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HELP ME I.D. MY ANVIL, AGE AND MAKER


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I recently obtained my Greatgrandaddy's anvil, I am so lucky to get it . I have cleaned it up and on the side it say's:

JACK
SOLID WROUGHT
WARANTEED

The letters are laid out just like I wrote them. Kinda like something was before the word JACK , but I was unable to make it out even with flour. On these pictures I am posting with it you will see a trademark stamp that is under the horn. I am not sure of the symbol . I know my Grandaddy was in business from 1900-1940 or so, so the anvil has got to be at least that old. The hardy hole is 1 1/4 , if that means anything .

I also got pictures of the stencil on the front foot, It looks like the numbers may be several various ones, I will give my best shot at the different ways I believe it could be , you know the 4's look like maybe a A , or a 2 could be a 3. So please give me yall's best shot at figuring this out and potential ways they may read. I have done the flour trick and can't make out anymore detail.
I cant get the pictures on here , but until I can figure that I thank yall in advance for your efforts
Here is what I have came up with on the numbers/letters on foot. A122-79T I am unsure if the dash is a cut mark or a true stencil punching???
4128-79T
3123-79T
A128-79T
2120-79T

I know I have given a a bunch of numbers but I have tried and strained my eyes out trying to get the exact ones, Hopefully if someone can give me the Maker of this anvil we can figure out what they generally started their stencils with. Hopefully the Markers Mark will lead to something also.
I would love the receive any help yall can give me. I would love to know as much about the Marker and the numbers as I can. I appreciate anyones help on this, it would mean so much to know . I could only guess to the weight of this anvil, it is actually sitting on the same stump , that has been in place for at the least 75 years, that was when he retired. I am so blessed to have gotten it back now hopefully yall can put me on the right track.
Maybe yall can see from the pictures and determine better than I can. It also has a handling hole in the front and back at the waist.
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I'm going to guess it is a Hay Budden & made for Keen Kutter or J.E. Pilcher with the BlackJack stamp.

If the SN is A12879, it was made in 1919. If the SN is 212079, it was made in 1914. In his book Anvils In America Mr. Postman recorded a HB made for Keen Kutter with a SN of 210796 (=1914) and one made for J.E. Pilcher with a SN of 48023 (=1900).

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Thanks for your quick post, I have used a wire power brush and also the flour but the indentions were so shallow they shown up better without it. I am not very good on posting pictures , but it worked out that yall can see alot more detail by doing it that way.
Sask: Thanks for the info,, like I said my Great Grandad started Blacksmithing in 1895 working in his father shop along with his brother, which hw was the oldest and this was the anvil he retired on right before WWII. So I would think either one of those years would be pretty accurate. I just cant make out the first number. or letter it was worn due to a hold down spike so I was extremely careful to not remove or smooth out anymore than I needed to .

I hope some more pop up with some more info about it. I too, believe it was a Black Jack anvil as you stated. You can make out the USA below the Solid Wrought stencil, and the Black portion was worn because it was in the middle of the table close to the top of the side.

I would like to know more about the company because my Great Grandads nephew that helped in the shop as a boy help me get it back and he writes for the local paper weekly and writes about the olden days and farming practices. He took pictures of it and the tools, post drill and tongs and was wanting me to find out all I could. He remembers getting in trouble for burning a wheel up in the forge by cranking the bellows to much. LOL

So any details and more guesses as to what I have been blessed with would be appreciated. I thanks each and everyone of yall. This site has truely been a blessing and a great resource . I thank you all in advance for you patience and understanding for what I am trying to find out. GOD BLESS YOU ALL

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I'm going to guess it is a Hay Budden & made for Keen Kutter or J.E. Pilcher with the BlackJack stamp.

If the SN is A12879, it was made in 1919. If the SN is 212079, it was made in 1914. In his book Anvils In America Mr. Postman recorded a HB made for Keen Kutter with a SN of 210796 (=1914) and one made for J.E. Pilcher with a SN of 48023 (=1900).

Sask. Neither of my H-Bs are stamped solid wrought warrented. After 1908 H-Bs
were made with a solid tool steel top. Most I have seen have a 3 numbers stamped oppisite
side from the logo just about even with the hardy.
Ken
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Thanks for the help. But ???? This is for sure a Hay _ Budden Right????
The pic's show the numbers better than you can actually see with your eye. The large pic's help bring out the shadows , making the number after the 12 look like it has a radius on top of the number, so it has got to be within the 2,3,8,9 series of numbers.
I do know for a fact that back in 1910 he moved his shop and bought out another older man's smitthy so the anvil could be older than when he started, I knlw the feller he bought out was in business starting back after the Civil War. So as to which anvil he ended up with when he retired I am un sure.

Yall dont know how much help yall have been to me , I hope to at least know for sure it is a Hay Budden, I reckon yall can tell by the design and/or feet on it. I am not an expert in anyway on looking at them .

I appreciate your help, it means so much to know , seeing how it has been in the family for so long and after getting it back after beening gone for 70 years is even that much more special and emotional too.

Yall are the best to even attempt to look this up for me, Great bunch of people on here and fast too.

So... Dragon, what would be your best guess on it as to when it would be made???? I understand it was sold thru the Keen Kutter Company , or I believe that is correct. I live in West Tenn and seeing how they where in the St. Louis area would make a little sense , but that is just me thinking that.
Thanks for advance for your help. May GOD Bless You all.

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I would assume that Hay Budden (or whoever made it) would stamp whatever the customer would want on them since it was not marketed as a Hay Budden. Zig, did you look on the underside of the base? If there is an indentation, it can provide clues as to the manufacturer as well.

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I have not looked under the bottom of it yet , but I cant thank you enough for your help. I am getting over my fourth hernia and I just havent gotten to the point I can handle lifting it up long enough to check it out. But the feet looked like a HB and I know after researching it , that they ( HB) did produce anvils under the Blackjack name for kEEN kUTTER. It hasnt been weighted yet but I would expect it to be close to 200# , I am so lucky to get it , so the aging is my primary concern, just to know for sure . I like to tell how long it has been in the family and take great pride in knowing I come from such a long line of Smith's.

I thank you for all your help, I dont have anyone around me to even come look at it. So ... without yalls help I would be screwed. I appreciate your efforts and time reading my ramblings. I am proud to be apart of such a great group on this site. Yall have made me feel so welcome and with all the help I feel like I can excel at my goals. I owe that all to teh site and great members on here.

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HB's tend to have a distinctive underside, save where it has worn flat, to get the indentation the sides project *slightly* downward making sort of an hourglass shaped indentation in side of the projections. If your anvil shows signs of that I'd lay money on it being an HB!

Now I have an HB (clearly stamped) where this has nearly worn flat with the base but you can still tell it had been there and Postman mentions that some of the earlier ones have worn so you can no longer see this.

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Thanks so much for yall's help ID 'n this anvil. I have been cleaning the xxxx outta it the last week. I also got a Wiley and Russell post drill too, both had been in my families shop since the early 1900's. It is a self feeding no.2 drill. I sprayed a little PB Blaster on it and it works like a devil . It is all there and worked even before I sprayed anything on it. The threads look great , still. I have only found one picture of one restored. But in tend to get it blasted and painted and add a new chuck and post some pictures up .
Wonder if anyone is familiar with this post drill? Probably pushing my luck asking so soon. But the date shows 1878 . I think it was a left over item when my Great Grandad bought out a older existing shop around the turn of the century. I will pretty it up whether I us it or not. I have been blessed to get back these items after a 70 year gap in activity.

Thanks again for yalls help, great bunch of fellers on here.

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