Fisher Anvils:  Made in Newport, Maine(1847 - 1852), then in Trenton, NJ at the original Trenton plant(1853 - 1961), then finally by Crossley Machine Works (1962 - 1979).  Currently owned by Joshua Kavett, Howell Tnsp, NJ.  Made by a unique method of casting iron over the tool steel plates to implement the weld.  They made over 500,000 anvils over the companies life, which is the most produced by any anvil manufacturer.  They made many custom shaped anvils by request.  Their literature stated that they had over 300 unique patterns in stock.  Fisher made anvils from 1/2 lb to 800 lbs.  A few bigger ones were produced primarily for exhibitions.

 

Fisher anvils do not have the "ring" associated with forged anvils.  That feature has long been a selling point for these anvils.  Sometimes refereed to as a "city" anvil.  Many smiths doing demos prefer Fisher's for this feature.

 

I like using Fishers for their quietness and durability.   There are a *few* Fisher anvils located here.

My main anvil is a #350 dreamboat that I got off of ebay.  Funnily enough, not only was the purchase of the anvil completely unintentional, but it was also my first time ever using that particular website.  That was 2013, and I learned my lesson!

 

Bought from a very nice lady in Massachusetts, I had the anvil trucked down to SC and have been thoroughly enamored ever since.

 

Living in a "fisher poor" area, this was my first experience with an anvil of theirs, and I was instantly smitten.  The complete lack of a church-bell ring has been wonderful and I'll never willingly go back to another brand.  The thicker heel and waist give the Fisher a powerful visage that dares the smith to try his best.

 

Come on show the face!!

I do love my 200lb fisher, my neighbors love it too.  They just don't know it. ;)

I used to consider Fisher a second tier anvil----Until I got mine.  Now I put it as a top tier anvil and the goto brand for many folks who need to keep a low profile with their smithing.

 

NJAnvilMan check your pm

Ask and ye shall receive.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cast in 1882 and still going strong - just goes to prove that Fisher Norris made the best anvils ever!!

Fisher Anvils:  .. They made over 500,000 anvils over the companies life, which is the most produced by any anvil manufacturer. 

I think this refers to made in America?

droooool !!  

Mine is 260# made in 1907. I too like the quite feature.

FISHER anvil, 000 size, 1/2 lb.  The smallest size anvil Fisher produced.  Not really intended for use, but it is usable for very small work.

FISHER anvil, 1870's era.  Straight horn.  Bold Eagle.  This is my favorite style of their logo.  This anvil is about 150 lbs.

FISHER anvil, 700 lbs.  Shown with the original pattern that made it.  This anvil is undated.  I estimate its production in the 1960's at Crossley, making it one of the last 700 lb anvils produced.

mine was the anvil for a Blacker powerhammer and is suitably massive; came from the RR shop in Columbus OH I was told.  When it was scrapped one of the workers took it home.  I was told it weighed 515#  but have not had it on a certified scale to check that out.  It has two 1.5" hardy holes and of course the inlet on the side which was designed such that you could traverse the top die and when it was above the inlet section the edge of the top die and the edge of the inlet lined up allowing you to make nice sharp shoulders.

Here is my 180 lb Fisher, dated 1887. I paid $300 for this anvil--bought it from a truck driver that used to deliver my liquid fertilizer. It has about 70% rebound, and like everyone says, quiet, quiet, quiet. It's not my go-to anvil, but I pull it out when my kids are in the shop to keep their hearing intact.

My 150 lb Fisher. Found this at a shop that sold diamond willow canes and wooden bowls and whatever else he found while out and about. He didn't really have a story to go with it.

 

Looked at it twice, 2nd time pulled it out of the dark corner of the shop and he let me wire brush it down and what looked like a rough face and heavy rust ended up being some heavy sticky stuff like cosmoline that had trned a rust color on the surface but came off with a scraper.

 

I was willing to pay the $4 per lb he was asking once I realized it was basically in as new condition.

NJAnvilman figures its from the 50s and was probably from the military considering the amount of military activity up here during that time period.

 

These were pictures when I first cleaned it up. The face is slowly cleaning up more as I use it but I don't do any heavy work on it as my hammer control isn't there yet and I would be upset if I damaged it. I have a different anvil for heavy hammering work that has seen some abuse so a mistake on my part isn't too bad.   

Nuts!  I got here first, and had the right title!  Why'd I have to get absorbed?!?!?

Frozen Forge, That is one of the nicest and cleanest FISHER anvils out there.  Take good care of it and keep trolls away. 

Greetings Josh,

 

That's what you said about my 100... LOL

I'm pretty sure NJAnvilman has Fisheritous and the symptoms to go with it! If I had a way to get it I would too!

Bronze Eagle stamp used to create the logo in the clay when making the mold for Fisher anvils.  This logo of the Eagle with the naval anchor was used after 1870.  It is about 3" in diameter.

My stack of 30 lb FISHER anvils.  Various dates from the 1880's to the 1920's.  Not all are dated.

NJ, that is completely awesome. And the pattern of that 700 pound anvil, also. Super cool stuff.

Two more of my 1870's era FISHER anvils. These have the bold Eagle with Anchor logo, my favorite. These anvils are around 100 lbs.


My display of the BIG guys. 800, 700, 600, and 500 lb FISHER anvils. Fisher advertised that they had a pattern for a 1000 lb anvil, but I have no evidence that they ever made one. If anyone has ever heard of a 1000 lb FISHER out there or has a photo of one, please let all of us know.

Like Thomas Powers I had for a long time considered Fisher anvils as second tier as compared to the American wrought anvils. This was mainly because of what I had read in Postman's book. 

A while back I was at a friends shop and used his 200 lb fisher and thought, hmm this is a nice tool. When I found this 400 lb fisher which I was able to get in a trade, I jumped on it and must say they are everything that folks on IFI, especially Josh, have said about them. I still use some of my other anvils but the 400 lb fisher is my main shop anvil for moving big metal. As you can see the top is in excellent condition. A few of the pics are before I used a soft wire brush to remove the surface rust.

That's right make my big fisher look small and puny!  Must remember to install moisture proof keyboard cover before perusing pictures on IFI.