Bimini Twist Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Attwood Stourbridge Anvil I picked up an anvil (my first) at a flea market shop. The lady said she knew nothing about it, except it had been sitting in the back for years. I paid US$25.00 for it. It rings like a bell with just a rake of the fingernails. One side has “Attwood” on it (faintly) and directly below that, the word “Stourbridge” (also very faint). Below that are the large letters “FR” or “ER.” Possibly the first large letter could be a “P” or another “R” or something else poorly struck. The other side has various tool marks and a “1” and a “5.” I can’t make out the rest. The bottom is damaged. The top is fairly flat with just a touch of saddle in the center. Could this have been an old stake anvil with the lower section broken off? A search of the internet says it’s an English company but details are lacking on much else. I plan on having a section of 1 inch plate welded to the bottom to stabilize it for use in my shop. I just retired from the military this year and would like to take up blacksmithing and knife-making as a way to fend off boredom. I figure for twenty five dollars and some welding costs it should make a good starter anvil. Until now I had never heard of an Attwood anvil. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? Thanks for any info and help. BT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimini Twist Posted December 8, 2010 Author Share Posted December 8, 2010 Sorry about the huge photos. I tried to resize them per the directions, but they didn't take. The photo link said they were resized, so I don't know what I did wrong. Again, apologies... BT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fosterob Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Can you repost those photos with reduced pixels to make them smaller, they are so large that you can not see very much at one time. Maybe 1000x600 pixels. You did very good to get that for $25. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimini Twist Posted December 8, 2010 Author Share Posted December 8, 2010 How do I get them smaller? My resize feature on my end won't do it. Thanks, BT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fosterob Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 I saw in the Feedback and Support forum the first two topics are on how to post pictures. The short version is to post in the gallery and it will resize for you and you then link it to your post. It seemed to explain it but I did not read the entire thread. Hope this helps/works. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 I'm fairly computer literate but for some reason I can't get pictures resized right for this site either.... Works everywhere else except here. I'll have to ask my resident "geek" to help...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Before I`d weld I`d think about bolting if it was mine. You have that square hole up thru the base and that cross hole running parallel to the face that looks like it goes all the way thru.I`d run a length of square thru the horizontal hole and mark it thru the hole in the base then pull it out,drill and tap it and use the bar and bolt to bolt it to a base rather than weld. I like to leave my options open till I use something for a while (say 10+ years).I try not to commit myself till after I drop something on my foot 3 times.After that the wife`s ready to commit me so I may as well take the plunge. PS-To shrink pics just hold Ctrl and hit the - key till it`s the size you like.After viewing Ctrl and + till it the text comes back to where you can read it.I gave up on trying to post pics never mind size them (sigh). :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 That is a super rare anvil. I would not weld anything to it. IT could be worth some money to a collector. Probably enough to buy a "real anvil". My guess is it was made that way on purpose. My guess is it is an English make as the name Atwood is listed as a English maker in "Anvils in America". I would give you good money for that anvil or trade you for a good one. It could be a ships anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fciron Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 I'd probably take SouthShore up on that offer and I already have a couple of anvils. If you want to work with that anvil, I'd figure a way to mount it using that square hole in the base. If it's rare and valuable (you already have an offer on it.) then forging on it will affect the value much less than welding on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 What they said! Don't weld on it! It's a lovely small anvil and would make a great small demo anvil. I would try making a base with a piece of steel that would fit nicely in the bottom hole and then if necessary make a couple of Hold Downs to engage the side holes to snug it down instead of welding it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 It is English. Stourbridge is a town right in the middle of the industrial area known as the "Black Country". It would be right at the heart of 19th century and early 20th century anvil production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 anvil fire has 3 Catalan anvils(in the anvil gallery)the same shape,i have london pattern stourbridge anvil.stamped i nash & sons stourbridge.i have seen anvils marked by a few other makers and followed with stourbridge also warranted often appears.i think vaughans anvils are still made i the area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Leppo Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Speaking of Anvilfire, Mr. Dempsey has been developing a nice on-line photo gallery of anvils lately. I would encourage you to send him your pics, along with permission to post them in said gallery. Looks like a worthy candidate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 I'm fairly computer literate but for some reason I can't get pictures resized right for this site either.... Works everywhere else except here. I'll have to ask my resident "geek" to help...... I just reset my camera to take a smaller picture, go to the menu and select resolution of 1024 I shoot everything like that and it works just fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilkoforge Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Hi, sorry this is a good few months down the line, but i am a new member from the South coast in England, & just stumbled across the site as i was surfing the net for some info on some anvils i am about to sell. The maker Attwood, are better known for making drill vises & the like,& were probobly at the height of their production in the late 60's early 70's. I cannot vouch for the quality of their anvils as i have never owned or used one, but the quality of their vises were top notch, & often used on milling machines etc. Just a thought, re the damaged base to your anvil, it could have been a stake anvil, but maybe it did have a traditional base but it has been blown off !!, yes blown off. In England early this century or late last century, there was a village tradition of ''blowing the anvil'', whereby villagers would gather round to see the blacksmith stuff the botton of the anvil with gun powder, set it on its base & detonate it, blowing the anvil high up in the air. Why i dont know, entertainment for the villagers i guess, but i would also guess that this would have damaged the anvil in some way, if not from the explosion, but from its landing. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 First of all, and I missed it from my earlier posting, thank you for serving in the forces. Don't weld anything to such an unusual anvil. You will detract from any value. There are plenty of ways of getting it to function well. What plans do you have for a stand for her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I know this is an old thread but I just had to pop in and leave a comment. That anvil is really neat! I sure hope you didn't weld or modify it at all. It could be made that way. Have you found anymore information on this guy yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB88 Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 hi i dont know if anyone is still following this thread but i just aquired an anvil online and on further inspection it is an attwood stourbridge anvil, 291 lbs, but there is an 89 stamped on it with 2letters above does anyone know if this could be a date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Welcome aboard... I always suggest this thread to get the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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