What are these holes for? Not the top ones....

[CTaylorJr]

I just got this anvil back, and I'm certain I never paid enough attention in the past to spot these.  

Both of these holes are on the ends of the anvil base, what are they for?

 

[ThomasPowers]

Handling holes.  Anvils were worked under steam hammers and you don't want to drop one when it's at welding heat!   So special tongs would grab into those holes and be locked on for manipulation of the anvil under the steam hammer. Cast anvils don't have them for obvious reasons.

[Frozenforge]

Those are handling holes. Special tongs that fit these into them to securely hold the anvil while being made.

[CTaylorJr]

That make perfect sense!  Thanks folks.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning,

I know a couple guys who put bees wax in the 'Handling Holes'. When they are punching a hole, they dip the tips of the Punch, in the Bees Wax as they are going through.

Neil

[JHCC]

12 minutes ago, swedefiddle said:

I know a couple guys who put bees wax in the 'Handling Holes'. When they are punching a hole, they dip the tips of the Punch, in the Bees Wax as they are going through.

Now THAT is a nifty idea!

[Black Frog]

Back in the days of forging the anvils, those holes were known as "port" or "porter" holes.  The porter bars were used to manipulate the anvil during forging, tempering, and grinding, the porter bars had the square ends that fit snugly into the holes.  ThomasPowers is incorrect, some cast anvils most definitely had port holes!  

[Cattonkj]

On 2/18/2016 at 12:25 PM, Black Frog said:

Back in the days of forging the anvils, those holes were known as "port" or "porter" holes.  The porter bars were used to manipulate the anvil during forging, tempering, and grinding, the porter bars had the square ends that fit snugly into the holes.  ThomasPowers is incorrect, some cast anvils most definitely had port holes!  

If 'porter' holes were used to hold & manipulate the anvil while being forged, what purpose would 'porter' holes in cast anvils?

[Daswulf]

On 2/18/2016 at 10:34 AM, swedefiddle said:

couple guys who put bees wax in the 'Handling Holes

 

On 2/18/2016 at 10:47 AM, JHCC said:

THAT is a nifty 

Second that!. Useful and rust prevention. 

[George N. M.]

Handling/porter holes in a cast anvil or anvil body would be used to lift the still hot anvil out of the mold and move it to the next manufacturing station, finishing, grinding, or furnace to heat before weldinga high C face plate on.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[ThomasPowers]

FIshers and Vulcans welded the HC face in the mold using the molten cast iron for the heat.

[Buzzkill]

Hmm.  Do you suppose that's the reason they are quieter anvils than many other brands that used different techniques to weld the HC plate?

[Frosty]

Yes, I believe it is. Wrought iron and steel have similar resonant frequencies but cast iron and HC steel are quite different. The two being in contact means the compression waves from the HC plate self damp against the cast iron. Both Fisher and Vulcans used kind of low grade cast iron were it malleable they'd probably ring.

The self damping of two different resonant frequencies in contact is why my Soderfors is reasonably quiet on the steel tripod but will make your ears ring through muffs and plugs on a wooden block. Or why hanging a triangle directly from a nail results in a buzzing clank rather than a clear ringing.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Grey cast iron is known for it's damping properties; one reason it was used in heavy machinery so much---as well as being cheap!