teknition Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 I lucked out and bought an anvil today for 25 bucks from a guy in town that used to make knives. It's not the best anvil in the world but its much better than the RR track anvil I have been using up till now. I looked the anvil over for a makers mark and date etc. On the side it has what appears to be a date of 1944? I tried to bring up the marks with welders chalk, a light sanding, and finally a blast with glass bead. I cant find any manufacturers name on it anywhere but there are a few digits on it. The anvil had been painted numerous time but the original paint is very tough and stayed on in some spots even after the glass beading. The original color is a drab olive green. Being that its drab olive and the date appears to be 1944, I'm wondering if this could be an old army anvil? WWII is a bit before my time so I'm not sure if the army would have had blacksmiths in WWII, can anyone enlighten me? The steel looks like wartime steel, very poor quality of casting, lots of pockets and slag in the face. I cleaned it up a bit but more crud keeps showing up, so I just stopped and I will use it as is. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 an old WW2 army technical manual in my posession, shows a repair truck, it had a welder, a grinder, a drill, a hacksaw, an anvil, and a portable forge in it amoung other things, it was a self contained unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseff Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I'm sure the military used anvils in their machine and metal working shops, though whether they produced their own I have no idea. I'm sure some of our ex-military members can tell you for sure. Joseff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmercier Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 the US military used almost exclusivly fisher anvils during WWII from my understanding. I know practically every ship had a fisher, at least it seemed and that the us government was the biggest customer of them for the latter part of the company's history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknition Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 Thanks for the replys guys. Very informative as always So, now we have established they did have anvils in the millitary during WWII, and most likely a Fisher. Now, does anyone have one or pics of one so I can tell if thats in fact what I have? Did they Have any distiguishing makers mark on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Jim Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Check out "Anvils in America" by Richard Postman. It might have some info on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 does it weigh 194# ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknition Posted June 6, 2007 Author Share Posted June 6, 2007 I haven't actually weighed it yet, but I can carry it around myself. So I'm thinking closer to 100 lbs. I will weigh it tomorrow and see. It looks much like a fisher anvil from the pictures I've found. The only thing that really leaves me wondering is that all the fisher anvil pics I've seen have a bolt hole in the front and rear on the base of the anvil. Mine lacks these holes but it looks like someone torched a notch in the front center of the base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmercier Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 That's not a fisher. Fisher anvils are cast iron bases with a tool steel face. Fisher anvils are all very very clearly marked, and most of them have their heraldric eagle over an anchor on the side (various styles of the logo exsist) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 Does that include the very late ones when the marking was a paper label that was stuck to them and could be removed easily? Please read up on them in Anvils in America. I use a 500# Fisher with no eagle&anchor. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Ravizza Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 I have a recent Fisher that has no name on it. It has a 10 on the foot for 100 lbs. I think it may have been made for the army due to the color. The paint seems to be original. It also has P D F W stamped on the side. Any idea what this could mean? Thanks Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete46 Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 Sweet Man! What Kind Of Karma Do U Have? 25 Bucks! U Saved A Bus Load Of Orphaned Nuns;u Can Tell Us ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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