hungarian/austrian anvil find.

[the iron dwarf]

"something you'd find in a dwarven smithy"

funny you should say that as I have one  :D

[the branch]

hah! It does have a flair of geometric architecture about it with the more "elegant" windows. So yea :P Maybe they should start using those kind of anvils in fantasy movies.

[Gergely]

 Hi Gergely,

 

 That is very interesting and informative statement to me because I have an anvil that has RIMA-BALKAN sign on it.

I have been trying to find info about it unsuccessfully so far.

Weight is 51 kg , has some lettering and numbering on the side of the base. Good ring and rebound. Probably cast steel.

Any more info on those would be highly appreciated !

 

Hello Georgi,

 

and welcome! I'm glad to help if I can. Although yours is a very mysterious anvil. First of all it's a German type two-horn. I have never seen any Hungarian made anvil of the same type. Also I've never heard of a subsidiary company of the Rima Steel Corporation. In fact they tried to centralize their work. 

I can only assume two ways: either our RIMA made this Balkan line for export only, or it is not a Hungarian anvil. (I have to say though that those letters and numbers are very familiar looking.)

 

Anyways, I like that anvil bigtime! How did you find it?

 

Happy hammering on it!

 

Gergely

[Georgi H]

Hello Georgi,

 

and welcome! I'm glad to help if I can. Although yours is a very mysterious anvil. First of all it's a German type two-horn. I have never seen any Hungarian made anvil of the same type. Also I've never heard of a subsidiary company of the Rima Steel Corporation. In fact they tried to centralize their work. 

I can only assume two ways: either our RIMA made this Balkan line for export only, or it is not a Hungarian anvil. (I have to say though that those letters and numbers are very familiar looking.)

 

Anyways, I like that anvil bigtime! How did you find it?

 

Happy hammering on it!

 

Gergely

Hi Gergely ,

 

Thank  you for the reply.

I bought the anvil from a blacksmiths family (third generation blacksmiths) that quit their business about 15 years ago. I also bought two blacksmith vices from them - one portable without a leg(post) but with a clamp to be mounted on a wagon board, dated 1941 and another one with a post - mutch older than the first one.  Once I picture them I will post them on the vice section of this forum.

Those guys also had a JEB anvil(about 50 kg ?) but its surface was badly chipped so I picked up the RIMA-BALKAN one.

 

Generally speaking , if you start looking for an anvil down here the most common types as far as availability are (in decreasing order):

1. Anvils from the socialist era - most of them two horned cast steel. They are made of good quality steel and properly tempered(from what I have seen by now) but I do not like the shape of them - a clumsy copy of the classical German design. Most of those are still available at the old socialist era factories and factory owned workshops.

2.JEB-s and anvils with the same shape but without the JEB logo. Those are before WW2 imports and fairly common among private individuals who inherited them. Unfortunately quite a few of them are in a decent shape.

3.Stake anvils  (I like those a lot! ) of various weight and shape - usually double horned, but also some single horned and hornless , unknown manufacturers , some of them claimed to be of Swedish origin (probably imports during the Ottoman Empire). They seem to be forged steel with a varying surface quality - some still quite usable, others almost shapeless. Right now I am restoring a small such an anvil about - 3 kg , to be used as a beak.

4.Miscelaneous other types including Czeck Skoda (pre-WW2), German anvils and so on.

 

I have never seen a RIMA- BALKAN anvil live or in picture except for mine.

There was an Ukrainian article about trditional blacksmith craft museum with some photos -

http://schoolfield.com.ua/articless/sovremeniy-kuznec.html

Pictures #4 and #9(counted from the begining) show an anvil pritty close in shape to the RIMA-BALKAN type, on #4 barely readable RIMA-BALKAN logo(or at least I think so). I  e-maled to Bogdan my questions and guesses, but have no answer yet.

Anyway, wish I knew more about that anvils background but I will enjoy it like that too! :)

 

              Thanks and cheers!                         Georgi

[matei campan]

In Romania (neighboring  both Hungary and Bulgaria), 99% of the anvils are of that pattern, part of them are JEBs, for sure pre WWII era, others made locally, also pre WWII and other no name communist era copies, some good, some bad quality...

I have a JEB in very good condition, my first anvil, 32kg, 98%rebound. unfortunately, most of the JEBs, even that they have a quiet hard face, are dished. I think the hardened thickness is quiet thin. apart of that JEB, I have the other two makes too.

a friend of mine has several of that hungarian production, as the ones above - good anvils.

 

well, they are nice anvils, but I'm a little bored by that pattern as It seems to be the most popular around here (even that I prefer it over the London/American pattern, from the functional point of view). for my kind of work I prefer the double horned anvils like the french designs or the southern german ones.

[the iron dwarf]

here is a very abused anvil in my collection, one day I will do what I can to restore it

[the branch]

wow, that is really abused. Almost looked like someone did that on purpose! Do you know how it ended up like that? Blown up?

[the iron dwarf]

the welding is old not recent, probably older than I am and im older than most here.

there is a crack from the middle of the table to the underside of the horn, I intend to remove the 2 ugly plates and the old welding and then if possible deeply V out the crack ( I suspect that it will be in two pieces by then ) and then do a better job of welding it back together and last see what can be done with the surface of it

[yarik]

On 8/9/2014 at 12:34 AM, Georgi H said:

....

There was an Ukrainian article about trditional blacksmith craft museum with some photos -

http://schoolfield.com.ua/articless/sovremeniy-kuznec.html

Pictures #4 and #9(counted from the begining) show an anvil pritty close in shape to the RIMA-BALKAN type, on #4 barely readable RIMA-BALKAN logo(or at least I think so). I  e-maled to Bogdan my questions and guesses, but have no answer yet.

Anyway, wish I knew more about that anvils background but I will enjoy it like that too!

 

              Thanks and cheers!                         Georgi

I apologize for bothering you regarding this most likely old subject, but I wanted to share that above mentioned article was translated finally: https://schoolfield.com.ua/en/articless/the-modern-blacksmith.html

This article was taken from a magazine "Fighter", which was ceased from publication shortly after it appeared back then in 2010 year (not sure about  the exact year, can't check it right now), my friend was working in that magazine for short time.

Just finished the translation of the website into Ukrainian and English versions

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

11 hours ago, yarik said:

I apologize for bothering you

Welcome from the Ozark mountains.

There is no need to apologize. We thank you for remembering that article and sending it to us. Are you in Ukraine? There is a section at the bottom for Ukraine blacksmiths to post. A blacksmith who goes by yannyboy last posted October 23, 2012 there. I sent him a PM a while back trying to find out how everyone is doing since the latest developments with the war. Feel free to contact me via PM.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sails. ~ Semper Paratus

 

[Goods]

Thank you for posting this link. It was an interesting read.

Keep it fun,

David

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Yarik, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you'll have a better chance of meeting forum members living within visiting distance.

Thank you for the translated article, I haven't finished it yet. With your permission I'd like to post the link for our local club members. 

Frosty The Lucky.