great anvil maker, but there are a lot of them out there in that type of condition and in that weight. Maybe in Utah a premium is attached because there are probably fewer anvils than say out east or in Ohio, but I think the seller is really asking too much for it. There's nothing exceptional about the make, condition or weight that would explain the almost $8 a pound asking price. $2 - $3 a pound isn't out of the question for a good anvil. When I was looking for anvils, I'd often call the seller and ask him what he knows about the anvil. 9 times out of 10 it was nothing. I'd then give him a little information about it and slip in there that anvils of his type generally go for less than the asking price. I had one guy come down from $800 on a 235 lb English style anvil saying "All I wanted to get out of it was $500." Bingo, he listed it for more but had an idea in mind of what he really wanted. As long as the seller doesn't get the feeling you are trying to low-ball him, you can usually get them to budge. I'm sure others here will chime in and some may have better advice than mine.

Super job on the clean-up Ugotit22!! That's a great look for a cleaned up anvil. His use will polish up the top after time and a lot of hot metal being forged on it. You done real good. Your brother will like all that mass in the waist of the anvil because it's under where all the work is done. What cleaning method did you ultimately use to get it looking like a proper lady again? You still get brother of the year in my book.