Revtor Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Hey guys Im new here I figure I could introduce myself and the beat old anvil I recently brought home. My name is Steve and Im a High School Technology teacher. (woodshop, electronics architecture, mechanics, etc...) I've worked as a machinist for a few years and have a masters degree in metalworking (mostly jewelry) I took a forge class abut 8 years ago and really enjoyed it and lately have been thinking of setting up a little place to heat and beat steel into tools etc. . . A quick Craigslist search a few days ago and 10 minutes later this old fisher was mine. (I'm pretty impulsive . hahaha) It has Fisher, 1881, and the #8 cast into it. It's 249 lbs as it stands (minus most of the horn) The top plate is 5.25"x17.25" So yeah. . it has only half a horn and whats remaining of it has most of the steel top missing. For now 'Im just going to mount the anvil and try making some tongs, but eventually I'd like to restore the horn.. I was thinking of welding on a steel cylinder, grinding to rough shape and then hard facing a good layer on the top. Finish grinding. Sound doable? Lost cause? Well there's the introduction. Looking forward to getting going. thanks, ~Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.D. Mitchell Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Welcome Steve! I'm a high school shop teacher as well, best job in the world. In fact I'm going to be teaching a class on welding and blacksmithing at the school here soon, both the students and myself are excited for that! Let me know how your experience as a shop teacher has been and any cool things you have going on at your school. I'm always looking for great projects and experiences to give my students. By the looks of the picture I'd say you have plenty of useable life left in that anvil. And at 250 lbs, that'll be plenty of anvil to make tongs, tools, or whatever else you want. Give it a couple hours with a wire brush on an angle grinder and you might be surprised by how well it cleans up. And in regards to the horn, you can always make a small horn to fit in your hardy hole. What's left of your horn is still perfect for drawing out stock, which for what I do is my main use of the horn anyways. Congratulations on your find, now put it to the good use it was intended for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Yup, that's an ugly duckling type of anvil alrighty. Sure has had some abuse but it sounds like it is in good hands now. Enjoy forging on it and perhaps spreading the joy of forgig to another generation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Very nice. It looks like there is only one bad chip in the edge, and it is fairly small. How is the other edge? The horn is necessary less than you might believe. This is not a comment on usefulness. Horns are useful. This is a CAST IRON body anvil so simply welding a piece of steel on is not really an option, you need to pad the cast iron side with a layer of nickle weld, so the procedure is expensive from the get go. It is quite do-able and ultimately may cost similar to a better anvil, but might still be worth it. I would recommend making or getting a small cone mandral and a bick for the hardy hole. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Hey guys Im new here I figure I could introduce myself and the beat old anvil I recently brought home. My name is Steve and Im a High School Technology teacher. (woodshop, electronics architecture, mechanics, etc...) I've worked as a machinist for a few years and have a masters degree in metalworking (mostly jewelry) I took a forge class abut 8 years ago and really enjoyed it and lately have been thinking of setting up a little place to heat and beat steel into tools etc. . . Hi Steve I too am a Shop teacher. Just about done with 36 years, and soon to retire. I have done Woods and Metals, and several other classes over the years. A great job, get to play and build all day long. Just tired of all dealing with the administration and such. Anyway, I watched that Fisher on EBAY and CL for several months now. Glad that it found a home. If you want any technical info on Fishers, look up my past posts. If you have any other questions, fire away. I have the Fisher museum and welcome visitors. (Just not in December, I sell Xmas trees on my farm also). You must be close to NJ, unless you made a long trip to pick up that Fisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revtor Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 Thanks for all the replies guys, Im going to actually move it and mount it tomorrow, Ill post a pic when it's done.. Yeah fixing the horn back to original style might be a bit much, perhaps just building up the top where the steel has come off and then shaping it a bit . . It'll be more of a beak than a horn! The anvil was only 10 minutes away. That and the overall size is why I jumped on it. Im hoping it cleans up nice. It looked better in person then in the advert pictures, so I was happy. The guy wasn't budging from $1 / Lb so I got it for $250. Yep teaching is a good gig. For me it comes down to how much longer I can put up with 14/15 year old boys!!!! ~Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Thanks for all the replies guys, Im going to actually move it and mount it tomorrow, Ill post a pic when it's done.. Yeah fixing the horn back to original style might be a bit much, perhaps just building up the top where the steel has come off and then shaping it a bit . . It'll be more of a beak than a horn! The anvil was only 10 minutes away. That and the overall size is why I jumped on it. Im hoping it cleans up nice. It looked better in person then in the advert pictures, so I was happy. The guy wasn't budging from $1 / Lb so I got it for $250. Yep teaching is a good gig. For me it comes down to how much longer I can put up with 14/15 year old boys!!!! ~Steve Sounds like a Middle School job. I have always taught high school level. I think its easier. If that anvil was 10 minutes away, you are close enough to hope on the GSP and come on down. Email before visiting and directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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