Saw this posted on CL earlier, and it piqued my interest. I'm still as green as they come as far as understanding all the lingo that comes with this hobby, but what the heck is an "oil field anvil"? What's the purpose of having the domed hole in the center? Google search didn't dig up too much, so thought id post it here. I have no need or interest in it btw, especially since he wants $1500

Craigslist link removed

 

From my understanding, the actual name of this type is "bridge" anvil...and while I have seen a few around the oil patch, I do not know why they used that pattern. Especially since the only time I ever saw them used was when hammering swage locks and sleeves on wire ropes.

I'll probably be corrected on some points but that is a bridge anvil. It was used in the oilfield because it what's best suited for the types of forging a that were needed before the time of " we need 'this' so have it in 30 minutes." I believe the designer would have given enough mass to work on but also have been light weight enough to be carried easily from well head to well head. 

Historically....they were used back before the rotary bits were developed and wells were drilled with the cable tool method where you basically had a big heavy bit on a cable that you raised and let drop, pounding it's way down. At regular intervals you needed to pull the bit and bail the hole---and: " The heavy bit has a blunt chisel end which cracks, chips and smashes the rock by the repeated blows delivered in a measured or regular cadence. "   well when the bit got dull you forged it back into shape and those bridge anvils were the common form for doing so.  HOWEVER they are general cast iron in my experience, (got one myself!), and were considered expendable equipment and so you often find them in VERY VERY VERY poor condition.  I found one out back of the surplus office at a local U along with a many decades old abandoned drilling rig.  They told me it wasn't for sale so I told the Fine Arts Metals instructor about it and it later showed up in her classroom with a university asset number painted on it---real handy when I teach there and some students want to do sledge with little control...I also know of a 5th generation smith in Stroud OK that took one and built a stand and flipped it over to use the wide flat base to flatten plow shares on.

Note that cable tool rigs are still used for water well drilling at times; but much lighter duty systems that the old oil drilling ones.

Thanks Thomas, it's fun learning the history of everything that goes along with forging 

actually I just found a video of a cable tool bit being re-forged using a  Bucyrus-erie No. 12 bit dressing machine and an oil fired forge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU3QDSHKGKg

fun starts around the 1 minute mark.

Out in the field the anvil and hand swung sledge was probably more common.

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

actually I just found a video of a cable tool bit being re-forged using a  Bucyrus-erie No. 12 bit dressing machine and an oil fired forge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU3QDSHKGKg

fun starts around the 1 minute mark.

Well, that's upsetting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIGitSrVj5w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnbfoXyZnFk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tDJWgABREQ

JHCC.....I hate to admit I laughed at that

That Bucyrus-erie setup is one evil looking bit of kit.

WH&S would have kittens over that here.

Well it does date way way back and is being run by a company small enough to avoid OSHA visits I'd guess.  Sounds like they have a range of tooling for it too for doing different sized bits.

 I've heard apocryphal stories about businesses where critical equipment gets downchecked by OSHA and so someone "retires" with it as a retirement gift and does the job freelance in a shop now below the mandatory inspection size... 

 

11 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Well it does date way way back and is being run by a company small enough to avoid OSHA visits I'd guess.  Sounds like they have a range of tooling for it too for doing different sized bits.

 I've heard apocryphal stories about businesses where critical equipment gets downchecked by OSHA and so someone "retires" with it as a retirement gift and does the job freelance in a shop now below the mandatory inspection size... 

 

And the bloke who "retires" and sets up shop probably thinks he is on a good wicket because he is earning 2 bucks an hour more as an "independent contractor" not realising he has just taken on all the risk for a lousy $2 an hour.....