June 19, 20215 yr Author Yes, all three of the top anvils are on 50 lb. Fisher anvils. Dovetail slot....not sure if they were factory made, but there are two anvils in the Museum with slots in the face, and both have tooling in them. I will post some photos.
June 19, 20215 yr When you purchased the Holland 20# I had no idea it would end up in your museum, what an honor. A NEW Fisher-Holland collaboration anvil may be in the works one of these day!
July 8, 20215 yr Just picked up this little guy- 357lbs of Fisher glory! It's a beast, and I'm very grateful to have a large shop anvil finally.
July 13, 20215 yr On 7/9/2021 at 7:43 AM, jlpservicesinc said: RSF, congrats. She's a beauty. Thank you. I have the sawmill making a custom block for her, then to mount and get to work on some pending large commissions.
July 18, 20215 yr How do you tell the age of a Fisher? I have one that was my fathers but not sure how far it goes back in the family. thanks
July 18, 20215 yr Author Mark1000 Post some photos of it and we should be able to help you out. Make sure you get profiles of all sides.
July 19, 20215 yr 9 hours ago, Mark1000 said: How do you tell the age of a Fisher? I have one that was my fathers but not sure how far it goes back in the family. thanks Mine has the date on the anvil. It shows 1905 along with the weight of 120lbs.
July 19, 20215 yr Greebe, not all Fishers have the dates cast in. A lot of the markings on the anvils seemed to be random and for a given time frame. Josh's book on Eagle anvils "Fisher & Norris " is a spectacular read and a great addition to the blacksmith library. The 2 I have from the 50s don't have dates, and 1 has 150, the other 15 for the weight. Both have the amazing side logo but some of the anvils only have Fisher on the front of the foot. Joshua is the expert here for sure.
July 19, 20215 yr Yes, I do not claim to be an expert or even know much about the Fisher anvils. Just mentioning that my Fisher has the date and weight on it. Not sure if they were cast in or put on with a stick welder. Mine as well as others I have seen with the date look pretty crude. Maybe the date was scratched backwards in the sand mold after the pattern was removed?
September 8, 20214 yr Author It seems there is always something new out there when it comes to Fisher anvils. New to the Fisher & Norris Factory Museum today, this 20 lb anvil, made in the 1920s. Look carefully....see the difference? The name FISHER is on the rear, under the heel. This is the first time I have come across this way of marking. During this era, the 20/30/40 lb F&N anvil were redesigned to be less blocky and sleeker. Almost similar to the shape of the small Hay Budden anvils. They were also changing how they marked them. I have 8 of this size, and only 2 have similar markings. I love finding new history based on what they produced. A lot of this information is in my book. See my profile for ordering information. Thanks.
October 5, 20214 yr Author I just noticed that I made an error in the history of this type of anvil in the above post.....the redesigned sizes were 10/20/30 lb. The 40 lb anvil of this era stayed the same as past designs.
October 15, 20214 yr Hey there from Florida, Been interested in blacksmithing since the turn of the century and I'm now in a position to do something about it. I acquired a Fisher when I was stationed at Kaneohe MCBH in 2004. I got really lucky and got it for the price of hauling it away. Anyway, I was trying to find out some info about my anvil. I believe it probably was made in 1939, that's as far as I can go. Any info would be appreciated.
October 15, 20214 yr Overall it looks pretty good. It looks like there may have been some some welding done on the face and the tip of the horn is flattened due to being used as a doorstop. At the end of the day they would tip it over and let it drop on the horn. I'll pull it out of the garage and see if I can get a full profile of it tomorrow. Phil Edited October 16, 20214 yr by Mod30 Remove duplicate photos.
October 15, 20214 yr Welcome to IFI! I'm no Fisher specialist, but I can say with certainty that you've got a good looking anvil there!
October 15, 20214 yr Crazy story... I was in the Navy and had to go check out a hoist to load weapons on the aircraft and saw the anvil propping a door open. I asked the shop supervisor what the deal with the anvil was and he said he'd been trying to get rid of it for a while. I told him I'd be willing to take it, but since i was on my motorcycle I'd have to go get my car... I was back in 15 min...
October 16, 20214 yr Welcome aboard Phil, glad to have you. This is where I usually suggest a person put their general location in the header but using it as part of your login aught to do. Nice anvil, great score and a good story! She's in outstanding condition unless she's been through fire and the face has had the temper run out of it. A rebound test will determine that easily enough, just drop a bearing ball on it and estimate how far it rebounds as a %. If you want to be more accurate drop it from 10" on a scale and eyeball how far it bounces back. Fishers don't "ring" so that's not going to tell you much regarding the hardness of the face. I'm guessing but I THINK the 15 on the foot signifies it weighs 150lbs.+/-. A blunted horn was often done intentionally after a smith walked into a sharp horn a couple times. She's a beautiful old lady with a couple few generations of good hard work in her yet. Frosty The Lucky.
October 18, 20214 yr Author Your anvil was made in 1939. The markings are consistent with how Fisher was doing everything at that time. The 15 does mean the anvil was made as a 150 lb anvil at the time. The actual weight might be slightly different; they were rarely exact. The anvil was made in Trenton, NJ. If you want to learn more about the company, and the technology behind your anvil, go to my profile to see the link to my book I wrote about the company. Thanks.
October 18, 20214 yr NJanvilman was so great to meet you and spend some time talking.. I loved hearing more info about Fisher.. I ended up with very little time overall.. I figured I would have had more free time but between the scheduled demos and then the secondary time at the trailer it really just slipped away. wonderful visiting..
October 20, 20214 yr Author On 10/18/2021 at 7:04 PM, jlpservicesinc said: NJanvilman was so great to meet you and spend some time talking.. I loved hearing more info about Fisher.. I ended up with very little time overall.. I figured I would have had more free time but between the scheduled demos and then the secondary time at the trailer it really just slipped away. wonderful visiting.. Likewise. It was a busy time between the demos, socializing, gallery, and business. I will get up to Mass. at some time to see your school and sit down to have a nice talk. And if you are ever in the NJ area, you are most welcome here.
November 2, 20214 yr For sure your welcome here anytime.. I might actually have the building sealed up completely soon.. I'll be up for a visit come next spring. I'm stuck around till the spring thaw.. Thanks for the invite.. I'm supposed to be in TX in May..
November 17, 20214 yr This is a great topic! I must be a very lucky guy, 20 years ago I bought a 180 lb, 1942 Fisher. I offered the guy $100.00, he gave it to me for $75. Said everyone else try ed to get it for $50. The anvil is in pristine shape. I have since sold my Nimba 475 because it was to big and tough to move around. Thought about getting a 200# Nimba. I'm finding my 100 Kolswa and the 180 Fisher are all I need. Thanks for some great content!!
November 18, 20214 yr It's hard to beat a Kolswa for top shelf anvil or a Fisher for easy listening. I think you have a great selection. Frosty The Lucky.
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