This 700 plus pound anvil was a gift form a very good friend of mine for helping him learn the ways of pattern welding and a few other things. After I told him that I was looking to upgrade (I was using a 65 kilogram vaughn) and asked him to keep his eyes open for a 300ish pound shop anvil He found this one in Michigan and had his father-in-law haul it all the way to my house in New Mexico. AMAZING!!! It rings like a bell and weighs in at over 700 pounds minus the original cast iron base which adds another 300 or so pounds. I raised the anvil 4" on timbers, added a swinging tool tray that will float around to either side of it, made up a hammer rack, and put it in to service. I stuck a buck to the side of it with a magnet, and took a shot of it with the 25 pound little giant so that you could get an idea of the size of this beast Thanks Joe!

Nice anvil! looks like it will have no problem handling heavy work. That's a nice gift!

Nice! Good looking anvil and a very nice gift. Looks to be built for heavy work and then some. Good health in it's use. :D

We should all have such generous and appreciative friends.Nice gift!
The real plum in this pudding is that articulated tool tray,IMO.While I aspire to own a big(er) anvil that is something I can make and enjoy now.Thanks for sharing that.
I can see me coming back to these pics of your shop for ideas to help make my life easier.
Better bookmark them. :)

Pep; have I ever mentioned that I'm open for adoption?!

Awesome anvil! Great looking shop too BTW. I'm especially intrigued by the swinging tong rack attached to the big anvil's stand. Please consider it copied or at least para-copied :D

Very nice acquisition! That should work just fine for your delicate damascus work. ;)

I definately have the wrong kinda friends.

That is a nice anvil!!

welder19

I made a similar tool holder on a swinging arm that is at the same height as the top of anvil to be able to support longer pieces when needed. yours looks good, congrats on a sweet anvil. Rob

<_< Hmph...and to think I was happy when my friend got me a t-shirt from Hooters for fixing his gate. HAHAHAHAH!!!Spectacular piece!

Hey Pep! I have anvil envy! :lol:

Thanks all! The articulated tool rack is actually on a double hinged arm so when the need to support the end of a long bar comes up I can swing the rack up to 5 feet away from the anvil and still support up to 160 pounds on it (tested it by sitting on it). All of the tool holders/tong rack are built on a pieces of angle iron that were forged closed over a thin spacer so that they can be hung on any side of the table or removed entirely if they get in the way of specific operations. I'll get some shots of that stuff and put them up here when I can.

Terrific anvil and very nice shop too>

Nice anvil and what a really cool....tool rack. :D

I think I'm more impressed with the story of how you acquired this than of the anvil itself and that's saying a lot because that's one killer anvil ya got there! It sure is nice to have good friends. :)

Not only big but in nice condition too. Some big anvils that have been in heavy indutrial shops can be knocked about but that one looks good.

Do we know who made it?

Im not really sure who made it. There are some remnants of the original markings on it but not quite enough for me to figure out who to credit with it's manufacture. What I do know is that it shows several career's worth of chisel sharpening. If you look closely in the pics showing the horn pointing to the right you will notice that the feet of the anvil bare the scars of literally hundreds if not thousands of chisels tempers being tested. When you stand next to it you can see where the smith used to lean over the anvil and strike it with a freshly forged and heat treated chisel in order to insure the quality of it's temper. On the face there is a slight sway, and some deep wear on the edge, dead center over the waist where undoubtedly several smiths spent many years slaving over hot steel with large sledges. Also, just in front of the hardy hole on the heel there is a gentle groove that has been worn where the smith would refine the shape of the tools being formed. This anvil, like most, drips history. I feel honored to be one of several persons lucky enough to be its caretaker, and be involved in the history of something with whom so many others have spent lives working over. When I'm gone it will move on for several more centuries, but for now, the way that it came into my life and the joy I get every time I get to create something with it's help makes it all the more precious to me. Im one lucky Smith.

Finally got some close up pics of the tool tray, hinges, and movable racks. The tray extends nearly 6 feet away from the anvil, and all of the recks on the tray are removable so that it can be more versitile. The pics are huge but if you right click and then click open link in new window the pictures open normally.

Great anvil even greater or more rare a great thankfull attitude. :D

In that 4th picture it appears as though there is 'USA' stamped on the side, yet the top of the feet are sharper like many older English anvils. Whoever manufactured it, she's a beaut.

Thanks!! Maybe some one knows better than I do... I cant figure it out , but the side of it is actualy stamped.....


STO
EST
WARRANT

JK


I have no clue who this manufacturer is but I can't make it out from the letters that I can read (or at least think I can read).
The one thing that I,ve figured out is that it's stone weight is 7 0 2 Or 786 pounds...what a beast!

There were a few anvil makers from Stourbridge. Mr. Postman refers to one of these makers that stamped the word 'Warranted' underneath the Stourbridge stamping on page 78 of Anvils in America. I wonder if this is potentially what you have?

Thanks for the lead! I'll have to pick up a copy of anvils in america and see if I can figure it out. It would be nice to know a little more.