blister Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 It's been a good week. I found an anvil advertised on D/FW's Craigslist as a 400#er. I found your very helpful forum and I've ordered a copy of Anvils in America. Now I need a little help. I bought the anvil and am fairly confidant it's a Trenton although I appears to be marked TreXton? There doesn't appear to be a stamped s/n however the numbers 51.(see pic.#2) appear in raised letters below the horn. It measures 38-1/2" long from the horn to the heel, 5-1/2" wide table top Stands 14-1/2" tall The base/legs measure 12" x 15" Hardie hole is 1-3/8" approx and the pritchel hole is 3/4" approx. If you can help me with the Maker, weight and approximate year of manufacture I be grateful. Thanks for a great forum! Blister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Sweet! Lovely anvil you have there. My favourites! It definitely appears to be a Trenton. The name 'Trexton' did appear on later Trentons. It's speculated in Anvils in America that potentially the 'N' stamp was wearing out so an 'X' stamp was substituted. Although Trentons usually had cast steel bases, I have never personally seen one with any characters cast into the base. Is there any stamping left on the front of the foot? Trentons usually have the weight stamped on the left side of the front foot and the serial number on the right side of the front foot. Since it appears an 'X' was used in the stamping I would guess yours is a later Trenton (they were produced until approx.1952). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Cast Mark? I have a 206lb Trenton and it's forged. You got yourself a fine looking anvil, it'll serve you well and your kids too, she's a beaut. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blister Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 Thanks for the speedy clarification on the marking! Although I joined only a couple of days ago, I've already spent hours reading and enjoying the information the members impart to newbies like myself. I plan to have the anvil weighed tomorrow to determine it's actual weight but I'm still interested in the figures "51." raised on the front foot. As you can see I have not cleaned the anvil. While there are no visible markings on the left of the front foot I'll pay special attention to that area when cleaning it. It last owner had it sitting in his yard holding up one end of a yard bench. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Yeah Frosty, Trentons and Arm and Hammers were commonly known to have cast steel bases with wrought iron tops (info from Anvils in America). Both of my Trentons have cast bases and wrought tops. That being said, there are always exceptions so it is entirely possible that yours is all forged wrought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I think the tops are steel... mine is quite hard! It is common to find older ones still in nearly pristine condition... I presume because of the quite hard top plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 The Faces are steel, the tops can be WI with the steel face forge welded on; or steel for the very later ones IIRC and the bases were cast mild and they were arc welded together at the waist in later years too. Better double check this as AinA is at home.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4estGimp Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Newbie here, I'll make and introductory post later. Here's a flavor of spelling I've not seen elsewhere - "T-REXTON". A T-Rex ton? The question is, "Who added the hyphen and when?" More photos to follow when I pick up the anvil and do some cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I don't see a hyphen just typical "damage" anvils get on their sides over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4estGimp Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 It very well could just be damage. I was assuming a previous owner thought it funny to add a hyphen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matei campan Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 anyway, the "X" is in fact a "N", with a strange design which makes it be confused with the "X". you can see that the the "X's" lines doesn't just simply cross each other in the middle. it's an example of poor graphic design - wanting to be too cool, leads sometimes to confusions. nice anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffL Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) an old thread, but maybe you guys could help with a general date.My Great Granddad was a blacksmith in Oklahoma, and I have his anvil. It's a Tre "X" ton 100lb, serial 212669.can you guys give a date on it? I've got an old photo of him in his shop, and I'm kind of wondering if it's the same one, or if he picked this anvil up later on in his life.are you guys getting the dates from the book Anvils in America? Edited July 25, 2015 by JeffL not done yet.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Welcome aboard Jeff glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance.Naw, we have things like anvil serial numbers and it's pertinent info memorized. Lots of guys here have AIA (Anvils In America) and will be along any time now.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Anvils in America 1943-1945 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffL Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Wow! Thank you guys!My Dad brought it home after Papa's funeral when I was a kid. It's always been around me, literally... in the living room... Dad passed away 2 years ago, and it seems like that's about all I cared to keep of his... did a little pounding on it myself over the years... especially when I'd hit my shin or little toe on it.. my geneaology research shows three generations of blacksmiths, my ggg- granddad to g- granddad, from pre civil war, probably into the 1950's. From what I understand, blacksmith shops kind of evolved into machine shops, and the blacksmith either adapted or became more of an artist and less of a skilled tradesworker who was essential to the survival of a community's economy... wagon wheels and horseshoes... make way for Goodyear and the internal combustion engine...-and I could be totally wrong in my view of the trade mid 1900's.anyways, Granny says there's a story behind it, probably some kind of family history/memory. But I don't know it.I figure it's got a new story now, one I'll write in my own life. A chunk of steel like that is gonna be around a minute.maybe I'll poke around this site a bit and discover a new hobby oh- I'm in Kansas, south of Topeka about an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike leonard Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 I have a rexton if there was a t in front of the r , its worn off. the logo looks just like the one pictured above . on the front is stamped 150 210614 it measures 27 x 4 x 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Welcome aboard, have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST It will help you get the best out of the forum. Pictures of your anvil will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Made in Columbus Ohio by the same folks who made Trentons. Someone with Anvils In America should be able to correlate that serial number with a date but with 6 digits it was fairly modern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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