anvil id help please

[Bearded Guy]

Howdy fella's and gals, been lurking on this site for a few months now and finally decided that it was time to join. 

I'm lookin for a lil help from y'alls vast knowledge on anvils. I finally found an anvil at a decent price on craigslist by accident. Now i can re purpose my rr track. I picked this up from a guy near pittsburgh pa. I know it was made in Sheffield and weighs 135# but doesn't look like a mouse hole anvil. I looked at all the posts about the Armitage era and markings, but cant say it matches any of that info. I've had this thing for a week now, and all I have had time to do is take this quick pic of it, (workin 15 hr days). Still need to clean all the paint off it.

It has decent rebound and ring, there is a chip off the corner of the heel, but doesn't affect the rebound right next to the chip, (i'll post more pics tonight when i get home). Any help would be appreiciated.

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Bearded . . . guy, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the Iforge gang live within visiting distance.

There was and maybe is a lot of ironwork coming out of Sheffield but that's about what I know about it. I'm sure folk will be along with a better idea than I.

What do you want to make?

Frosty The Lucky.

[Bearded Guy]

Thanks frosty, started with a few knives, and tried a bracelet, but that was a no go. Gonna start making a few hooks to keep practicing with. Need more hammer time & cant wait to try out an actual anvil.

[Bearded Guy]

Here is a couple more pics of the anvil. I know I gotta get the paint off it and hit it with a wire brush still. Long days and not enoug time. 

What is a good way to strip the paint? Just hit it with the wire wheel until clean?

[ThomasPowers]

I suggest you contact Richard Postman, author of Anvils in America, IIRC he has documented several hundred different English anvil makers; many of them since he wrote his book.

Was paging though Postman's "Mousehole Forge" book and found it: "LOMA FROMING & Co Mousehole made anvil"  page 41

With the LOMA being above the FROMING & Co

[Bearded Guy]

Awesome, thanks for the help Thomas.

[Lionel h]

The feet and the overall shape does resemble my mouse hole  anvil

 

[Frosty]

Leaves are good blade practice especially long narrow ones like grass. There really isn't a practical reason to remove paint except from the face. It has zero effect on the working characteristics and won't last long on the face once you start using it. Still if you like clean steel/iron a wire brush and PPE is good and there are commercial strippers available, the local  auto paint store has a number and there's a commercial paint manufacturer in Anchorage that sells some good ones. The main concern with removing old paint is not knowing if it's lead based.

Thinking about it now it'd be worth a phone call to the local paint shop to find out if there's a simple chemical test, a cotton swab with a drop of a chemical and see if it turns colors or maybe a spray. There is a lot of legitimate concern about lead paint I'd expect there was a quick test for it. Worth a call IMHO.

Oh, clean up and shine the face with hot steel and hammers, grinding is a BAD thing it removes future years of useful life. If you find you need a polished face it's easy to make a bottom tool that drops in the hardy hole, the only limit to what kind of bottom or top tool you can make is your imagination and skills.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Bearded Guy]

Thanks frosty, although I like commercial strippers, i think I will go with a wire wheel in the grinder. I would use a flapper wheel if there is any major marks, but that would be worst case scenario. I ate enough lead paint chips as a kid and I turned out ok, a little more can't hurt... I figured you would have suggested plywood instead of grass or leaves..... there is a couple good jokes in that, but I will keep it clean, haha. Don't worry, PPE is an all day everyday thing for me, second nature.

[ThomasPowers]

Lionel; *many* other anvil makers learned the trade at either Peter Wright or Mousehole and so many anvils made by other makers show similarities.

[tanglediver]

In his book, "The Mousehole Forge", Richard Postman documents on pages 40 & 41 an anvil with the following; 

"LOMA

 FROMING & Co."

Sheffield

1*0*26

As Richard states, "Mousehole anvils are distinctive in shape and when you know what to look for it does not matter who's name is on it."

Here is mine, as advertised when purchased, as an example:

[Bearded Guy]

Thanks for the help, was curious if there is any mention as to a date in the book? I have searched the web looking for Loma Froming & Co and every variant of anything anvil related, and I only get results about hair cream or some other randomness. I'm still gonna beat on it, but curious as to how old it might be.