Salvage yard find of this anvil, been sitting buried for years. I didn't buy it yet, but probably will next trip. I couldn't see any Fisher emblem on the side but I didn't have a wire brush with me to get through crud. I'm guessing ballpark 200#, and it being a Fisher from the cast bolt holes. Not much of a ring, but good rebound. All pointing to a Fisher to me.....

Fisher?

Definately has the lugs of a Fisher.  Overall impression of the first photo is that the anvil is in phenomenal shape.  It looks like a Fisher....

 

If it is affordable, don't wait.  I would be all over that one if it was near me.

Any place to look for weight makings on a Fisher? He said it is mine on my next visit. I'm guessing cost will be $1.50/lb from him.

I'd be on it in a heartbeat and have to let Deb beat on me for a while. I'd just love a Fisher in the 200lb+ range and that's in really nice shape from the pics. My left ear hasn't stopped ringing since getting hit by the tree, a quiet anvil would be a treat.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

:o i would jump on that the instant i saw it. its in such great shape from what i can tell in the pictures. Is he offering the going rate for scrap?

Don't wait  It's worth a special trip at that price and who knows what can happen in the meantime!

He has a 288lb Peter Wright I might pickup as well, I know the guy now so they are safe until next trip. :-)

His scrap rate is about .50 a pound, but he knows anvils are worth more.

I wouldn't wait a minute!  Definitely a Fisher anvil, and it looks like it's never been worked on.  You just don't see those available much and it would be well worth a special trip over there just to get it from him.

 

The weight mark should be on the front foot, under the horn.  It might only be two numbers (15 meaning 150lb), but it's gonna be a wonderful addition to your shop!

So he gerts hit by a buss tomorrow and his heirs decide to sell it all to a chinese firm with no exceptions, you can go watch them load it into the crusher!  (Happened to a scrap yard I used to browse for old blacksmithing tools.  One trip acres of rust the next bare dirt)

True, but the place is not close to me, and the anvils are in an inaccessible area to get to for lifting/moving/loading. I had to literally both climb and crawl to get to this anvil to see it. He has to do some major pile moving before I can get them out of where they are. I don't want to hound him or push too hard to get a plath cleared.

I'll get it my next trip early July, I'll post pics when the anvil sees sunlight again..

Ask him to teach you how to run the forklift or whatever heavy mover he uses and spend a day moving stuff for him in exchange.

I wish you  luck in the wait.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Nice idea- but this place is several hours away, I just happen to be in that area every few months or so.

A free day of time is something I do not have.   But I did forge him a real nice Brian Brazeal horse head bottle opener that I gave him this last visit.  :) 

 

He says he has a swage block buried somewhere too, just has to find it, plus Otto and Champion blowers I found.  The Champion 400 looks in nice shape, but does not turn right now.  I'm wondering if that can be brought back to life...  The Otto blower turns and blows air but sounds rather rough. 

 

Plus he gave me a lead on another even older salvage yard in the area that probably has even more blacksmithing stuff.  Can't wait for the next trip!

Here's another pic of the Fisher, and of the two blowers I found, and the 288# Peter Wright he has there too.

I had to use good ol' spit to get enough moisture for cleaning to make out the make and weight numbers.  Edges are pretty beat up on the PW, but for the right price I might snag it....

Wow I wish I had that much luck. One day I found an old leg vise in a scarp yard, rusted but it worked, and the guy said: Na! It's antique, not for sold...

Man! Why put such a teaser in the scrapyard when you can't buy it?! I'm pretty the guy returned the leg vise in the back and let it rust again...

Anyway, that Fisher looks flawless, I envy you! :)

It seems the harder I search, the luckier I get... ;)

The 400 Champion should be a cinch to fix (soak in diesel first and see what haps) and the PW is worth repairing. I'd say buy all of it and get to repairing...and the Fisher is exquisite.

Those edges are well within tolerance to use.  Remember that old smithing books warn you that the first thing you do with a new anvil is to round the edges  Why do folks get so hung up about having sharp edges nowadays?

Those edges are well within tolerance to use. Why do folks get so hung up about having sharp edges nowadays?

I agree the PW is still entirely useable. For some forging details a sharp edge is required, my current anvil with great rebound doesn't have the greatest edges, and I made a hardy block with sharp edges for that requirement. Problem solved.

Looking through AIA tonight when I got back, it mentions Fishers added the bolt holes to the castings in 1877. It also says the weight number was cast on top of the foot after about 1880. Looking back at my hi-resolution pics on my computer, like the one I added a few posts ago, I cannot see evidence of any weight numbers on that foot.

My earliest Fisher anvil with the mounting lugs is 1892.  And not all Fisher anvils had the weight marks or year cast in.  If you get the anvil and get a better look at it, you will probably find more markings.  Post some photos and I will add information.

Ahhh, I remember getting my 200# piece of rust home, wirebrushing and find a 250 and FISHER. I nearly pooped. The deal was a dollar a pound, but at 250# it ended up being .80 per. The guy thought it was 200 and knew almost nothing about the anvil. He said it was a ships anvil because of the anchor on the side. I'll " will "this anvil to my children.