The anvil plan

[Michael Spaulding]

Hey, folks.

I'm Taking my first anvil trip Saturday. My wife has family down in a little farming town called Faribault, MN. She had ferriers in the family even, but nobody knows what happened to the anvils from generations ago. So I've formulated a plan.

 

Set up a Craig's list wanted ad (there's 3 or 4 up aside)

Print off a flyer (with a pacture of an anvil) to put up around town

Head down there. There's 5 places I want to go specifically. The seed store, hopefully put up a flyer and talk to the horse farmers around. Two antique shops, flyers and chat, and two backwater on the lake restaurant/marina/boat gas station/regular gas station. Sort of the go to talk shop for all the old folks in town. The place is almost impossible to find unless you grew up in the area. Lucky me, my wife will be tagging along.

once we hit all 5 spots, if we've had no luck, I plan to be asking what part of town all the ferriers are, so I can just go driving through the dirt roads and look for post vices leaned up against sheds and hope I get lucky.

As far as farming tones go, this isn't a small one. I'm sure there have been a few anvil hunters through already. So I don't expect an easy ride, but I do have a couple things going for me. My wife mentions her last name, and suddenly we're buddies with anybody in town, it's that sort of town, and second, I just seperated from the military, and my wife and I are looking to finally settle down after 8 long years. If there's one thing that can make older folks instantly amenible to you, it's service in the armed forces. I really dislike getting my hand shaken and a deep thank you for my service, just like every soldier who isn't a sociopath, for reasons I don't want to get too far into at the moment, but if that's the discussion topic that can get people talking to me, then I Will make use of it for an anvil.

So, have I missed anything? Of you were me, what else would you go to raise your chances? And don't worry, I'm bringing $300 in my pocket, and a checkbook otherwise, and I'll be posting my success story, or failure lament, Saturday evening.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Michael Spaulding

[Michael Spaulding]

Please excuse typos. I'm on my phone

[njanvilman]

Stop by the local bar, and maybe the diner, if they exist.  Probably also good places to ask around and post a flier.

[ThomasPowers]

Got any family members that belong to a local Church?  A cafe that the old farmers hang out in drinking coffee?

Good Luck!

[John McPherson]

Barber shop? Moose Lodge, anywhere that folks congregate.

[Bob S]

Hey, folks........  I really dislike getting my hand shaken and a deep thank you for my service, just like every soldier who isn't a sociopath,

​When I got out of the army, 'Thank Yous' were few and far between, let alone a 'welcome home'. Now, vets from my day wear hats or pins or put bumper stickers on their cars to announce our service and unit to each other so that we can tell each other 'Welcome Home'. Even after all the years gone by. I'm pretty sure we are not "sociopaths". Well not all of us anyway.

Besides that it makes some of the oldsters feel good to thank you for your service. They came up in a time when it mattered. If for no other reason give them a good grip and a few good pumps. Look them in the eye and say "Thank you Sir".

I guarantee  you won't feel like a sociopath.

Edited February 27, 2015 by Bob S

[root]

Write your info and what you are looking for on a playing card, the red ones & use a sharpie. ( unless you have business cards) 

and hand them out to EVERYONE you talk to.  Everyone knows someone.

I do this with either the playing cards or my business cards.

I get all kinds of stuff this way. But be WARNED...... you will get calls on things you don't want also. People just trying to sell stuff.

Been doing it for 20+ years and it works.

Rich

[DSW]

 I just seperated from the military, and my wife and I are looking to finally settle down after 8 long years. If there's one thing that can make older folks instantly amenible to you, it's service in the armed forces. I really dislike getting my hand shaken and a deep thank you for my service, just like every soldier who isn't a sociopath, for reasons I don't want to get too far into at the moment, but if that's the discussion topic that can get people talking to me, then I Will make use of it for an anvil.

​Interesting. I've heard a few recent vets say the same thing, but never quite understood it completely. Maybe it's because I'm "old school" and grew up around older family members who served in WWII and Korea as well as having a father who graduated Annapolis and was career Navy ( 31 years retired as a Capt.) and grew up around military personnel both on base and off ( most of my scout troops were all military families) I know well what sacrifices military families go thru, and all of them today do so voluntarily. I can remember back in the mid 80's when my father got a memo from one of the base commanders down in the San Diego area. It mentioned that it had been brought to his attention that many of his lower level enlisted personnel were living below the poverty standards for the area, and thus entitled to food stamps, but were afraid of the stigma of them since they had a job. He had ordered all his personnel, irregardless or rank, to apply.

I always thought how sad it was that people who had volunteered to serve their country and die if necessary to protect our way of life, couldn't at least get paid a decent wage. But they did this willingly. That says a lot about the character of the sort of people who serve. They and their families sacrificed a lot to do what was needed because some one had to.

Don't ever feel you are a psychopath. You are not. Many of today's entitlement generation may not understand, but I guarantee anyone who was alive for WWII and Korea does. So does most anyone who has served in the military. You stood guard against those who threaten our way of life. Whether it was the threat of Fascism with my Grandfather and uncles in WWII, Communism during the Cold war when my father and uncle served,  vets from Nam, or today against terrorism. That's nothing you should ever be ashamed of. It's something you should be proud of, and many of us honor your commitment and what it cost you and your family.

 

Good luck in your search for your anvil. You might bring along some small projects you have done if you have them, or picts of your work. Many times people are more willing to part with things if they know you simply aren't looking to make a quick buck off something they own. That's often especially true of many hands on older folk. They many be willing to part with items they don't use any longer if they know it will be put to use and not sold to someone to sit in a yard.

[Michael Spaulding]

Hey, guys.

I just wanted to qualify my statements a bit. I know it's a different world now than when many of you, and many of the people you know served. I never meant to insult anyone, or imply that there are sociopaths among us. I was speaking specifically from my own experiences. I find it uncomfortable being thanked by strangers for doing my job. I felt called to serve, and so I did. I did my job, and then I went home, and I've always found the instances when I've been thanked uncomfortable.

Dislike is a strong word. I do appreciate that we live in an environment that people DO appreciate what soldiers are doing, which wasn't always the case.

My statements came from a place of experience instead. I have known people in the military that "get off" on having people they don't know "owing" them. They felt the thanks was not only welcome, but expected, and demanded. Behind closed doors, I've heard people complain that the thanks and handshakes they've gotten either wasn't enough or wasn't genuine enough, and that they deserved more attention because of their service. My statement was specifically regarding those people, who I believe probably are sociopaths (there's other telling evidence, but I'm no doctor) and not regarding the hundreds of thousands of vets over the years who have legitimately gotten far too little appreciation, no appreciate at all, or far worse. Please understand that I didn't mean to insult or offend anyone here, and if I did offend, then I am very sorry.

Also, those are some good ideas! I'll ask family about the local church. I know they're involved, so they may be able to ask around for me. I'll have to scout out the rest.

Thank you for the input.

[Michael Spaulding]

Well, today ended with no anvil. Not even a strong lead.

It was, however, an interesting day with lots of networking and stories. We began at a little hardware shop, who gave us a lead on this weird gun shop emporium about 15 miles away that had just an insane amount of guns, and in the back, behind their repair counter, I could see a power hammer and a bunch of other tools I didn't recognize. They admitted to having a couple anvils there, but none they were planning to let go of, but I gave them my mini "wallet" flyer and they said they had a couple people they could inquire to. Then I stopped at an antiques shop, who were using a little 25 lb railroad anvil (beat to crap) as a door stop. They had a really huge, what appeared to be iron crucible on a huge handle. The crucible was about 12 inches across the top, and maybe 18 in deep, and the handle was 6 ft. Clearly made for pouring, but beyond me, otherwise. Found two sets of working bellows, and a horse hoof clipper, all tools of a potential farrier, but no blacksmith hammers, tongs, or anvils (aside from the doorstop). They gave me info on another antique shop (that wasn't showing up on google maps) that's run by a group of old guys. The first three times I asked them, they tried to sell me stuff, but the fourth time (in an hour long conversation) they admitted they had a couple friends that probably had some anvils. "If we find one, we plan on buying it, though. You'll have to buy it from us!" That's what I get for dealing with antique dealers. I did purchase a bench vise for $20 in really outstanding condition, however. It's called a Versa-Vise, and doesn't close all the way (maybe a 1/4 inch short), but should work fine for anything I need it for. The whole reason I got it, was because you can remove the vise off of the base, and put it back on sideways, which should prove very useful when I get to the final stages of finishing a sword, or knife, and need to peen the tang.
Finally, we went driving through the countryside for a few hours looking for likely suspects and decided to go knock on two doors. The first had an antique riding style grinding stone in the front yard as decoration and my heart soared. There has to be an anvil on this property, right? Wrong. The lady who answered the door said she had no interest in selling the grind wheel at all, and that they didn't have an anvil on the farm at all. I did get a peek in two of their enormous sheds, as they were open, and if there was an anvil hidden in either, there's no way she'd know. They were packed with junk. I purchased a dozen eggs, overpaid for them, and left my wallet flyer.
The second had a ton of antique farm equipment displayed, most of it plows and tillers that were clearly intended to be horse drawn, which got my hopes up. In this part of the states, anyone who has an anvil, it's with the intention of farrier work. This seemed like a likely candidate. I met the most adorable golden retriever (about 10 feet past the"Beware of dog" sign) and his owner and we talked about antique tools, and he said it's entirely likely there's an anvil on the property, but he wouldn't have any idea which shed it's in, or where in that shed it might be. Or maybe he scrapped it 20 years ago. Who knows. I can't really argue with that, and the longer I keep him standing in the cold talking about it, the less likely he is to be any more forthcoming, so I let my wallet flyer, and made sure I left while it was still a pleasant experience for us both, and it was. He was a very nice fellow, but I got the impression I was keeping him from something.
After that, we stopped at a couple kitschy garden decoration stores (in very different towns) and talked to a few people and gave out more wallet flyers. Posted a couple actual flyers.

 

Overall, met some cool people, hung up some flyers, heard some stories and talked a lot about anvils.
And I think the biggest lesson here, is that no matter how far out of the city you travel, when you ask someone about anvils, there's a good chance you're going to be told to check craigslist. Was I talking to the wrong people?

[arkie]

Michael,

Check around to see if you have a blacksmithing organization or club in your area.  That may be your best place for anvils or leads on purchasing one.  Often members have more than one anvil and some even buy up anvils to sell to new members if they need one.  I joined our local blacksmith organization, but didn't have an anvil yet.  One of our members had two for sale at a very fair price and I bought a 168# Hay Budden in very good condition from him as well as some other tools over the years.

You might have to drive a little bit to attend meetings, but that is worth the experience you will gain.  Some of our members drive over 100 miles to attend some meetings which are held once a month.

 

Edited March 1, 2015 by arkie

[Michael Spaulding]

That's a good idea. I'd already planned on joining, but I just put in my first annual due, and I'm reaching out to them now. I figured any of them would mark up an anvil pretty heavily, but it didn't occur to me they would use it as an effort to get new members more involved.

Maybe I'll content myself to a nice 80-90 pounder for now and shoot for a full #150+ in the long run.

 

[arkie]

That's a good idea. I'd already planned on joining, but I just put in my first annual due, and I'm reaching out to them now. I figured any of them would mark up an anvil pretty heavily, but it didn't occur to me they would use it as an effort to get new members more involved.

Maybe I'll content myself to a nice 80-90 pounder for now and shoot for a full #150+ in the long run.

 

​You would be surprised at the prices you might pay.  The members in our organization sell their wares to other members at greatly reduced prices compared to what you would pay elsewhere like antique shops, ebay, some regional gatherings, etc.  My anvil and post vice were about 1/2 to 1/3 less than the going rate.  It's not a business for most of them, just a courtesy to fellow members.

Edited March 1, 2015 by arkie

[arftist]

I think it is unrealistic to think you will find an anvil on any given day in which you set out looking for. Persevere, have patience and you will find what you are looking for, but not necessarily when you want it. It is the same for all things in life.

[Michael Spaulding]

Oh, I was aware going in that I probably wouldn't walk away with an anvil yesterday, but I've got my phone number and intention out to a while lot of folk. Maybe one will yield results.

 

And thanks again for the advice to join my local group. I'll be in touch with them.

[LastRonin]

Well, today ended with no anvil. Not even a strong lead.

 Was I talking to the wrong people?

​According to TPAAAT, there is no such thing as "the wrong people". You talk to everyone.

[Michael Spaulding]

I've received my first inquiry!

Someone has a little Fisher for sale, in great condition everywhere but the face, which is beat to hell. The edges are all torn up. Its 16 inches long and "xxxx heavy" markings include "Fisher" "1884" and "3 1" all clear as day.

That doesn't seem very big to me, and the damaged face would mean restoration before it's useable. I haven't looked very hard at restoration, is it worth even attempting? I've got a local blacksmith group now, so I could probably get some help with that. Is 3 1 the weight in stone? What is that like 50lbs?

And, what's a fair offer for something this torn up? 

[Michael Spaulding]

Pretty darn beat up, as you can see.

I'm planning on lowballing him, probably $20 or so. Says he has some other blacksmithing tools as well, once he can dig them up.

[ThomasPowers]

Fishers as an American anvil are not marked in stone weight, Not a real useful anvil as it stands

[Michael Spaulding]

Does that mean the weight is 31Lbs? Or is that simply an arbitrary number?

Could you guess a weight given the length?

And if you were to just toss some cash at him for it, does $20 sound reasonable for such a rough piece?

[norrin_radd]

...I find it uncomfortable being thanked by strangers for doing my job. I felt called to serve, and so I did. I did my job, and then I went home, and I've always found the instances when I've been thanked uncomfortable...

I'm right there with ya and with the rest of what you said about the people that look for that kind of attention.   I do think alot of it has to do with the guilt people feel from how the military were treated in the past.  Anyway not trying to hijack your thread.

 I'd buy that above anvil for 20 bucks if he goes for it, just to have around, probably find some use for it even if you never fully restored it, that's just me. I'm gonna guess at the weight at about 80-90lbs+-

Anvil hunting gets alot funner after you find your first good one.

Edited March 4, 2015 by norrin_radd

[Michael Spaulding]

Alright, so I looked at some charts of general size/weights, and this is coming in at 50-60lbs, but it does have a thick waist so it's probably on the upper end of that. I offered him 50 cents a pound, at $30, and said if he's got a decent amount of blacksmithing tools, I'd be interested in buying the lot.

Ultimately, $30 for an anvil, even a mostly unusable anvil, is a good deal for my first find. Give me a year, and I'd pass on this thing in a heartbeat, but everyone says that the anvils start pouring in once you find your first one, so I'm not going to be too picky on my first buy. And $30 is nothing in the long run.

He hasn't gotten back to me in 30m, though. And he was talking up a storm in the beginning. It's entirely possible he's been looking at eBay and has an inflated sense of what his anvil is worth. I guess time will tell!

[Michael Spaulding]

Alright, so I looked at some charts of general size/weights, and this is coming in at 50-60lbs, but it does have a thick waist so it's probably on the upper end of that. I offered him 50 cents a pound, at $30, and said if he's got a decent amount of blacksmithing tools, I'd be interested in buying the lot.

Ultimately, $30 for an anvil, even a mostly unusable anvil, is a good deal for my first find. Give me a year, and I'd pass on this thing in a heartbeat, but everyone says that the anvils start pouring in once you find your first one, so I'm not going to be too picky on my first buy. And $30 is nothing in the long run.

He hasn't gotten back to me in 30m, though. And he was talking up a storm in the beginning. It's entirely possible he's been looking at eBay and has an inflated sense of what his anvil is worth. I guess time will tell!

[njanvilman]

The FISHER anvil you are looking at is around 60/70 lbs.  It was made in the 1880/90's.  There should be a date under the heel.

Restoration of a FISHER anvil is very difficult, unless you are experienced in welding cast iron and steel.  However, it is usable as is.  You can make a saddle block to to over the anvil if you need a better edge for bending.  The horn is decent, the hardy hole is intact.  If you need a pritchel hole, you can make a plate that drops into the hardy hole with a hole drilled through.

If you can get the anvil cheap, go for it.  It is better than no anvil.

[njanvilman]

I just noticed that there is a number under the horn.  It looks like an eight?  If so, that is the weight in 10's.  So if it is an eight, the anvil originally weighted around 80 lbs.

The 1 and 3 are codes done by the moldmakers for quality control.