stuarthesmith Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 These are anvils I missed out on and learned some lessons. 1. The Fisher King: Back in the mid eighties, I was driving down a dirt road near my shop in appalacian pennsylvania. I was passing a farmer's barn and he had the barn door open. As I passed, I spied a 500 lb pristine Fisher behemoth. I hit the brakes so hard, I left 400 feet of dust in a humongous cloud. After asking the farmer the million dollar question, he responded "three hundred dollars cash money" I already had a 700 lb. clean hay budden, so what did I need another big anvil for? I called a guy near me who was a semi retired engineer who had been attending forge-ins at my shop every month. In fifteen minutes flat he showed up with the money, and rode away with the anvil. Now here is the tragic part. He has NEVER used the anvil, nor the three triphammers he purchased subsequently. All of this equipment has been languishing on his shop floor in his pole barn for decades. Lesson learned: not everyone is deserving of favors from me........I am now way more circumspect on referrals. 2. Double your pleasure, double your fun: When I purchased my 700 lb. Hay Budden, back in 1977, I had just started serving my apprenticeship in a tool forging shop. I bought that anvil fully intending to use it in the shop I was buidling in my father's barn while learning this craft. Now here is the rest of the story. I had befriended Jim Keiffer, a wonderful human being and a consummately talented blacksmith, who referred me to this anvil. Lo and behold, when I got to the guy's garage, he surely had the big anvil Jim had told me about. I purchased it for the grand sum(which was a lot of money back in the seventies) for 650 dollars cash. Now here is the rest of the story. The guy also had a 485 pound pristine hay budden, sitting alongside the 700 lber. Stuart the Stupid was so hypnotized by the larger anvil that he didn't realize what a score the SECOND anvil would have been. Now here is the rest of the rest of the story, which pains me deeply. Mr. Bullock, who had the pair of humongous anvils, sold the second one to a guy who owned a houseboat. There was a terrible storm, and the houseboat sank to the bottom of a river. That anvil now languishes at the bottom of davy jone's locker. Lesson learned: always have perspective when doing deals, one can piggyback deals like black frog did with his big anvil and fisher double screw vise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluidsteel Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Stuart.... I think a salvage mission is in order!!! Scuba gear anyone??? Six months ago I saw a 150# Fisher in pristine condition much like the one recently discussed. $500.....Also wearing the sticker on the side. I'd just gotten my 300# Fisher for $360 and being new to the game couldn't justify anything that wasn't a "deal".... I'm such an idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Ive seen the same tyhing happen with the story you told...Ive known guys that wil go out and drop 10K on a new hobby without breaking a sweat then never touch the stuff.. Most often they beat & peck around for about a year then they figure out they cant forge a multi-bar migration era sword and give up.. I know one guy that was getting ready to drop about 20K on blacksmithing and he had never picked up a hammer..He did spend about a grand on an anvil but then changed his mind..He instead spent about 60K on another hobby.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 i know were a big mint peter wright is( well big for australia) about 300# ish ,not for sale.2 years on i still wake up sometimes in the wee hours thinking about it ,anvils truly have a strange affect on a man.its about time to go back an ask,after posting this i will have to check other smiths in brisbane are ont following me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 It is all about priorities or perceived priorities at the time. I have passed up on some deals because at the time gas in the truck, rent, dr bills, food, etc were a priority. As I can, I acquire more stuff but only as I can. Yes there were deals that I had passed up on that I kick myself for now but I remember not to kick too hard. There was always a reason for my actions although those reasons blur with time. Like the girl that got away. Seeing her years later eased the pain of the perceived loss. Bottom line: The past is gone, live for today and look to the future. There will be more "deals". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 It is all about priorities or perceived priorities at the time....... Like the girl that got away. Seeing her years later eased the pain of the perceived loss. The 'girl that got away' is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. The distance of time and experience can give great clarity to the situation looking back. Lessons learned in the past, both good and bad, help shape your future outlook and actions. I've missed or passed on enough things I've kicked myself later on about it. Now I try not to do that, even if the acquisition at the time is difficult. Sometimes I might have bought something that later on I'm wondering why I did that. That doesn't bother me too much as I can usually get most, if not all my money out of it. What really bugs me is the deal I passed on, or waited too long on, and then it was gone..... Now, when I see something I'm very interested in acquiring I have a simple question I ask myself that encompasses the cost, time, travel, and effort. "Will I be mad at myself later if this item is gone and I missed it?" Amazing how asking myself such a simple question has helped my decision (both directions) when considering purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 There are items that I should have persued harder; the anvil(looked like a 150#-170# HB) down the road from me that sat out on the ground since I moved here in 05, then one day it was gone. Tried a few times to contact the owner, but no luck-maybe if I had tried harder. My biggest regrets are the items that could have paid for my house that I passed on. IE; 1970 Superbird 440+6, 4spd, 4:10, $4,000, or worse yet that 1966 Charger 426 Hemi, 4spd, original tires, 1,000 miles on the odo, for $22,500. It was only used for drag racing it's whole life. 1,000 miles a quarter mile at a time. So, most of my regrets are cars, and guns. The 39 Packard Hearse for $500 that I just missed, the 58 Dodge Sweptside pickup for $300 in original condition. The absolutely mint Sharps Borchardt military musket for $3,000 - which is now in a Belgian collection because I hesitated to long, and many more firearms that I just didn't get for whatever reason at the time. My old busniness partner is really kicking himself for cutting up the VW bugs, buses, and transporters that he did when he sees buses going for $30,000 on up now. One of the auction houses sold a VW bus for $200,000 - who wudda thunk that back in the 60's? Oh well, can't do anything about that now, other than try to not pass up the obvious deals, and work harder on the ones that are a possibility. My consolation is that I have made a lot of fantastic purchases, maybe not the Hemi Charger scale, but they are fantastic. Anvils for way less than $1 a pound, free, and $5 post vises,$5-$20 blowers, tongs for up to $3 each, turns out there was a lot more than cars in old barns getting hauled to the automotive swap meets back in the 80's. I am a lifelong srcounger, and auction hound. I have cruised thousands of garage sales, hundreds of auctions, fleamarkets, swap meets, gun shows, burned up Craigslist, "ack" E-pay, and online forums looking for treasures. For me it was a social activity, as well as an adventure. Sometimes I did great (Model 57 Dumore tool post grinder with lots of attachments for $30), and other times I tanked on a purchase which wasn't that great a deal, or cost me in the end to get rid of. It's all part of the game, you just need more positives than negatives to come out ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I guess we all have our ghosts. I have had several cars slip by me, always showed up when I had no money to spare. missed out on a `69 GT500 Shelby 428 4spd, with 33,000 miles...$5000.00 ,a very nice `72 DeTomaso Pantera with 9000 miles. ...$6000.00. the worst one ever, and it hurts to think of it. a good buddy sent his brother to me looking to sell a mint GT350H. he wanted $10,000 cash. that was high for that back in the day. its now worth $200k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Guns are most of my mine..Ive sold some nice ones i wish i had back and passed up on too many nice ones I wish I hadnt..I dont have to many smithing regrets because the stuff is so rare around here Ive bought most that Ive found..What little bit Ive passed on hasnt bothered me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montana7 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I guess we all have our ghosts. I have had several cars slip by me, always showed up when I had no money to spare. missed out on a `69 GT500 Shelby 428 4spd, with 33,000 miles...$5000.00 ,a very nice `72 DeTomaso Pantera with 9000 miles. ...$6000.00. the worst one ever, and it hurts to think of it. a good buddy sent his brother to me looking to sell a mint GT350H. he wanted $10,000 cash. that was high for that back in the day. its now worth $200k xxxx. I feel your pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montana7 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 It is all about priorities or perceived priorities at the time. Bottom line: The past is gone, live for today and look to the future. There will be more "deals". Sage advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 On the other hand, if your friend per-deceases you, does his family know to give you a call to deal with that stuff? I see *lots* of people go out and sink real money into a hobby and then find out that it's just not for them---why I suggest folks start small and cheap and build up as they go. Shoot you can get started in blacksmithing with a hole in the ground forge and a sledgehammer head anvil and if you have the drive you can do world class work with just that! I hear a lot of "I want to smith but I can't afford it" Having picked up enough tools alongside the road and made my own charcoal from scrap wood I can truthfully say you can get started in smithing for NOTHING if you really want to. So put up or shut up! Very Grumpy Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper Iron Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I agree totally. I have been dreaming of finally striking a hot piece o metal for almost 2 years now. And I've just been getting 1 piece at a time. I had a (what I thought was 90lb Trenton) that was a family relic with the horn broken off, and I was so thankful and blessed to have it. It's actually 160lbs!!! How awesome is that. After joining this site and reading and learning as much as I can. I'm more confident than ever. I learned what the markings mean and where they are at on anvils and figured it out. My wife just bought me a set of nice Nordic hammers for our 1st year anniversary. All I need now is the forge. I have most of the metal just need weld it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Hyper, look at the 55 Forge on this site and build one. Takes little or no money, and just a couple hours if you move slow. (Reference BP0238 in the 100 series). The idea is to get *A FORGE* and to be able to play in the fire. You can then build your perfect forge when you finally get, or take the time, to do so. (no offense intended). As you play in the fire, your definition of perfect WILL change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper Iron Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I've seen the 55 forge on the site. I thought about making it, but I wanted a more permanent station. I work with metal on a daily basis a it is. I'm a sheet metal aircraft mechanic. Heavy structure, wing skins, landing gear support structure, on big jets. 707 and the like. So I know I want to get into blacksmithing with all my heart. I have my forge plans set up and all I need to do is weld it together. In fact I just got a very beautiful piece of stainless steel sheet metal 1/4 hard given to me for a hood for the forge. Thank you Glenn for the recomendation. Also I need to post some pictures of my anvil and a post vice, a very nice 80lb columbian I was given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuarthesmith Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 I went to an oil refinery auction, back in the 1980's, where they had a fully outfitted blacksmith shop for maintainance purposes, just south of philly in a town called marcus hook. They sold a nazel hammer, two anvils, a giant coal forge, over a hundred pairs of blacksmith tongs, a swage block, a hossfield bender, and countless anvil tools and hammers for the grand total of 100 dollars. I missed out because my truck broke down, and the stuff had to be removed that day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The one fish that hurt the most was a bone stock Vincent Silver Shadow (running) for $1500 that I passed on to buy a Harley instead. Found out the seller threw in a sidecar when someone showed up with cash. Many years later I did pick up a stock 58 Harley panhead(running but needed a top end rebuild) a chopped 62 panhead Harley (running) and two KHK motors (complete) as well as a pickup load of chopper parts (to include a near stock rigid frame) for $2500. I sold one of the KHK motors for what I paid for everything so I guess I can`t complain too much about the Vincent. Sure do wish I had bought that bad boy and hung onto it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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