Columbus, Oh Anvil

[Varond]

Hello all,

First off, I don't know if this is the right area of the forum for this, or acceptable for iforgeiron, so I appolgize if so.

I am a newbie trying to get into the craft and have been looking in my area (Columbus, OH) for an anvil with no luck for the past half year or so. So, I come to you fine people to ask if anyone in my area has any leads on an anvil. Been checking craigslist every day and not seeing much come around. My budget isn't huge, and I'm just starting out so I'm not looking for anything large or top of the line. Even if someone would have access to a nice piece of scrap that would work for me, that would be appreciated. I'm just looking to get into making small projects. Bottle openers, hooks, and the like. Possibly some knives later on.

Thanks for any information!

Nick

[brickman]

If you post your location in your profile i'm sure there are a handful of people on the site that will be willing to help you out. Welcome

[ThomasPowers]

Columbus OH is fairly dripping with anvils what with there being 2 different anvil manufacturers there in times gone by. (Not to mention a third in Cleveland...) Look up the TPAAAT as it was Columbus where I proved it in!

When I left about 13 years ago I still was working on tracking down an anvil located in a sub-basement of the Hospital at OSU according to an Orthopedic Blacksmith who had been using it during WWII (and reported still in place by a Janitor decades later).  Also just going up and down the alleyways in German Village I saw an anvil in a back yard; but the owner was in Hospice and I chose not to bother the family.

I bought a couple through the south high fleamarket---by talking with folks as they were not on-site: 100# Vulcan in mint condition, still had the glued on label on it and a 515# Fisher in excellent condition.

[Varond]

Thanks Thomas. I had read the TPAAAT and planned on using that technique now that the flee markets are opening back up. I went to south high a couple times last year, but it was near the end of the season and not many people were still showing up. I'll try walking around the older neighborhoods too!

Thanks

[ThomasPowers]

At fleamarkets I was generally hunting for folks selling barn junk in which case I'd ask about blacksmithing tools left behind as too heavy to haul to the fleamarket. (The Vulcan came from a fellow selling plumbing stuff. I noticed the small hardy mixed in with them, bought it and then asked about the anvil it went to----sitting in his garage/carport back home. Bought it later that day...The Fisher came from talking with a guy who had NOTHING smithing related!)

And why the heck you waiting for fleamarkets to open---Talk with *everyone*!  I've found several anvils talking with folks at church; including one talking with a lady in her 90's!  Don't filter, the less likely the person seems to be, the better the price in my experience!

[brickman]

1 minute ago, ThomasPowers said:

I've found several anvils talking with folks at church

Listen to the man! I just picked up an amazing condition Sodorfors for free from a friend of my fathers at their church after getting the word out to them only a week and a half ago.

[ThomasPowers]

Doesn't have to be church any social group you participate in can work.  I got my 410# Trenton from a fellow in the SCA; he was tired of hauling it around and it had some abuse.  So I traded him a 125# PW and a postvise screw and screwbox and $100 for it.  Had it fixed up at an anvil repair day down here and now it's my clean shop main anvil.

[Varond]

Thanks for the tips. I've been talking to anyone I can. My social circles have been a bust though. Keeping my hopes up

[SReynolds]

Just north near Mt Eaton is an anvil dealer.....................Yoders Blacksmith Supply Fredericksburg address. 

You could try to see if they might sell you one (LOL) or keep in touch with the church group, local barber shop etcetcetc. 

There are farm auctions every sat in central ohio. Many of the involve anvils forges vises tongs by the bucket load.

The there is the blacksmith show west of you in troy. 

You are not looking in the correct  locations or empliying the wrong method.

[Varond]

Could you direct me in where I could find these farm auctions? I haven't seen any of them while looking around.

Quad state isn't until September, I'd like to get going before then.

Since everyone says Ohio is an easy place to find anvils I figured there were places I wasn't looking, hence coming here for leads. Insightful stuff.

[Frosty]

For the TPAAAT to do it's thing you have to tell everybody, not just your friends, folk at church, etc. EVERYBODY: The checker at the supermarket, the people standing in line with you, the person who parked next to you, gassing up the car, the paper boy, ESPECIALLY the postman and meter readers. Just tell people walking down the street. You'll be amazed.

Set up your web browser to keep a watch for auction notices. Most auctioneers have web pages and will send you notices. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

I found farm auctions a waste of time; but I did do well at several business auctions: one was a car repair business that had been open in the same location since 1918---complete forge and woodworking shop buried under the "modern" stuff. The other was down in Lancaster and was an HVAC company that had moved to their "new" building in the 1930's---134# HB in very good shape.  The idea being that back then businesses were not interested in blacksmithing stuff where folks buying antiques at farm auctions would bid the prices up.  With the modern "fad" you are probably reduced to finding the stuff that is not on the market if you want good prices (as described under TPAAAT)

And the Amish Auctions were often rigged---they should have known that German is taught in many High Schools!

[SReynolds]

Antique  Dealers  too. A friend just bought a big old trenton south of columbus. There is another dealer to the north east in millersburg w/blacksmith tools etc and I found a 70 pound mounted to a stump for 200.00 just north of millersburg this spring. 

A friend who lives very near the Ohio Village travels all over central ohio sending me links to these auctions where they advertise antique  blacksmith tools lile anvils, forges, tongs. He is retired and does strange things like that. Said the nice mouse hole snvil went for cheap. Looked good too from his picture. Well over 100 pounds.

[JHCC]

There's an antique dealer in Delaware, OH who usually has some anvils. Nice guy; I traded my rivet forge with him for my Frankenvise. 

[SReynolds]

No kidding. I was just in Delaware too. 

[Varond]

Thanks again for all of the info, guys. Hopefully my search won't be too much longer!

[Moemdown]

I frequently check Sites Like eBay, and Letgo.  Maybe a bit Cheesy, but you can sometimes find people who are close to your location or a fun road trip away.  A 100# England Anvil was listed on Ebay a day ago, In OHIO, and the guy said he'd meet half way up to 200 miles.

[ThomasPowers]

Of course sites like ebay tend to be some of the more expensive ways to get an anvil. Unless you can find a "pick up only" one that is close to you and then you might get a decent deal. Otherwise you are in an Auction with everyone else in the world as the bidder's pool.

[yt12]

Hello neighbor !-----

I just posted a pic of a Vanadium # 150 I adopted a month ago----neighbor 2 houses down wanted it out of the basement !! 2 years ago the neighbor on the other side dropped off a 4" post vise his late father had and he had no use for----all this within 3 doors !!! The stuff IS still out there.Still need to post some photos of my "mother of all followed me homes"---Parsons Ave !!---coupla miles away.

Good luck !!

[ThomasPowers]

I used to live on South 5th street; my kids got on the school bus on Parson's Ave.  My best was a 515# Fisher from a Blacker powerhammer that was located less than 5 miles from my house---and not both my Fisher and the Vanadium were brands *not* made in Columbus...

[Varond]

While I live in Columbus, I actually just found an anvil for sale in my home town. It's 80lb and has some edge/face damage. Seller is asking $200. Guessing it could be talked down a bit. 

Thoughts? 

[ThomasPowers]

Looks like a Badger: Cast iron body, if it's damaged NOT a US$2.50 anvil.

[Varond]

 Thanks. In the interest of learning. How can you tell that it is cast? Is it the fact that it looks like one continuous piece instead of a body with a separate face? 

[ThomasPowers]

Having a large "fake" faceplate is usually a dead give away.  Also knowing that Badgers had the extra material around the bottom of the hardy hole. I'm sure someone will mention other possibilities

If it's a Badger it's not an ASO but definitely on the low end of the anvil spectrum in my opinion.  More like a Vulcan, steel face, cast iron body. don't expect to be making repairs to it.   Should be a quiet anvil if that is an issue where you will be forging.

please see: https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/44831-assistance-identifying-an-anvil/

 

[Varond]

Just going to keep posting here so I don't make more threads, but I found another prospect. 

Seems to be wrought. The markings are pretty much indistinguishable. The face also seems to have chunks of slag or something stuck to it. Asking $200.

Thanks for being patient with a newbie and helping me out, guys!