jlpservicesinc Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 thanks JHCC for the refresher on the name.. It is pretty sweet. I still get excited when I find or get a new anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sploing Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 On 9/13/2019 at 1:27 PM, Sploing said: It’s in the UK, I picked it up a few weeks back but haven’t had chance to clean it. The bounce and ring are superb. There’s no way a set of bathroom scales would help, I’m a fairly big guy but I can’t lift it! i had wondered what the little projection was for so thanks! Well, I cleaned it up and there wasn’t a mark in sight. A plank, some scales and maths (thanks guys) showed it to weigh 360lbs or 3.0.24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 Sploing, Looks like a carriage makers anvil. The side piece is used for making clips. Nice anvil. Steven NY: That is an early Trenton. for some reason Trenton wanted to get into the anvil making business a few years before production in the USA,. and initially contracted with a German anvil MFG to forge and make the first series of anvils in Germany. The way you can tell is the extremely well blended face (nearly no seam) a little bit different face/horn shape and lastly the foot both heel and toe have ledge on them and no cavity or concavity in the bottom of the anvil. They are a well forged anvil though they seem to have hard faces that chip on the corners. i don't remember the date at which they started production in the USA, but the later ones which were made in the USA have a face you can see and a drop forged base made in a standard size for anvils weighing different amounts that was used for several sizes. Usually arc welded at the waist.. I love seeing the early examples of arc welding.. Pretty amazing to think lots of the technology was really at the turn of the century. Arc welding, gas welding, water turbines, etc, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollerhead Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 Brand new to the forum. Great information so far. I look forward to browsing and learning. I've wanted an anvil for many years. I've missed a few good ones during the search. My dad recently found a 129lb (126lb actual) Arm & Hammer in WV and I brought it back to SC with me. I think it's in pretty good shape. Solid all across the face, decent rebound, very little sway. The face edges have some chips and the hardie hole has been a little abused. I love the size and design, don't mind the condition, and I think with a little cleanup it will serve me well. It received many layers of various paints over the years so the first order of business was to sandblast it clean. It was then coated it with linseed oil and dried in a powder coating oven. I've been working on a design-as-I-go base for it. I started with a piece of well seasoned WV red oak. I have both ends of pretty well squared up and I decided to route an anvil base shaped recess in the top of the log. The anvil fits well down into the ~1/2" deep recess and sits solid and I don't think it will walk around much. I have lots of reshaping planned for the oak base later but my thoughts have now moved to anchoring the anvil down. Because I'm working in a small space, I will be making a rolling base and worry a little that it could tip off the log if a roller were to hit something on the floor and stop suddenly. For anchoring, I've had thoughts of drilling and tapping a single 5/8"-11 (or so) blind hole in the center of the bottom of the anvil base and use a length of threaded rod up through the center of the log to anchor the anvil. I'll also use this threaded rod to attach the log/anvil to my rolling base. I wanted to ask for some advice. Is anchoring the anvil to the oak base even needed? Second question; is attempting to drill and tap into the anvil a dumb idea? Thanks in advance. I'm proud to own the anvil. Here are some pictures: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 hollerhead, nice anvil. congrats, I love this style and the looks of the top plate so clearly visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 Welcome aboard... To me a rolling base is not very good because the anvil will move around when being hammered on. To move it a cheap HF hand truck will work as well and the base will be solid to the ground while working with it. Anchoring the anvil to the base is always a good idea, especially if it will be moved around. Doesn't have to be elaborate, I just forge some small spikes and drive them into the stump. Drilling and taping the bottom isn't a dumb idea, just more trouble than it's worth IMO. Now milling, grinding or welding on the anvils hardened face, that's a dumb idea for the average person. This is how I anchor my anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven NY Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 Hello JLP, Thank you for the feedback, that makes sense that is is an early Trenton made in Germany. The factory it was bought from was built by stone masons contracted from Germany by our towns name sake, Alfred Dolge. It does have some edge chipping as you said the face must be very hard. I have been using it for 10+ years now and I have no complaints. You can see the hammer marks from its production, impressive piece of work. I love the anvil stand on your new Fisher, and the anvil is great too of course. I love the fact that the person that mounted it took the time to taper the stand. Have a great night, W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Drilling and tapping the base would be a great theft deterrent as that is a fairly light anvil. Firmly attaching it to the base will help quiet the ring. (Using a non-quieted A&H will soon show you why so many folks like Fishers!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollerhead Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking the ring of the A&H may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I grew up on 550 acres in WV and for 15 years I've been way out of place living near the ocean in a subdivision. I haven't really been able to adjust. I figure this anvil ringing and a good WV coal fired forge may be just enough to push the neighbors and the HOA over the edge and help me get kicked out. If I can make the wife some "real pretty" stuff with my new toys maybe she'll go with me. I'm excited to begin learning this skill. Since joining the Navy straight out of high school and spending those years as a Hull Tech working with metal in so many ways, metal work has never gotten old to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 PROTECT YOUR HEARING! I've met a passel of smiths in their 80's and 90's with bad eyes and bad ears. Life is much better, and CHEAPER, if you avoid such damage at a younger age! Both issues are cumulative; so every little bit you can avoid HELPS! Now a ringing anvil at a demo can help draw people over---especially places where they put the smith on the back side of yonder; but even there good earplugs will still allow you to talk with people and cut the damaging levels. Getting neighbors/HOAs/Local FD or PD/etc upset with you is NEVER a good strategy. Lure your wife away with positive rather than negative inducements! (Only took one time with the villagers showing up with pitchforks and torches yelling "Kill the monster!" before I learned that lesson... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 The villagers showing up with pitchforks and torches, man i hate those nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I love those nights. It means I can go practice some old moves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Let ‘em come. I’ve got multiple fire extinguishers and more dangerous tools (agricultural and otherwise) than the rest of the neighborhood combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buvSIrFi0Hw Couldn't have said it better myself! You deal with the villagers; Igor and I will move your anvils and other blacksmithing tools to a safer location... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacLeod Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Mr and Mrs MacLeod are both pleased(the former) and completely disinterested (the latter) to announce the arrival of a beautiful baby Anvil. ‘Angusina the Anvil MacLeod’ is a two horned french ‘hulot harmel’ and although a bit rough round the edges, well one edge in particular, she is loved already by her proud Dad. Her mother appears happy and normal enough to others, but to me appears to be suffering from post natanvil depression, only that can explain the utter lack of excitement at the new arrival. Of course it was me that bore most of the pain of this delivery, which wasn’t without it’s complications. Purchased at auction in Cheshire, I was the one who went through the difficult labour of organising collection and pallet haulage to the Outer Hebrides. I experienced severe contractions of the wallet in doing so. It was me who would check the tracking website each half hour on the hour from 5:30 am till well after bedtime daily, willing the pallet onwards. These checks became more frequent as the time got closer but I controlled my breathing OK. Nobody held my shaking hands to reassure me or gently dabbed the sweat from my brow between scans. Nobody explained what ‘scanned to trunk’ meant either. Unlike the other familial deliveries, I wasn’t actually present at the arrival, I was on the mainland working, but that was no need to leave poor wee Angusina outside beside the van for three days! I regularly requested various angle photos, and updates, (and a rebound test) until eventually those admittedly frequent but altogether reasonable requests were ignored entirely. Got home today. Oh man, the stars aligned for me for once, I wasn’t outbid by garden ornament hunters, interior designers, resellers or a rich blacksmith(if there is such a thing) and now this beautiful anvil is mine. I found it hidden in an ‘antiques and fine art’ auction, so it didn’t get much interest and went to me for a reasonable price. It was described in the auction catalogue thus: Rare French Hulot Harmel Antique Anvil. 2 Horned French Anvil (Paris), wonderful age and patina, stands at 9 inches and 27 inches long. I intend to devalue it as an antique by hitting hot bits of steel on it and am probably going to take a wire wheel to it to get rid of a lot of that ‘patina’ too. I’m not fussed about the chipped edge there’s plenty corners on it and I’ll attempt a hardie tool if I need more. I’m not sure of how old it is and I have only the information from here on IFI on its pedigree. That’s plenty. On arriving home after Jetta had jumped up on me and covered my smart clothes in mud, I demonstrated the ballbearing rebound test to a -suddenly busy, other stuff to do-Mrs MacLeod. The ball bearing gave a wee bounce on the train track first as a comparison. I was leaning over too much and too close to Angusina and altogether too forceful, and when the ball bearing hit me smartly on the forehead, there was no alarm, no thoughts of concussion; “idiot” she said “you deserved that.” It rings, I didn’t mind the dull thud of my train track, but this rings! I reckon on a calm night they will hear it ring over on the Isle of Skye. I’m looking forward to working with bigger stock on a flat surface and the health and safety improvements that will instantly give me. I’ve started a few unintentional fires by chucking hot steel about while squaring or punching heavier (for me) bits on the train track. Anyway I’m droning on, what I’m trying to say is ‘Hallo everyone, hope you’re all well, what do you think of my new anvil?’ I’m off to learn some french or alternatively tap some Scottish Gaelic into Angusina…. PS I broke Mrs MacLeods horse feed trolley when I was using it as Angusina’s Stroller to get her to the shed. If I don’t post again by Christmas send the police in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Think she might strap it to you and take you for a swim? Tell her I'd pay good money for that anvil and a rock would work just as well! Can you post the stampings for us so we can drool a bit more? The anvil I got at auction was a bit similar, HVAC company auction held on a holiday weekend, so mainly industrial folks not interested in old tech and few of them as it was a holiday. Mine was a 134# HB and I was there to whisk it away to a life of being slapped with hot metal and hit with hammers; but it seems to enjoy that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacLeod Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 26 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Think she might strap it to you and take you for a swim? Tell her I'd pay good money for that anvil and a rock would work just as well! I’m not telling her that Thomas, I’d be in more trouble then Wire brush got rid of that awful antique patina! gives us HULOT HARMEL AUX FORGES DE VULCAIN PARIS 51922 75 K 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Congratulations. That is a beautiful one for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Shaking drool out of my keyboard now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacLeod Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Thanks, glad I didn’t buy a donkey. Only had time tonight to straighten and taper half a dozen sections of coil spring, didn’t drop any on the floor and dead straight in one heat. 5 inch flat width is like a dining table compared to what I’m used to! Onwards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 MacLeod, ýou have quite a flare for the written word. I enjoy reading your posts immensely. Great looking anvil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacLeod Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 On 10/31/2019 at 9:37 PM, CrazyGoatLady said: a flare for the written word. Nonsense! I go on a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 An anvil you can serve tea on is a good one to have in the shop. (Especially if it's nice and warm from a good day's forging!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacLeod Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Definitely! Couldn’t balance anything on the train track Thomas! Angusina’s hardie hole is slanted and exits out the side, that’s going to make making tools interesting. Maybe the first one will be a cake stand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 I'm swigging cold tea out of a reused plastic bottle here at work; now you have me thinking of accessories---perhaps some sugar tongs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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