Black Frog Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Came across a Fisher anvil stand, dated 1920 on the casting. Quite large and quite heavy. The top plate is removable so it can be left bolted to the bottom of an anvil. Anyone else have, or seen one of these? I'll try to get pics in the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I have a cast anvil stand; never checked it for the maker, it's a bit short for me and too heavy to drag around for teaching gigs for the shorter students so it's tucked in a corner...Have to dig it out and move it into the forge extension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 In high school shop class. I don't remember anything else specific about it though, just that the stand was cast, and the anvil was bolted to it directly. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Came across a Fisher anvil stand, dated 1920 on the casting. Quite large and quite heavy. The top plate is removable so it can be left bolted to the bottom of an anvil. Anyone else have, or seen one of these? I'll try to get pics in the next few days. I eagerly await photos and more information. I am constantly gathering any Fisher data for my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 I couldn't see any date or maker until I started wire-brushing through the rust and old paint. I was quite happy to see the 'Fisher & Norris Trenton NJ" on one side of the stand. 1920 is on the opposite side of the stand. Seems like there was at least two or three coats of different colors on there. What were these cast in? Was there some type of sand molding or releasing? Seems there is a lot of residual hard-packed sand type of material on the inside upper corners below the plate ledge. I'm wondering if this might still be original stuff. I have a 300# scale, so I should be able to get a decent weight for you too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Sand cast is the traditional method and used even to this day for many CI items. In the 1990's Patrick got us a tour of the steel casting company in Columbus OH and they were doing arc melting and casting steel into sand molds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluidsteel Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I eagerly await photos and more information. I am constantly gathering any Fisher data for my book. Mr Frog, Just in case you are unaware NJAnvilman is THE man for info on Fisher products. He has a museum filled with Fisher anvils, vises, patterns etc. :-) As an owner of a 300# Fisher myself I also am a fan and eagerly await pictures!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Don't think my 515# Fisher will fit on the stand I have; why-for you use a runt fluidsteel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 im in the fisher club ! 120 here though, but yes need pics ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Alrighty then, I spent a few hours out in the garage tonight and snapped some pics while in the cleaning process. You can still see quite an anvil footprint on the mount plate from how many decades of being bolted to the bottom of an anvil..... The thickness of the base material is right around 1/2" all the way around. The stand is just under 23" square at the base and stands 13.5" to the platform. The inside sand residue sure does seem to be casting sand. One corner has an adjusting foot to stabilize to any floor.... I had guessed 150 lbs for the stand, but after weighing it with the plate it comes out at 185 pounds. :-) I'll start another thread for the baby that happened to be sitting on top of this stand.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Black Frog What you have is actually a Fisher Swage Block stand. Yes, Fisher made swage blocks too, and the stands to go with them. However the swage blocks were unmarked, so the only way to tell if a swage block is a Fisher is to look at the patterns in my museum. I have 4 different patterns, and 1 partially finished swage block from the foundry. Your stand is marked, so that make ID easy. At some time, your stand was put together with you big anvil. The steel plate is not a 'factory' item, just a plate that made the stand usable for your anvil. I have several patterns for both the anvil and swage stands. Yours is the first iron swage stand I have actually run across. I will be asking permission to use your photos in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Fantastic information! it never crossed my mind this was a swage block stand. With that big anvil mounted on there, it just seems about the right height. Use whatever pictures you like, I'm happy they can help out! I edited these pics for size already, but if want any other shots for higher resolution or closeups just let me know. Are dropped down areas in the middle of each side support rail for standing the swage block up on end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Pretty cool. A lot shorter and wider than the stand I recall in high school, but the anvil there couldn't have been more than 150#, probably closer to 100#. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Yup the indents are for mounting the swageblock vertically. That's a true beauty---gussy it up (red, black, dark green,...) and paint the letters in gold! Didn't get to my stand last night as my student was more interested in forging. Now for a tale of woe---out at a VoTech on the east side of OKC they were using a swageblock stand to mount their anvil too---with the swage block still in place! To make it easier to move around someone had torched the interior out of the swageblock leaving only a couple of inch rim around the outside edges. Saw this back in the early 1980's when they were doing some machining work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Fantastic information! it never crossed my mind this was a swage block stand. With that big anvil mounted on there, it just seems about the right height. Use whatever pictures you like, I'm happy they can help out! I edited these pics for size already, but if want any other shots for higher resolution or closeups just let me know. Are dropped down areas in the middle of each side support rail for standing the swage block up on end? Higher resolution photos would be great. Send them to njanvilman@gmail.com. If you want photo credits, include your information. I again repeat my invite for anyone to visit here in NJ. Just email me ahead of time to make sure I will be here when you want to visit. Always free, but I never turn down any donation. It all goes into the museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Cool beans! Can you tell if that adjustment bolt was a factory feature or was it added after the fact? Of all the English swage block stands that I have seen on Ebay I have never seen one with an adjustment bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Can you tell if that adjustment bolt was a factory feature or was it added after the fact? Of all the English swage block stands that I have seen on Ebay I have never seen one with an adjustment bolt. Don't know if there would be a way to tell if that bolt was a factory thing or not. From the rust on there and the surrounding base metal, it looks to be about the same age as the stand. So if it wasn't a factory feature, I think it was probably added soon after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I don't recall ever seeing that style of bolt used in the 1920's. Rust is not that good an indicator if you are comparing how cast iron rusts to how steel rusts (How many rusted out cars are driving over much older cast iron manhole covers...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Yeah, you're probably right.... How about this- I can guarantee that leveling bolt was put in that corner of the stand sometime between 1920 and yesterday. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Well I think you could go out on a limb and even say "the day before yesterday"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiantnic Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 Im looking foe an anvil stand for my 100 lb Fisher anvil. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 Welcome to IFI... Do you want a factory made Fisher stand? Have you looked at the Show me your anvil stands thread?https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/51596-show-me-your-anvil-stands/ Where are you looking? If you edit your profile to show your location we wouldn't have to ask. This thread will help you get the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustynuts Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 I have a arm & hammer anvil on a stand that looks to be cast for the anvil, Did arm & Hammer make anvil stands also ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Please remember that many original anvil stands will not be at the correct height for a *modern* smith. Not only have we grown taller; but we are also using generally anvils differently nowadays and so lower anvils used with strikers and for heavier work are less in demand than higher ones used for precision work like knifemaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustynuts Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Mr. Powers I do understand that. But I was wondering if A & H made their own or is it possibly generic. Mr. powers what I am trying to do is figure a value for my anvil and stand that was my grand fathers way before me. still trying to figure out pictures. anvil is 37 1/2" long with a weight of 390 or poss. 399 and ser .# 32449 as I might be ready to part ways with it being I cannot hammer anymore. and I am going to get cremated so I cant take it with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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