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Trenton List


pkrankow

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  • 1 month later...
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Here is my Trenton 100lbs. If anyone out there with a copy of AIA can confirm the year and maybe the makers name marked "T" it would be greatly appreciated. It is a little beat up, but it should still do the trick until I can justify buying a big boy.20201010_102350.thumb.jpg.5f454018f0287aefc9b5da5c961c7cd1.jpg20201010_103432.thumb.jpg.c1d2ead5ea01e56d9997bb8b86b1d152.jpg20201010_102324.thumb.jpg.6fcb646a239b89810eba77fd33af32c9.jpg

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Hi all. I just picked up this good looking 345lb Trenton with a serial number of 205735. Because it looked so good,I just paid the man and ran like I stole a candy bar.  Once I got home, I busted out the old ball bearing excited to see the rebound..

Wah-wah-wahhhhh... very surprised,  very disappointed,  very shocked.  I've had/have a few other brands HB, Fisher, Peter Wright, Brooks, Vulcan. I know some say Vulcans aren't all that but the Vulcan i had out-rebounded this trenton by a mile. 

I know rebound tests aren't the end all but I was shocked nonetheless. I must mention that the anvil was on a homemade base that I cant say is a solid build or a major factor in poor rebound.  I plan to take off base and put on solid surface and retest. Is low rebound common on Trentons? 

And would greatly appreciate info on serial number and production date. 

Thank you 

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IMO, high rebound is nice to have and may add a few percent to the efficiency of your forging but it is not the be all and end all of choosing an anvil.  A low rebound anvil can be a great tool and nothing to be ashamed of.  As long as the face is hard enough not to dent if you miss a blow and the mass is great enough that you are not wasting energy by moving the anvil it serves its purpose.

If you are spending 8-10 hours/day swinging a hammer you might notice the difference in how tired your arm is between using a high or low rebound anvil but short of that I doubt that most people would notice a substantial difference in the effort they are expending or how well they are moving metal.  Others may disagree with me but that's my take on it.

I think the good edges on this anvil are more important than the fact that the rebound isn't as good as you might want.

I'd be happy to make the deal you did.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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Saying "low" rebound is a subjective opinion, rather than a datum we can evaluate. An estimation is fine but dropping the bearing fro the 10 mark on a ruler and noting the rebound level is better.

Also WHERE you did the test is important, if you dropped the ball on the heel the rebound will be quite low, under 50% low. Over the center of the face, with solid iron/ steel between face and base is the work horse section of an anvil and where good rebound counts most.

A soft anvil isn't a disaster, might not be ideal but it's still usable. It looks to be in very good condition, even the paint looks factory so a fire isn't so likely. I'll be watching to see how it works out.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Thanks fellas

I'm hoping to find some time later today or tomorrow to play around with it and I'll post the latest. 

I did test most of the face and closer to the horn seemed best

 

It didn't have a great ring either. I personally like my fisher because of the lack of the ring but the trenton wasn't quiet like a fisher or vulcan nor does it ring like a HB. Pw. Brooks. 

The more I was thinking about it the more I'm thinking it's the base. 

Yes,  the face is in great shape and such a large surface is really nice. The face alone is 22 in × 5 in so that's what attracted me to it in the first place. Thanks again for the feedback.  

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I got anvil off the base. It actually did make a difference in the rebound.  Not a night difference but noticeable.  The bigger difference was sound wise. It rings much louder now. It does have a light smearing of oil/lubricant. I dont think enough to make a difference but I'll wipe it down tomorrow and see what that does. I wouldn't mind recording it and maybe posting on YouTube then adding the link here. If anyone would be interested. 

The base was made from some sort of soft wood as the core.  Some plywood for the sides. Mounted to some small metal wheels. Wasn't very solid. 

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That's a nice looking Trenton and a good shop size. I'll bet someone with a copy of AIA will be able to give you a range of the date it was made. It was made by Columbus Forge and Iron, Columbus Ohio, if I remember correctly. I hope you have read about not doing any grinding, milling or welding on the hardened face.

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Thanks Irondragon! I'm hoping someone with AIA can jump in and help me narrow it down but I'm thinking from other numbers in this thread that it's about 1923/1925. I do believe it to be Columbus as well.

 

Thank you for the reminder to take care of the face! I've had this anvil for about 4 years and have only forged on it once or twice. I got a flap disc on it once, up under the horn, and decided to just let it be its old rusty self, industrial green paint flecks and al!

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  • 1 month later...

My Trenton Anvil on a man made stump. And my first forge weld that I used to make a fire poker. Now I am planning to try and make some tongs.....first I need to be able to make rivets....in the middle of making some rivet tools. I am having some success and enjoying it also....frustrated a little because of limited steel inventory and I am in Pahrump Nevada which is close to Death  Valley and there is not much in the way of steel available to me without a trip to nearby Las Vegas....with a little luck I will be able to pick up some off fall at a local Fab shop this morning when I go over to settle up on the last load of steel I  ordered....I need some round stock to make some rivet heading tools. That 5/8" stock that I used to make my rivet block made a 1/4" rivet header but is not big enough in diameter for 5/16" and 3/8" rivet heads. and now I need more 5/8 round stock as it was purchased for some barn door hinges I am making.....

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  • 3 months later...

Here's my 'new' Trenton. Any thoughts on its birth date? No serial numbers or stampings of any kind on either side of the base, where the serial number should be, so I'm looking for help dating this baby. There's a fairly clear "Trenton" diamond logo with a properly shaped N in the center (not the one that looks like an X) and a partially obscured "SOLID WROUGHT" round stamp below it, with what I think is the word "PATENT" in between them and a "159" below that, near the base. Nothing on the feet... rough concave in the base, underneath. I haven't had a chance to get 'er on the scale yet, but I'm guessing she's 159 lbs or thereabouts -- looks and hefts about twice the size and weight of my little 80 lb anvil.

Also looking for advice on the face -- there's a fair amount of cupping in the center and around the hardie (hardy?) hole, showing very clearly that a TON of work has been done on this old beauty over many years -- clearly by people who knew enough not to damage it, as there are very few dings or chips out of the edges. They're in remarkably good condition, given that amount of work that could put that amount of work-pounded curvature into the face. The front, by the step, is like a little ski jump and the hardie hole is quite dished out around it. I really wish I could have it ground or milled perfectly flat again, but I'm pretty sure that's a really bad idea with this particular specimen. I doubt there's enough steel plate (maybe 1/4" to 3/8"?) to sustain that and it would have to be water-bath milling or grinding to avoid ruining the temper. Even then... I'm thinking the main section over the waist is wide enough (~6-7") and flat enough that it'll work fine for hammering stuff flat -- and top tools in the hardie should be fine. I'll make a custom set for this old girl that will nestle into her welcoming bosom.  ;-)  

There's a very dished out depression next to the pritchel hole, which almost looks like it was ground out as a rounding spot, though I don't see any grinder marks. Literally could've been deformed that way over thousands of strikes with a ball peen... and it's kind of a neat little rounding "swage". The face, despite it's curvaceous undulations, is remarkably smooth. Curious to hear thoughts from folks who've used old curvy anvils on whether these curvy areas will be an issue or can they easily be lived with. My little 80 lb travel anvil is perfectly flat, if I really need something to sit 100% flat, I guess. Gotta figure out a spot to put it as a second anvil in my little 12'x12' smithy...

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