Saw this on ebay and it's got me curious. Looks like the depression in the side was for removable dies. It looks like a place at the bottom for a leg that would distribute the force of the blow and a bolt hole for securing the die in place.

What kind of job would you have that you needed such a substantial changeable die on such a light anvil?


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-ANVIL-BLACKSMITH-165-lb-/221152866879?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337dbcf23f

Almost looks like an anvil for a Blacker or similar hammer.

I was thinking along those lines, but that's an awfully complicated mold to make just to fasten it to a power hammer. And why have the face slope down right before the bolt-on part? Or have the bolt-on extend out into the cutting table?

The clip on the horn at first made me think it was a modified farrier's, but if you look close the casting is made to go around the pocket in the base so it looks like it was manufactured with that unusual design in mind. The lugs on the feet are typical of Fishers. It's more complicated a design than the Blacker (USA model) anvils, the ones I've seen just had a square notch in the side of the anvil. Could be a special order I suppose.

Chainmaker?

Very interesting.

Phil

Fisher made a vise anvil combo for horseshoers it is missing the vise side.

It will soon be on view in the Fisher Norris Factory Museum. I am going to try to recreate the vise part, once I figure it out. BTW, this sold for $20 in the 1890's.

i did a quick inflation counter and $20 in 1890 is $495 in 2011. That is $3/lb, so prices were far more competitive.

Anyway, that is a nice anvil, very unusual and sold for a pretty good price!

It will soon be on view in the Fisher Norris Factory Museum. I am going to try to recreate the vise part, once I figure it out. BTW, this sold for $20 in the 1890's.

Glad you got it Josh, do you have any photos or drawings of the vise part you could post? Someone out here may have that part and not know what they have.

That's a good idea dk, we could all keep an eye out if we knew what to look for.

Congrats on the acquisition! I'll look forward to learning more about how the vise mounted and worked.

I have been watching this auction and almost put a bid in. Wilkes-Barre is not far from where I live.

But, njanvilman, I am glad you got this anvil. Its going to the best possible home. I am also curious about what the vise parts are like. Is this the first anvil like this one you have found?

Thanks

Dan

This is the first one of this style I have found. The crude picture is on Pg 192 of AIA book. They have a description and a grainy drawing. It is a scan of an ad from 1895. Any help will be appreciated in figuring this out. Once I pick it up, I will clean it up and see if the anvil itself can help in figuring out the geometry of the pedal and the mechanism.

Good job on the ID Timothy, I am impressed!
Great piece for the museum. I had to look at the picture in AIA, funny it was an ad from a Montgomery Wards catalog.

When not knowing...Google it. We found the original patent diagram and explanation there. Off to get the anvil this afternoon. Then to try to duplicate the missing parts. There are only 4 major pieces. I think that I might get the two big pieces cast after I create the wood patterns. Iron would be appropriate.

Ha!

I knew Josh would be bidding when he didn't chime in to tell us about it while the auction was live. :-) I was soooono tempted to bid on it too but I figured I'd be up against Josh. Lol.

Now I want one!

I can't wait to see the completed project Josh!!

Just home after a 250 mile detour after work today to get the anvil. I picked up the anvil at a small auto body shop in Wilkes Barre, Pa. They had sandblasted it trying to find a name. I will unload it tomorrow and rerust it, then wire wheel it. The patent # for this is 425,602, if anyone wants to look it up. I figure I will do a wooden mockup of the parts to figure out their lengths and geometry, then create wooden patterns that I will get cast at Cattail Foundry in Pa. It will be an interesting project.

This is going to be fun to watch!

I couldn't find any pictures of the complete set online, so I'm very curious to see what you come up with.

This is going to be fun to watch!

I couldn't find any pictures of the complete set online, so I'm very curious to see what you come up with.

Go to Google patent search and put in the patent #.

http://www.google.com/patents/US425602

http://www.google.com/patents/US425602

Thanks Phil. I am not up on all the technology to share links.

Today I wire wheeled the anvil. It turned out that the sandblasting that was done on it made my job easier. I can just make out the date of 1894, which is consistent with the patent and ad. The anvil is pitted, but not too badly. It was obviously outside for many years. But there is very little evidence of use. After cleaning, I sprayed it down with PB Blaster to protect it and put an oil layer on it.

Now come the fun part: duplicating the missing parts.

Seems to me that the actual shape of the anvil and the patent drawing don't quite match (not surprising) so good luck on the recreation Josh. Please keep us informed on the progress, this is an interesting and exciting project.

I have a NOS Fisher anvil stand that will work for this anvil. Only problem is that the mounting lugs on the anvil do not line up with the lugs on the stand. However, the stand has lugs on the bottom for mounting it to the floor. This stand was never drilled. I am going to drill and tap the bottom lugs, and use a eye bolt and turnbuckle arrangement to fasten it down. I am also planning on putting a 1 1/2" layer of marine plywood between the anvil and stand, to raise the anvil up a bit. I will tackle the wood this week. It will be fun draging the 75 lb base up onto my drill press. Good thing cast iron drill easily.

Once it is fastened down, I will tackle the vise parts. I love this kind of project. Industrial history IRL!

Projects like this one are awesome. Industrial history playing out before us indeed!

A final post on this thread from me, before I start a new one. I have gotten the pattern for the vise jaw mostly completed. Just a bit more tweeking and sanding. Then I will paint it red, to match the color of the original Fisher patterns. I will get back to the mounting stand soon. This time of year is my busiest, with teaching, Xmas tree sales on my farm, and the short days. I have taken photos of the process and will post them on the new thread. It will be a few weeks though. This has been a fun and educational project. I have been sharing progress of the pattern with my students in my Woodworking classes. They had no previous knowledge of what a pattern is, and how it is used to create an iron part.