Show me your anvil

[PWS]

On 5/7/2020 at 5:50 AM, jlpservicesinc said:

Nothing wrong with painting "Your" anvil.  
You also did a much better job than I do.. I just use Black Gloss oil based Rustoleum. 

Thanks for the help and encouragement,regards Peter.

[tjdaggett]

19 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Any ring?

I confess that I'm not sure how to define "ring". It makes a sound when I hit it, and the sound is beautiful in it's own way, but there's no sustain to it like I've sometimes heard in others. I haven't been around enough working anvils to know. 

PWS, that looks marvelous. 

 

[ThomasPowers]

Is it more of a "Thwap" than a "TING!"?

[tjdaggett]

I'd say it's closer to a "TING", but perhaps more of a "Ting" if you take my meaning. We'll see what it sounds like when I get it on a proper stand. 

[JHCC]

That can make a huge difference. When I had my Mousehole (aka The Undisputed King of Anvils) mounted on a wooden stump, it went "BING!!!" Now that it's bedded down on a steel tripod with silicone caulk, it goes "thunk."

[tjdaggett]

JHCC, as one who has yet to mount his first anvil, tell me: which do you prefer? Are you a "BING!!!"-er, or more of a "thunk" sort of person?

[JHCC]

Well, “thunk” is a lot easier on the ears. 

[ThomasPowers]

Thunk can save you thousands of US$ on expensive hearing aids as you get older!  All *TING!* anvils should be made to "thunk" by proper mounting.

[123erinnc]

Hi everyone, I picked up this Anvil from a garage sale. 
The markings read “Patent Solid Anvil”

I’m having a hard time identifying it. I was told it is a Peter Wright but I’m not sure. 
There is a symbol above the lettering that almost looks like a Tic-Tac-Toe X pattern. Anybody have any idea?? 

[pnut]

Definitely like a thunk. Ring like a bell not so much. The little 66 pound anvil I just bought is going to take some serious dampening. I'm going to put silicone,a chain and a magnet along with screwing it down as tight as possible. My rail anvil is quiet. It's mounted in a garbage bucket of very fine dry aggregate. I've heard people say how much they ring but I can only hear the hammer hitting the hot steel. Hopefully I can get the little cast Steel one as quiet. 

Pnut

[ThomasPowers]

123 that's a Wilkinson, Queens Cross, Dudley anvil, English, Good Brand and sometimes the "crossed hot dogs" is all you can see. Will be weight stamped in CWT system.

Browser search:   wilkinson queens cross  dudley anvil     for info on the web about them.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I believe we have several threads here about them add site:iforgeiron.com to the search should bring them to the top of the page. I tried it and got 40 hits.

9 hours ago, 123erinnc said:

Hi everyone,

Welcome aboard, have you read this yet?  READ THIS FIRST  It will help you get the best out of the forum with tips like how to do the most effective search like I just did and others like editing your profile to show your location because knowing where in the world you are located will bring more accurate answers.

[123erinnc]

Wow thank you guys, I don’t know if I would’ve ever been able to find out the history of this Anvil. The gentleman that sold it to me didn’t know much about it. 

[Marc1]

Definitely a solid anvil

[Frosty]

Nice job painting Pete. I haven't painted my anvils but paint all my other equipment. Painting your tongs and hammers is a good way to keep them from growing legs. I'll probably paint my anvils one of these days but I'll need to strip the Trewax and that stuff's durable enough you have to sand it off bowling alleys. Still I think they'd look sharp in my shop colors, hunter green and gold.

Welcome aboard, 123erinnc glad to have you. do you have a name or handle we may address you by, 123ericnnc is kind of clumsy in a friendly conversation.  

You picked up a top shelf anvil, in great condition from what I can see. That could change with a poor rebound test. What else do you have for tools and equipment to put that beautiful old lady to work? 

Frosty The Lucky. 

[PWS]

Howdy Frosty,I finished cleaning up this 6" jaw 155lb pole vise on Friday (8/5/2020) It has a Ferocious Grip....Cheers  Hope Your all fit and well over there.

[123erinnc]

Well guys I’m just getting started. I was lucky to stumble upon this anvil. I really don’t have much as far as tools go. 
I’m going to start by mounting this anvil on a stump. Then my next step is looking for or building a forge.

google searching in my area doesn’t pull up anything as far as blacksmithing supplies. So I think a lot of this is going to be internet. 
 

so far the anvil is cleaning up nicely. Pictures to follow.

[ThomasPowers]

Please review the TPAAAT as the internet is one of the worst methods on trying to locate blacksmithing tools cheaply and local to you.

What you get using the internet is people trying to make money selling blacksmithing equipment and who have gone to the trouble of listing it there.  They generally also check prices online and try to match the highest ones, even if the equipment they are selling is not the same condition or quality level.

[Frosty]

A forge is easy and almost any smooth faced hammer 32 oz. or less is good to start. If you use stock longer than the finished product, say 18" or longer you don't need tongs. Iron is a poor conductor of heat and if the end you're holding starts getting uncomfortably warm a wet rag will cool it off. Do NOT handle hot material with wet hands or gloves! Being scalded is far worse than a other types of burn.

It's been a long time since I lived in S. CA but as I recall Lake Arrowhead was largely recreational country. Not the best hunting grounds but not the worst. Ranches are decent hunting The Walker Ranch used to run from Mexico to Oregon and there were hundreds of ranch houses, barns, etc.. A lot still raise cattle and horses but with modern times they don't need the blacksmithing equipment that once was a must when it was frontier land. 

My folks used to live on Lake Davis above Portola in Plumas County, one of Dad's friends was a Walker and offered me some of the smithing gear in the long unused line houses. 

The internet is a poor place to shop unless you like paying top dollar for questionable. 

You've got the hard part, the rest is easy peasy, stick with us we'll get you up and beating HOT steel.

Frosty The Lucky.

[KronRon]

Hi all. Just signed up and new on the scene. Got a couple anvils the small one is h boker stamped 16 lb. pretty sure it’s wrought with hard surface. Has a nice ring to it. But not sure where it was made. the bigger anvil has no numbers or stamp except on bottom cast area. Looks like 27. There is a clear line between base and body and a hard plate face step and horn? Face for sure. It has a cast sound to it but decent rebound any helpful knowledge would be much appreciated 

[DennisCA]

I hope to be picking this one up tomorrow, will be my first anvil, is 69kg or 150lbs, Swedish made in the 1800s says the seller, Söderfors.

[jlpservicesinc]

Always wanted swedish pattern.  Narrower face than German styles.

Congrats

[ThomasPowers]

Should only last you a couple of hundred years; then what will you do?

[FlatLiner]

Nice anvil. I love my Soderfors.

[Frosty]

Nice score Dennis, you'll love her. Soderfors cast anvils are much more common in your part of the world, makes me want to travel.

Frosty The Lucky.