Black Frog Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Surprised no one had started a thread for the trustworthy Columbian anvil. Cast steel, made by the Columbian Hardware Company in Cleveland, Ohio I rarely run into a beat up Columbian it seems, tough anvil. I had been using a 300# Columbian up until I found my A&H that I'm still currently using. Always liked the anvil, and served very well. But I just ran across this one that I couldn't let pass by for the price. I'm guessing around the 375#-400# ballpark. I don't have a scale that goes over 300#. AIA has a Columbian Hardware ad that lists weights and dimension sizes, and this would fall nicely into that weight range. Here's when I picked it up with a little water bottle rubbing looking for markings. After a good cleanup. The 300# Columbian in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Greetings Frog, Ya sure can find em... Sweet lookin anvil... Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCROB Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 what a great piece !! sure makes my 2 post vise and flattening hammer a boring find over the weekend !! LOL !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Good score, I like it ;) George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuarthesmith Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Here is a recently acquired anvil, a 455 pound columbian. 36 inches long six inches wide. Deafening ring. 85 percent ball bearing rebound. Now for the good part, how I got it! I have a business website. Some lady calls me, telling me she just bought a mansion on four acres. In the woods, 400 yards down a steep hill, she has an old blacksmith shop. She to demolish it because of termites. I ask her how big the anvil is, and she says "about 175 pounds, and you can have all the contents for free". Wife and I jump in the Tahoe, with me all excited. I got more excited when I saw the shop. 455 pound columbian, two champion 400 blowers, and three brand new humongous graphite crucibles! Now for the bad part. Her property was muddy, and we couldn't drive down to the shop because of the cesspool field. So muddy the ha nd truck wheels sank into the mud. Crestfallen, my wife offers to roll the anvil up the hill with me, sommersaulting the anvil head over heel for 400 yards, right through the mud and the cesspool feces. After 4 hours, we get the anvil to the back of my car. How the heck do I get it onto the tailgate! My wife spies a 40 foot aluminum ladder. Nice ramp she says! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 My Columbian was my favorite anvil I have ever used and I have used the majority of common English pattern anvils available in the U.S. the ring is extremely loud but a nice bed of silicon caulk deadens the ring to FISHER levels. That plus a sturdy stump for a stand and the anvil did most of the work for me with its impeccable rebound. Great anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JME1149 Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Stuart, you better do something extra nice for a wife like that. Congrats on the new toys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 That Lady is a Keeper! Congrats of the find. Nothing comes Free there is a hitch to everything and rolling a 455 lb anvil over a cesspool has got to be one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksman Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Found a 100 # Colombian on an online auction for $268.00 It looks like it has never been struck. It cleaned up beautifully and rings like a church bell on Easter! What a nice anvil to have for my 2nd one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin1050 Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Can you post a link to the hardware ad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Is this a columbian? 630lbs on my scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Yes, cast steel, made in Cleveland Ohio. Excellent anvil; but like cast steel anvils in general---don't abuse the edges! You would be welcome to drop it off at my shop anytime! Please tell us about finding that brute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 Welcome aboard, Challenger, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you'll have a chance of hooking up with other members living within visiting distance. Oh yeah, that's the Columbian trademark, top shelf anvil and a beast! I'd love to read the story behind you bringing that beautiful monster home. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatLiner Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Just picked up a 130 lb columbian anvil to go with my 125 lb soderfors both anvils are age unknown and I haven't been able to find serial numbers or years on them. The edges arn't as banged up on the columbian from cold horse shoes as the soderfors was. But you can tell it did do some cold shoeing. The Ring is as loud as the soderfors but a slightly different pitch. The ball bearing test using a 1 1/2" bearing has a return bounce of 85-90% whereas the soderfors has 90-95% return. All in all I am a happy camper. Two legendary anvils that can forge whatever I want on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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