Michael Cochran Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I keep a watch on CL for anvils and recently came across one listed in Atlanta area that I was hoping someone could enlighten me a little. It's a '1918 fisher.' He doesn't know the weight and he didn't have pictures in the ad but emailed me two which i attached here. He says its 27 inches long and 8 inches tall. He wants $290. While it looks like it's in great condition I wonder if he might be a little high on the price. I tired to find some way to guess a rough weight but don't know enough to find a reasonable guess. Any info you guys might be able to share would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 I forgot to mention there's another one that caught my eye in Nashville area that's listed as an '1881 fisher' at 120 lbs. it's listed as being 20 inches tall but there are some differences to the shapes. That's one reason I'm unsure about the '1918 fisher' im asking about in my above post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Many Fishers have a number cast in the end that denotes weight. My 50 lb fisher has a 5 on the front for example. A 100 lb Fisher would have a 10. I can't see clearly enough what the marks are on each end. Different dates will change the shape. Josh can tell you which ones are which by date.I think I see Fisher cast on the bottom under the horn. The back looks like it may have the date cast in it, but I can't read it well enough in that pict to say its 1918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 The 1881 one is clearly marked as you say this one should and it also looks to be in good shape. However, it's a $400 'antique.' That is about $3.33/lb which is a little more than I can afford right now. Don't get me wrong if I had the money to invest in it I would. My guess is that since the one I show above is 7 inches longer that it's gonna be a few lbs heavier for $110 less. I'm just making assumptions based on the limited knowledge and information I have. That being said someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I honestly dont don't even know what I'm asking at this point. I guess I just need to go look at it and see what my hammer tells me and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hmm 27" long would put it in the 150lb weight class, That seems like one I would jump on, but I live in New Mexico and we pay way too much for anvils out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thanks Fatfudd. I had no idea what kind of weight I was looking at. Other than doing a hammer test is there anythin else I should do? I don't have a ball bearing so I won't be trying that. That's the only two things I've heard of doin when lookin at used anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan the blacksmith Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 that anvil looks in good shape and a good make. it got a hard face and if you buy it its all you'll ever need!in my opinion, that price is a steel!!!!!!!! good hard faced anvils are worth 5-7 $ a lbs!Ethan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Using a hammer to do the rebound test works just fine but takes a little more judgement. Have you watched Ethan The blacksmith's new anvil video? He does about a perfect rebound test with a bearing and a hammer. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan the blacksmith Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 thank you for the complement frostyjust a note: only expect the most rebound in the "center of mass" of the anvil. there will always be little or no rebound on the horn or tail of the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 (edited) I don't know the anvil availability where you're at but around here in central Texas an anvil like that on Craigslist would already be gone. If you think you might want it better grab it before it's gone. The one for $290, that is. Edited June 3, 2015 by Anthony San Miguel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 (edited) Fishers are quiet anvils, as they do not ring like a forged , or cast steel anvil does. They just kind of have a thunk to them. I have one made in 1907 that is 260#, and it is my main anvil due to the quietness. It is much more quiet than my 306# Sodefors which can be heard across my valley........... From the pictures it appears to be in really good shape. If you can afford it you won't be disappointed. You can always make a lower offer on it. I have generally found if I can chat with the owner some first, and tell them that it will be used to learn blacksmithing they tend to work with you on price more. If it is around 150# it is a good size for general all around use. Mine has the full weight marked on it, don't know if once they hit a certain weight that they put the whole weight on instead of a shortened version. Edited June 3, 2015 by BIGGUNDOCTOR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 It looks in great shape and cheap! I wouldn't waste another minute pondering the details if were you.An anvil like that would go for three times the price here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 The anvil looks to be around 100 lb, but the angle pictures could be deceiving. In the shape it is in, the price is right.As for weight markings, Fisher anvils were inconsistent in how they were marked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thanks for all the replays. I sent an email just waiting to hear back now. If we can work out a deal I'll be making about a 125 mile trip there to get it. Frosty, I'll have to go find that video. I know the hammer isn't the best way to test rebound but the way I understand it I should be able to tell enough about dead spots. I don't know if fishers are prone to that, honestly I don't know much about fishers other than they seem to be the quietest anvils made.Thanks again for all the help. If we can work out a deal I'll try to get some better pics when I get it home. I know everyone here's seen pictures of anvils but I'm gonna share it anyway lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 An FYI for you or anybody buying their first anvil. I got my first London pattern anvil about 3 months ago and my second around a month and a half later from the same guy.I used a small ball peen hammer that he had over the entire face of both anvils and got very little rebound. I didn't see any cracks or any welding that might have drawn back the hardness, so I thought they may have been in a fire. But both looked really well taken care and it just didn't make sense to me.So I went back a week later with my own ball peen and did the hammer test and both had excellent rebound. What happened was that this guy's hammers all had deer antler handles that he had made for them that absorbed most of the energy. I ended up getting a nice 82lb Hay Budden and a nice 125lb Mousehole forge anvil from him.My point is, be sure to use a hammer that you trust to give you an accurate judgement of rebound. I almost lost out on two great anvils because of the wrong hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 That's good advice. I planned on taking my 16oz fiberglass handle ballpien. I wish I had a bigger one I could take with me, guess I'll have to go by the store on my way out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwilson645 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Nice find, Mike! I too saw that ad with no picture but I passed it right on by. DOH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 The hammer rebound test is just as good as any, it just isn't as easy. Beginners have to use a ruler to estimate rebound with the bearing drop. A little practice and the mark 1 eyeball and your ears are all you need. A hammer carries more recoil damping mass in the hammer so using a ruler is a good way to fool yourself. Just give it light taps and estimate how live the rebound is. And just as Ethan says, rebound will diminish as you move off the sweet spot over center mass.With any two piece anvil, Fisher's have a foundry welded face so technically it's a two piece anvil. The main hidden fault is a delamination of the face and body. This will show up as dead spots, sometimes just a corner others may be half or all the face. If you want a good example of a dead spot in the face lay a piece of plate on your anvil and bounce your hammer on the face next to it then on the plate. That'll give you the idea of how a dead spot acts.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thanks frosty for suggesting I watch Ethan's video. Thank you Ethan for sharing that video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 Today's has been a long day. I had to go to my grandfathers to pick some stuff up then had to head east to see the anvil. I started my day changing my oil a 6 am then drove what seemed like all day. Seeing as how it's 11 and darker than dark here I'll wait till tomorrow to show off my new anvil. I will say tonight that it wasn't nearly as big as he made it aoud in the ad. He said 27 inches long but it's only 17. I'm guessing about 70 lbs but I'm gonna put it on a bathroom scale tomorrow to double check my assumption. As I said it's been a long day so I'm off to bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 He said 27 inches long but it's only 17.Ah when you said Fisher earlier you probably meant to say it's a fisherman's anvil... It's always bigger in the boat! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 Dsw, I was a little disappointed when I pulled up and seen that little thing instead of the monster I expected lol.Well after driving 418 miles yesterday and going through more counties than I have in a long time I brought home a decent little fish. There are a few markings I cannot make sense of under the date i see one mark by itself and the what looks like a string of 1s. On the other end where it says fisher (barely visible if the lighting is bad) there is a number 7 on one of the feet. The seven is part of how I came to the 70 pound conclusion. I put it on a bathroom scale and it says it's about 65 lbs so I guess it went on a diet at some point and lost a few lol. There is thing that I don't understand and maybe someone here can help me with. The 1/2" pritchel hole and the 3/4" hardy are not 1/2" and 3/4". I have a 3/4" shank cutoff hardy that will not go in by a hairs width and it's the same with 1/2" round stock. I looked in the hardy hole and it almost looks like the core wasn't held properly when poured or maybe it wasn't formed right because there's little cast iron protrusions in the hole. The pritchel hole is just drilled tight. Is that normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 That's a nice little anvil. Just take a file to the hardy hole and clean it up. Rust expands so the hardy and pritchel may have just shrunk due to rusting. You can see the effect on the sides.If you don't mind me asking what did you give for it?Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Nice clean little Fisher. I love my little 50 lb one and hope to add a few more later on. Hey at worse, you can always throw it back if you get a bigger one, and as far as I know there are no catch limits on anvils. Just ask Josh with his Fisher collection. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) Not counting gas and wear and tear on my vehicle for the 300 mile trip to see him? I'm almost embarrassed to say how much I payed, I'm afraid someone will tell me just how bad I messed up lol. I payed $175, about $2.69lb at 65lbs. If I'd done a little more questioning him before I went out there I'd offered $100 and started there. You live and you learn. Edited June 7, 2015 by M Cochran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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