Black Frog Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Even though A&H didn’t make the numbers of anvils that other U.S. manufacturers did, I have cleaned up more of them than any other brand. Not sure why that is…… But I have noticed that A&H’s have a certain look to them after a thorough clean up job that is a bit different than other makes. A&H’s are known for not having very deep stamping marks, and Postman also notes that A&H’s have tell-tale fullering marks left on the underside of the heel area from the forging process. I found this anvil and almost positive it is an Arm & Hammer, guessing around the 330# ballpark. The only stamping marks on the sides of this anvil is a faint “3” as the leading digit of the weight indication. It does have the serial number on the front foot same as other A&H’s. There are forging marks on the underside of the heel, and also on the underside of the horn area. These aspects, along with the “look” of the anvil after I got done cleaning it have me almost positive this is an A&H anvil. Am I wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Greetings Frog man, If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck " ITS A DUCK".. Arm and Hammer so to speak.. When I get time I will post a picture of one of my AH. that has a mass of what appears to be small slugs formed in the base.. Must have been forged on the second shift.. Looks weird but the rest is formed well.. You find all the great anvils .. I think you need that 1200 lb Fisher .. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 ......I think you need that 1200 lb Fisher. Wouldn't that be cool? Dare to dream.... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Looks like A&H to me. -Crazy Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDeck Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Black Frog: If it's not a proprietary secret, could you share your process for cleaning up an anvil like this? You seem to get very good results without making it all bright and shiny. Would love to know the steps you go through. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Thin elongated heel, relatively thin face, rough underside of heel---if I had to guess I'd go with A&H If not having a marked anvil distresses you I would happily ship you a vulcan that is clearly marked in trade for that one! It'll come in two boxes though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 TP, not distressing at all, I think I'm ok with finding such a lowlife of an unmarked anvil as this. ;)When I jumped on this one it was filthy with top dirt/rust and a couple coats of paint on the anvil, tough to make out minor details on site. I wanted to pay the man before he could change his mind after a quick ball bearing bounce. I wasn't too concerned what make it was right then, but I at first was guessing Budden. Trentons seem to have a bit thinner waist to me. I do love to find A&H anvils, have more of them than any other brand. Weird how that works I guess.... Copilot- Nope, no proprietary secret here. Just time and effort. Total time depends on how bad they are, or how much (if any) paint layers happen to be on the anvil, and of course what size they are.From doing a lot of them, I can guesstimate about 1.25 hours of time per 100 pounds of anvil.If you like, I could show a before/after on a big one I've been working on here and there, maybe make a new topic on cleanup rather than tag onto this one..... too bad I didn't snap pictures during the cleaning process, maybe I'll do that on the next "find". :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Living in Columbus OH for 15 years every once in a while we would run across a second or "lunch time build" anvil, Not marked and often with welds not dressed, etc. (Once I was talking with a fellow at the fleamarket who used to work for one of the two anvil makers in Columbus at the very end; he mentioned that when they shut down there was a line of anvils along the top of the steep bank down to the river. I tracked it down but no signs of anvils atop the bank or down it---the river bed was about 40% rusty iron/steel so no good using a metal detector. I did find a bunch of the old sandstone grinding wheels used to clean up the faces---about 3-4' in diameter and 1' thick. They were rolled into the river when they were no longer needed.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 Wow, think the anvils are down in the river? You need to buy/borrow one of the side imaging fish locators that look out "to the sides" of the boat!!I use a side imaging locator all the time while musky fishing, amazing the details you can see at a distance.Wouldn't that be fun to find a few of them?!? Remember, that it was my idea when you find few of them.... ;)Like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I can "ford" that stream without getting my kneecaps wet most of the year and ankles wet some years. Anything there is buried in the muck which is mainly old industrial crud dumped into the river. As I moved 1500 miles away I guess I will never know---they turned the area into condo's too so probably a bit more fussy about blacksmith looking folks messing in the river below them. But it's a nice dream... Funny thing I had been to that area years earlier when a friend of mine worked in the hydrogenation plant that was on the site after the anvil maker shut down. Didn't know it at the time but there was still some "stuff" abandoned in a shed on the site according to Mr Postman... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusb Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I think that is a trenton, horn sure looks like one to me. The underside of the heel looks to clean for an arm/hammer. My take on it is thats its an early plated trenton with the plate milled down. I have seen several with the thin plates. My wild guess is they made a hard plate and were prone to chip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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