D Ravizza

Here are two not so great photos of the new Mousehole anvil. It almost looks like a twin to yours. Yours is in nicer shape though. Some past idiot was not careful with this anvil. From what I can tell the anvil dates from 1820-1835. It also lacks a pritchel hole. It is marked but did not show up clearly in the photo. It reads M & H Armitage Mouse Hole 1.0.3 Not in bad shape for being at least 177 years old! I sure won't look that good when I am that age. If you have not seen it this webpage has some good info on dating these anvils. http://www.abana.org/resources/discus/messages/4/442.html?1339783714 According to this your anvil would date from 1854-1875. I am awfully tempted to weld up those chips in the anvil and clean up the surface a bit. But since this anvil is so old it might be best to leave it alone. I am happy to have found a Mousehole anvil. Especially an early one like this. Learning the about the history is almost as fun as forging. Dan

Nice anvil! Funny, I picked one up just like it over the weekend. I think mine is exactly one pound lighter. Marked 1-0-3. Yours is in a bit better shape. Mine has a few chips out of the edges. Good find. Enjoy it. Dan

Tim, Great photo! We had fun that day. Dan

Nice looking shear! Looks like a deal for $100. I wonder if that blade was flame hardened in some way? I don't have first hand experience on a shear exactly like that. I do have an older style one that's similar (it might be German made). Works fine on material up to 1/8 not the best for really thin material though. Happy shearing Dan

The NJB meet was a good time. It was a beautiful day. The two demos where great, I learned a lot. Dan

I suspect that the vise was made for J H Williams by Columbian. Appears to be the same style as the Columbian 606 M2. A very high quality vise. Nice find! Dan

Welcome! I have attached a pic of a screw key padlock I made about 7-8 years ago. Many early handcuffs and leg irons use this same mechanism. So, this style lock might work for you. The mechanism is very simple. The key draws back a spring loaded bolt with a screw thread. If it would help I do have an article with pictures on the construction of this lock.(this was my high school senior project) I can email it if you would like. I don't know how to post a word document on the forum. Take care Dan

I bet the old smith used the side of the anvil to test the temper of punches or pick axes. A common practice. Some of damage does look to to be casting flaws. Neither should effect the function of the anvil.

That looks like a great stand. Was the leg of the vise cut short? I have been thinking of setting up a lower vise. But the limitation is the length of the leg. That horse head is beautiful! Nice work. Dan

That's a nice anvil. Great price too. The lack of a Pritchel (round) hole likely dates it from 1780-1830. Just enjoy using it as it is.

Nice work. The "toes" are a nice detail. What did you use to form the bowl? I made a smaller footed bowl out of copper with polished steel legs. I silver brazed them on. Not sure I would do it that way again. Riveting would be easier. Dan

David, Your hammer looks great! It sure is a big guy. It looks like its in very good condition. Dan

Harris, that is some very helpful information. It sounds like you really know these machines well. I am very pleased to hear that the Champions are such nice machines. I believe my machine also has the original motor mount. Again, its so buried that I am not certain. It would be neat to see your set up. My machine will need some work before its operable again. The biggest problem is that the casting that contains the dovetail adjustment screws is broken in two spots. As you can see in the picture the old blacksmith made his own repairs using straps and wedges. I looked carefully at this and I am confident that it can be fixed. This casting seems to be bolted and pinned to the main frame. One possibility is machining a replacement piece or repairing the existing one. Any thoughts? Thanks again everyone. Dan

What dia. pulley did you use? I assume the motor is a standard 1725 rpm. Dan

Thanks for the info guys. One more question, what size motor is needed for the hammer? There is currently no motor installed on it. The hammer is still buried deep in the old shop where I bought it. The guy thinks the motor is around somewhere. I would like to know what horse power to look for. Thanks again Dan

Hi, I recently purchased a Champion No. 1 power hammer. I am looking for some information about these machines. Especially the weight of the hammer and the overall weight of the machine. I am also interested in hearing opinions on the quality/usability of these machines. Thanks Dan

Steel expands/contracts at a rate of .0000065 inches per inch per degree Fahrenheit. So a 1.0 inch long piece of steel raised 1000 degrees F would measure 1.0065. Sorry if this is more technical than you need. Hopefully someone has a good rule of thumb. Dan

That's an awesome piece of steel!

I have a small post vise stamped GOLDIE. No other markings though. NYCRR is the New York Central Rail Road. I remember seeing one on Ebay marked as yours is. I would also like to know its history. Please post a picture of it. Dan

Philip is right. Dan

Here are a few pics of my two pre 1780 colonial anvils. One has five feet and the other has the usual four. The four footed one is clearly marked with the stone weight of 1:0:11 or 123lbs. Although it only weighs about 115 lbs. The five footed anvil is faintly marked with 1 0 11. It still weighs 123 lbs. I think its in pretty good condition for its age. The face is still very flat. As far as I know they are not radioactive. But the last few posts in this thread are getting me a little worried! Enjoy Dan