Brasilikilt

Thanks for all the input, some very good points have been made which have helped me put things into perspective. While I am still basically in the beginning stages of blacksmithing, I had made up my mind a long time ago that I wanted a *real* anvil. I already have a railroad track anvil, a 4"x4" chunk of mild steel, a 3" chunk of round stock/sledge hammer head set upright in a stump. All of these things worked, and I will keep them for possible modification into specialty tools as the need arises, but I have money left over from an educational award which I am using to pay for this anvil and other tools, so why not buy an actual anvil? I don't like this anvil because it's old. I've seen anvils from the 1500's and 1600's that I didn't like that much. I like this anvil because it's thick in the waist and isn't too thin out into the hardy hole area (heel??) It has a nice mass of metal under the striking area which I have heard helps to put a bit more resistance against your hammer blows AND it fits into my anvil budget. The fact that it's almost 200 years old merely appeals to my historical interests, and if all of my tools are antique, used, rescued from the trash and refurbished or made by me. I can't afford to buy a reproduction of an anvil from the 1700's, I don't have the equipment or gang or strikers you would need to make one. After seeing how a guy on this forum did it, I've actually given serious consideration to the thought of using 4" mild steel plate, using a cutting torch to burn it into shape, and then using a wire welder to secure a length of fork from a lift-truck to the top as a striking face. A lot of work, eh? If I had the means to do it, I would. That's why the thought of using hard-facing rod to lessen the sway in the face of this anvil doesn't seem that bad.

Does anyone live in the same area as him , and could set up an appointment to check everything out?

I think you guys need to spend less time complaining about anvil collectors, a little less time complaining on this forum, and a little more time looking for them and maybe then you will find one! Reply With Quote In my search for anvils I have had encounters with ****, I had some lady try to convince me that a 110 lb Vulcan was brought over on the Oregon trail. I also had some guy in an antique store start yelling at me and almost chase me out of his store with a broom handle when I pointed out that his "really nice" anvil was a harbor freight aso that looked as though it had been dragged behind a truck for several hours. I've put the word out there, asked everyone I know, cruised garage sales, ebay, craigslist. I hear murmurings that there's a guy in the area with 7 anvils for sale....he still hasn't bothered to contact me. There's a 140# for sale a few hours drive from me, but the guy still hasn't sent any pictures. I will still keep looking. I still want to kick this anvil-hoarding guy in the head

So THAT'S what happened to all the good west coast anvils!!!! Seriously,it's guys like that who are making it harder for people like me to find a decent piece of steel to beat on!

Hey all The feedback I have gotten from you all is rather mixed. Finding a good old anvil here in Oregon has been frustrating. (This anvil is in Pennsylvania.) There's 2 guys at work who have anvils, but don't want to sell them. At my other job I have to look at a sweet little 125 pounder that sits there unused, collecting dust, but my boss doesn't want to sell that one either. I've been offered a couple others that were much smaller, way overpriced, and in just about as bad a shape as this mouse hole. I guess I like the fact that this anvil is so old, and has the features I've been looking for and is a price (with shipping) that falls within my budget. Would it really be too much trouble and costly to build the face back up with hardening rods? I have a friend who might still have some rods left over from his anvil project. In the fall I can also bring it into my blacksmith class where my instructor (who has tons of welding experience) might actually enjoy being involved in the process. I think it would be really cool to make this anvil last another 150 years. Anyways, it's bedtime take care

I don't know why, but for some reason I want to punch that guy in the face :mad:

Hmmmmm...... Didn't some of you explain that sway in the face is *good* as it is the "sweet spot" and can be useful for straightening and such? Also wouldn't it be an indication that this is a quality anvil that was used by a blacksmith for years and years before me? This is potentially my first anvil, and I plan on using this one for general blacksmith work, carrying around to events to do demos (and to perhaps make a little gas/food money), but also substantial enough to handle slightly heavier work that I would do at home. This one looks about the same condition as the little 110#-120# Peter Wright I saw locally the other day going for $300, I also think that one might have been in a fire. That one was smaller with some pretty bashed-up edges and a face that had almost as much sway. The guy told me that he paid $270 for it a few years ago. I haven't seen much of anything else for sale except for a 150 lb Hay Budden 200+ miles away for $400, which has probably sold. A lot of the blacksmiths and "tool people" that I've talked to explain that anything around here in decent shape, from a good maker often gets sold for $4/lb and over....and I have been looking/asking around for months. Pickings here in Oregon/Washington are quite slim. People WITH anvils often don't want to sell them, and they act as though they're doing me a favor by charging me an arm and a leg. I'm also getting a little weary of looking and want to get something halfway decent, that's an older style and in my basic price-range.

Hey all I was asked nicely to keep my wording vague. I was at first thinking that I could hang around these guys and perhaps open their minds a little. I talked with this guy well into the night, and with my questions being answered with greater and greater levels of intolerant ideas. I realized that there was little or nothing I could say to change their minds. If baffles me as to the close-minded nature of some people. I could have come to their house as I did, a nice honest guy wanting to make friends in the local blacksmith community and bringing a lot of knowledge and ideas to the table that would greatly benefit the operation. This beliefs truly makes me sad for them.

Hey all I don't know for sure if this one has been sold or not, but I'm rather interested in it, and was wondering what your opinions are. As many of you know, I have been seeking out an anvil, which this one meets most of what I have been after in terms of weight, pattern, price. I have been hoping to spend around $2/lb for an anvil. This one with shipping would amount to somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.35/lb It's an old Mouse-Hole anvil, (maybe 1850's?) which is good for me since I plan to use it for historical reenacting, but I'm wondering about the general condition. For a first anvil, I think I could probably do a lot worse. I like that it's thick in the waist and that there's plenty of metal in the hardy area. What say all of you?

As of recently I have been doing what I can to buy tools, but also meet local blacksmiths in my area, I have gotten invites to tour various smithies and talk shop with their owners. I thankfully have met some really nice people, and have gotten plenty of good ideas for starting this as a career (thanks Dan!) and how to set up my own smithy. On Friday, after talking on the phone quite a bit, I showed up at a fellows house who has a backyard smithy set up, a really nice anvil, and an idea to do an artistic collective of sorts. I talked with him, talked with his partner and thought they were very nice people, I discovered that while their head was in the right place, they lacked certain important knowledge that I could bring into the mix such as how to make useful tools (such as a guillotine fuller, different types of tongs) and put them to work to save labor. I really thought that I was making friends, and that together we could really get something good started. But........to make a long story short........the talk became charged with these crack pot racial ideas. This all told me loud and clear that these guys are NOT my new forging partners. Such a shame, because before that point, I really liked them. He also had a little #100 Peter Wright he would have sold to me (expensive, but available) It makes me really sad because I don't deal with people who have that particular brand of mental illness

Hey, those are beautiful and very well done! Makes my gargantuan hammer look as though it's little more than scrap metal :-)

Hey all I thought I would pass this one along round saw anvil Not the type of anvil I'm looking for, but figured it may be perfect for somebody else.

Hey all I just recently picked up this old wrench at the local used tool store and was so happy to find it in such good shape (after having sifted through a whole box of them) I didn't pay enough attention to the fact that it is cast steel/iron. I want to turn this into a twisting wrench, and would like to weld a handle onto the opposite end. Would I be better off getting another wrench, or would welding to this wrench be done without too much hassle/ruining the wrench? What welding process would be best? Stick, MIG, Flux Core? Thanks for any help/suggestions Iain

Hey all I've shot various types of muzzle loaders for years, built a couple of them and have found that the majority of those instances where really bad failures have happened is from people mistakenly using SMOKELESS POWDER in their guns. ONLY when PROPER FIREARM SAFETY is adhered to, black powder is a forgiving medium to work with. I feel that with the proper precautions, this guy should be able to test his gonne without needing to seek refuge in a bunker.

Yes, go to www.muzzleloadingforum.com They have 2 separate forums which may be of help One is dedicated to cannons, another is dedicated to pre-flintlock gonnes. I also suspect that you may find some helpful info in the "gun builder's bench" forum as well. I've been active there since '04 and know the forum to be filled with lots of people who are as generous with sharing their knowledge as they are here. good luck and keep us posted Iain

Hey Jesse You could put some fire bricks in the bottom and pack some river clay, or even mud with fireplace ash mixed in between them. I figure you could experiment and see if this works, and if you like it you could always replace the creek clay with fireplace mortar or refractory clay. Have fun, and hope it works better Iain

I already have one of the first Shop Smith combo tools which is a lathe, table saw, disk sander, horizontal boring machine plus it also tilts up to use as a drill press. This machine is designed for wood, and don't think it would do too well to turn metal. If I had a nice metal lathe I would make small cannons such as little ones for a desktop and most certainly larger swivel gun size ones for firing off and repelling boarders :-)

Don't think that this is what you guys intended but here's my lathe, table saw, sander, drill press boring machine etc etc etc

sounds like a dream job to me, but I'm afraid the commute is a bit too much :(

It's funny that this topic should come up right now. I just completed a welding certification program (my own instructor got his start in the trades, as what??? An apprentice blacksmith.) I am thoroughly frustrated with the lack of any entry-level positions available for welding, fabrication etc. A few months ago I was *almost* hired for what would have in effect been a dream job for me, but despite my experience in my welding and blacksmithing courses, the deal breaker was that he wanted someone who had actually worked somewhere in the metals/fabrication field. I was really swinging at the fences over that one! There are so many guys out there looking for these jobs, and very few open positions. Just the other day I talked to a local blacksmith about what I referred to as "an unpaid internship" He said that he has had people do similar, and is open to me going to his shop to do grunt work such as grinding down welds and cutting steel. No hammer and forge work until I prove myself past a certain level of competency. I'm FINE with that! I actually *like* hammering square to round to triangle because I know it's a very good way to learn hammer control and to see how metal moves when you hit it. I'm totally frustrated with the lack of response to my inquiries because of those guys who's only interest is forging swords and axes. They seem to pester the working blacksmiths about these things so much, that the guy like me who has invested so much time and money in training for this as a serious career, loses credibility. I am completely interested in apprenticing with a working blacksmith, and I feel as though I have a better understanding as to what it's all about. I have to be useful and beneficial to the company and not suck up the shop's time and resources with a beginner's incompetence. anyways, I have to go to work now

I've been beating the bushes and got a response from somebody who had this to say: Hello: I do have an anvil that I purchased at an Estate Sale this last Winter. It is the one with the Eagle embossed on the side with the weight embossed on the bottom edge. It is mounted on a fir stump piece and I have not done anything with it yet. Eagle Embossed on the side??? Could that be a Fisher Norris perhaps? I am writing for more info to see what he says. Yes I know, a 150# Peter Wright for $300 out here is very hopeful, especially after having been offered a 110# Vulcan for $300, but I have been basing these prices off of Ebay with a loose shipping calculation thrown in there. All in all Fed Ex will ship 140 lbs from the east coast for around 100 bucks. Ack! it hurts, but that's what I may have to do in order to get a quality piece out here.

Hey all After reading all of your comments and doing a little research of my own I've rested on getting something preferably no more than 150 lbs. I simply don't *need* something huge for what I'm doing, and also it needs to be something that I can move around on my own without too much trouble. Ideally I would like to get a 150# Peter Wright I also took a look in our very own tailgating section and saw a few anvils that seem to be just what I'm after. It's just too bad that they're all so far away. The shipping cost would bump me over my $300 anvil budget. I still need to think about buying/building a coal forge and getting a post vise. thanks again for the responses! Iain

Ohh, and my instructor is B. Romans from Clackamas Community College. He also reads this forum *wink* See ya this eve Sensei!

Hello again I seriously have it bad! Thanks to all of you for taking the time to explain these things to me. It will undoubtedly prove to be very valuable information when purchasing my future anvil. Seriously, if you're armed with good info, it's less likely that you'll buy a very expensive hunk of junk! I've been cruising Craigslist and Ebay religiously and have found lots of beautiful anvils. I'd say my favorites (from the pics and word of mouth) have to be Peter Wrights. I plan on setting up at historical events, so a nice looking anvil is a factor. I'm looking for something small enough to haul around with me (not much more than 150 lbs) but large enough to use for general work at home. I know that I am just starting out, but I want something that I won't quickly grow out of as my skills improve. I have a feeling that most people on here with nice anvils tend to hold on to them, but if there's a slim chance that someone has something that they're willing to sell to a loving home, please send me a private message. thanks Iain