Craig M. DeLong Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Here are the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Welcome from the Ozark Mountains. That is certainly an outstanding William Foster anvil, especially knowing the family history. I hope you have read about not doing any grinding, milling or welding on the hardened steel face, which will do more harm than good. As I read the weight 0 3 18 (hundred weight) relates to 102 pound's when made. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig M. DeLong Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Thankyou for the reply.....there is no welding, grinding or milling being done to my old anvil as it is in satisfactory condition for what I occasionaly use it. A few yrs ago I did a quick, light sandblast to clean it up and will now use the surface conditioning pads on it. After clean-up I will probably use a mixture of Bees-wax & mineral oil on it to keep the surface rust down, then mount to a solid base for an overall heigth of 30" or so. I am not a blacksmith per say but do much fabricating with welding, cutting etc. on machinery . Just want to make it decent to pass down to my son, I'm 73 so it won't belong before I do not need it! Thanks Again,,,Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 It's in better shape than my 1816 William Foster, and that's my go-to anvil. Looks great for her age. You might try a light brushing with a non-knotted wire brush and then rubbing a white powder over the side to bring out faint markings. It really makes them pop - I used to use baby powder but now that it's considered a carcinogen I have to use something else. I have the same C, which I think I remember reading was an inspector's mark. Another common mark was an anchor to indicate that it was approved for export. As far as treating it, I'd give it light go with the non-knotted brush and then I like to put boiled linseed on the sides and use it as intended to keep the top clean. Linseed for the top too if it's not going to be used for awhile. Takes a few days to dry, but pretty good protection and lasts for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Nobody, what has happened with baby powder is that it is no longer produced using talc mineral because there is sometimes asbestos contamination in some talc deposits. So, to avoid allegations of liability almost all the domestic producers now make baby powder using corn starch. My wife uses powder and the corn starch is lighter and gets all over everything in the bathroom much worse than the old actual talcum powder. It has been 3-4 years since I could find anything but corn starch powder in the stores. GNM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Welcome aboard Craig, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you'll have a much better chance of meeting up with members living within visiting distance. I just turned 72 and find it handy to be able to call younger guys when I need to pick up something heavy. No more sand blasting either please unless you use a non-abrasive media like walnut shells. You really don't want to remove any metal if you can help it, especially from the face. Electrolysis is a potential de-ruster, it converts the rust back into iron and steel just like it was before it rusted up. But a wire brush on the body and boiled linseed oil, or my favorite Carnuba paste wax applied warm to prevent further rust works a treat. I'd be hard pressed not to give that beautiful old lady a place of pride next to the wood stove in the living room if it were my family heirloom. On the other hand she should make a fine working anvil if she hasn't gone through a fire. You can check the rebound (hardness of the face) by dropping a bearing ball and estimating how far it bounces back as a %. Dropping from the 10" mark in front a ruler makes it easy. Do it in a pattern over the face to detect spot problems. Sweet anvil Brother, congratulations. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig M. DeLong Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Thanks for the info folks....always use more information. As far as rebound, all I have is a 5/8" ball bearing and it jumps back up at least 70% without measuring on most of the plate. I have used boiled linseed oil in the past on a few things but have lately switched to my own mixture of bees wax & mineral oil. I melt a 1 oz chunk of wax in about a cup of oil, makes a nice pastey mixture. Works well on everything from shovel handles, boots, sno- shovels so the snow dosen't stick, to anything metal I want to proteck.. I also use it on wifes butcher block work table in the kitchen. Linseed oil has a tendency to grow a mold/fungus and turn dark. All in all it is just another tool in my shop, that I have had all my life, to use as needed. I just think more of this one because of its past with my folks. When I get it all cleaned up and mounted I'll update with a few pics! Thanks again....Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig M. DeLong Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Hello again....got my anvil cleaned up and mounted to the base today. Good & solid and the right height for me (abt. 31") Base is a piece of 12x12 HDPE (hi-density polyethylene) molded to look like a wood timber. Base weighs 96 lbs, anvil 102 lbs. 10 ga. stainless angle holds each leg. When they forged the anvil the 4 feet did not all set even on a level surface so had to route the base for a solid mount. Anvil cleaned up nice with wire cup and it has a bees-wax/mineral oil coating on it. Made a frame on top to assist in moving and hold hammer & tools. Noticed a strange set of punch marks on the base, two sets of 4 marks, anybody seen such marks before? Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Very nice set up. I don't thin k that I have seen that material used for an anvil base before. How did you come by it? Also, the stainless pieces holding the corners of the base are unique in my experience and very nice. The 2 groups of 3 punch marks appear to be intentional but I cannot guess any reason other than perhaps to note something, e.g. an inspection, during the manufacturing process. These are different than the chisel and punch marks you see on the sides of anvils. On my Peter Wright they obscure 90% of the manufacturer's markings. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig M. DeLong Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 ThankYou George.....for the odd-spells I use it should work fine. The HDPE for the base was part of a dock/ramp in a marina I worked on for the construction company I worked for. We mostly built bridges for the state and counties here in the Hudson Valley, NY. Some engineer had designed and used this material for the non-rot qualities, used all stainless hardware to fasten it. I had never seen this material either but it seems pretty industructable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Nice anvil stand Craig, I like it. The only suggestion I have is to round the ends of your hammer/tong racks. Sticking out like that they'll put a nasty bruise on your leg if you bump into them. There are lots of times you have to move quickly around your anvil and you don't want sharp corners or bits to run into. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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