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I Forge Iron

Introduction of New Member


njanvilman

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I finally decided to give this forum a go. A few friends on here urged me to get in on the fun. I am the curator of the Fisher & Norris Museum. Some of you out there know of the story of how I got involved with saving the archives of the factory. I had a story published in the Anvil's Ring in 2001 about the beginnings of the quest. More information can be found in a Google search. It would take too long to repeat it here now. My museum houses all of the remaining pattern for the Fisher anvils, the remaining paperwork, and a lot of anvils. The count is in the tons. I believe some photos were posted here in the spring of the museum.

I love to talk about anything Fisher. I am working on a book of the history and products of the company. My museum is open to the blacksmithing community. Just PM me. I am in central NJ. This is not a full time venture. I teach wood and metalworking. Home this week recovering from a broken leg. OOPS.

My quest out there is to find 600 lb and 700 lb Fisher anvils. They are the only missing ones from a complete line of all of their standard anvils. The search goes on.

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Here are articles and photographs of Fisher & Norris Museum.
- NJBA Article showing Fisher and Norris Museum anvils- Oct 2006
- Fisher and Norris Museum

...... My quest out there is to find 600 lb and 700 lb Fisher anvils. ......

What a coincidence, I imagine that just about everyone on this forum has the same quest. :D
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All Fisher anvil were painted black on the base. The tops were not painted. The only ones that were a different color were pictured in the July 1952 issue of National Geographic Magazine. The photographer complained that everything was gray, black or dirty. So they painted three of them orange, green and silver. But it is your anvil; you can do anything you want with it.

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In the last two weeks, I have added a 200 lb Fisher, made in the 1850's(earliest style), a 70 lb Fisher with a major identity defect, and a pre-1800 170 lb. Continental style double church window anvil(not Fisher) to the museum.

I hope to get them cleaned up and on display in a few weeks.

I wish I could go to Quad States, but I just missed 10 days of work with a broken leg, and have to go back to work this Friday. Maybe next year?

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  • 2 weeks later...

70 lb Fisher got to my museum, courtesy of a move by a friend from Quad States. Neat item...the FISHER logo is on the anvil upside-down. That anvil will go on display with the one with the upside-down Eagle, and the one with the FISHER on backwards. Even with Fisher's aim for quality, some anvils with defects still got out there.

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New Addition to the collection:

100 lb Fisher, Absolutely MINT! Never been hit, with most of the factory paint still on it. Found on CraigsList, 80 miles from home. Brought home Sunday night. This is a late model Crossley made Fisher, from the 70's. This is the best unused Fisher in the collection. It will be preserved as found.

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Interesting point UnicornForge. Speaking as a student 'museologist' we see how much trouble established government and community museums have surviving and building collections.
With my collectors hat on i've often heard 'ole dears' say I'd like to see that[choice collectable] go to a museum when i'm gorn. In reality museums must have some limits to what comes in the gates. It's an interesting issue...

AndrewOC

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Hi Tom. I still have the Blacker. It is still "rust frozen". It is a good display piece to show how the Fisher Blacker Anvil was used. Someday I will get to Quad States perhaps in the same year you make it and will finally meet.

Future of the Museum: Great question. I really do not have an answer. I would hope that the patterns and ephemera could somehow stay together. I have other artifacts unique to the history of the company that should stay with the patterns. Hopefully my health will enable me to keep this going for many more years, and eventually complete my book on the history and products of Fisher and Norris. Perhaps one of my children will take it over, but that is unlikely. In the meantime, it has turned into a great collection, and I invite all interested to contact me to arrange a visit. Contact me whenever you are in the NJ area.

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