Thanks Frosty and Thomas for your words of support on paying in the ballpark of what the anvil is worth.  I also updated my location information in my bio, is there another appropriate spot to introduce myself on the forums?  I do plan on starting a thread to track the growth of my shop as I pick up my forge and tooling.

Thomas - I completely agree on the size, I really wanted an anvil that would be portable and yet large enough to eventually make moderately decent sized pieces.

Frosty - I actually hadn't heard of soderfors anvils when this one came up, but through the great googler I found several of your threads professing your love of these anvils... So you might call it your fault for convincing me that this was an anvil worth calling over :-). I should probably also mention my name is a direct reference to my General love of swedish steel (I use swedish straight razors).

 

Wow, I didn't realize how many posts are made a day and am now a couple weeks late replying. <sigh>

Go ahead, I've been blamed for far worse than convincing someone a good tool is a GOOD tool. Heck I thought your web handle meant you were already another Soderfors fan. You must've been seeing the future, that's IT you're Physic, you have PDQ!

Deb won't let me shave so I'll just think about how a fine blade feels on my face. <sigh>

Frosty The Lucky.

Here are some pics of mine. I haven't used it much lately as it rings so much more than my 206# Fisher, and I have one close neighbor.

I've heard that you can reduce the ring by wrapping a heavy chain around the base. I've also read that the better the ring the better the anvil? My Soderfors rings like a church bell but that's my favorite thing about using it. I'm sure everyone in a mile knows when I'm getting my hammer on!

My wife's hearing aids cost more than my pickup truck.  Start saving your hearing or your money NOW!

My favorite anvil is my 515# Fisher because its *so* quiet!

I've heard that you can reduce the ring by wrapping a heavy chain around the base. I've also read that the better the ring the better the anvil? My Soderfors rings like a church bell but that's my favorite thing about using it. I'm sure everyone in a mile knows when I'm getting my hammer on!

Welcome aboard, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance.

No, how loud the ring is is a poor indicator of anvil quality though few are more brutally loud than a Soderfors. Ear protection! Like Thomas says your hearing is a LOT more valuable than most possessions you'll ever have. If you just gotta annoy the neighbors then wear ear protection, I wore plugs and muffs till I got my Soderfors quieted down.

Wrapping a chain on her waist helped but not nearly enough. I found the steel tripod stand did the trick, she's still loud but doesn't ring.

What's your baby weigh? Post some pics will ya? We LOVE pictures and good anvil pics are like blacksmith porn.

Frosty The Lucky.

My dad is retired and buys the crumbs left after estate sales and resells it at rummage. Here is an ?anvil? he picked up and gave to me. The deceased man was a woodworker and a saw blade sharpener.

I've seen pictures of a Fisher similar to this. Maybe yall could comment on what this was actually designed for. At first I thought it was a counter weight or calibration weight. The main body is wrought, I believe, and will deform with slight pecks of a ball peen. The top is harder but is not hard like my old trenton anvil. This has no ring to it and the rebound doesnt compare to the trenton either.

I thought is was funny that the Sweeden stamp was upside down.

Thanks,

Scott

 

Thats a beauty, I dont think I have ever seen a Soderfors saw makers anvil. Frosty will have Anvil Envy over that one!

Used for tuning the large circular saw blades used by folks turning logs into lumber

some anvil porn for you frosty

in Tasmania going for $225 AU

That's one of those ones that really makes you wince when you look at it. Poor old girl. 

 

Andy

It does but knowing its a frosty favourite you look at the other side and think "there's some good bits there " and wonder if you could put up with the blemishes or beauty marks  

 

That is Anvil abuse or Abuse of an elderly Anvil either way Pure Abuse. 

 

when I'm haggling price of the anvil it's abuse when I get it home it's a mere blemish from a life of hard work 

still got more good curves and shape than a block of steel 

and still to far away to be viable 

Here is another Soderfors I have in my shop right now. 334 pound North German style made in 1925. The previous owner sand blasted it and painted it all black to "make it look better". I removed the offending paint and only put some boiled linseed oil on it. Kinda wished I hadn't oiled it so it would get that nice patina again.

 

Great anvil ,good condition ,nice size

Should have no problem lasting long enough to acquire the patina again even with your coat of linseed oil...just may not be in your lifetime...

Wash it with tide powder detergent (caustic) with as hot of water as you can, rinse with hot water and also get the anvil warm with the hot water. Wipe the face and horn with grease where you dont want it to start aquiring patina.  Rinse the rest with some muratic acid and place it in a warm humid place and it will start to rust quite quickly. 

24 minutes ago, Frozenforge said:

Wash it with tide powder detergent (caustic) with as hot of water as you can, rinse with hot water and also get the anvil warm with the hot water. Wipe the face and horn with grease where you dont want it to start aquiring patina.  Rinse the rest with some muratic acid and place it in a warm humid place and it will start to rust quite quickly. 

Thanks for that advice!! I have two other anvils here awaiting paint removal and that may really help out. They just look wrong all shiny!

Hi, Wanted to share my newly acquired soderfors 101 lbs 1929, I've been wanting one but couldn't find a clean one in my budget till this came along. 

 Nice score , that thing looks brand new. What did you pay for it?

I'm more interested in that unusual post vise in the background of the second photo . Care to post a couple of pictures of that as well ?

$400 for the Anvil, a little more then I usually spend but couldn't pass it up in that condition, that's a Fisher #5 vise. I'll PM you some pictures just so don't jam up the soderfors thread

Jake: I can't imagine a paint job so offensive it'd have any effect on using that beauty, sure might have to clear an inch two of "paint if you aren't doing anything useful" off the face. Lots of anvils were painted from the factory I believe Soderfors often came painted light gray or silver but that may have been customer request. NO matter, I wouldn't toss it out in the weeds either way. That is a SWEET looking beast.

The 101 Soderfors Mlinn77 just posted looks like factory paint. She's a beauty, almost pristine. I'll bet she'll make your ears ring through muffs and plugs.

This brings up another question does your 334 German pattern ring like a weapon of mass disturbance Jake?

Frosty The Lucky.

17 hours ago, Frosty said:

Jake: I can't imagine a paint job so offensive it'd have any effect on using that beauty, sure might have to clear an inch two of "paint if you aren't doing anything useful" off the face. Lots of anvils were painted from the factory I believe Soderfors often came painted light gray or silver but that may have been customer request. NO matter, I wouldn't toss it out in the weeds either way. That is a SWEET looking beast.

The 101 Soderfors Mlinn77 just posted looks like factory paint. She's a beauty, almost pristine. I'll bet she'll make your ears ring through muffs and plugs.

This brings up another question does your 334 German pattern ring like a weapon of mass disturbance Jake?

Frosty The LuckLui

I was told it was repainted, it looked fresh. 

14 minutes ago, mlinn77 said:

I was told it was repainted, it looked fresh. 

I was probably repeating something I heard, I've only seen info from Soderfors in writing a few times. Mine had faint traces of pale gray or silver under the feet but it was really minimal. It could be flashing neon paisley and I'd love it. Great anvil and a nice size congratulations. Mine's 125lb. and as much as I want to move.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thank you.  It could've been hot pink with a face like that it was going in my truck.