Hello fellow anvil enthusiasts. 

This is my 150# Fisher Farriers anvil, Circa 1905 (date is on the underside of the heel)

I love the thing, its a fantastic anvil in my opinion, and I got it for a steal, so I can't complain too much. However I can't see the purpose of that little "nub" to the left of the horn in the second picture. I've been forging almost daily (it's not an addiction, I can quit any time I want!!!) for going on a year and a half, and I have never once had to use it. Ive tried to use it before, just to figure out its purpose, but in almost every situation, there is a better spot to use. The top is flat with sharp-ish corners, and then its round going downwards, and slowly tapers towards the bottom. Perhaps it's a farrier thing? What are your thoughts?

Thanks. 

That projection is for forming clips on horseshoes (the thin tab found on the front and/or sides of horseshoes to help stabilize the shoe on the hoof).  Mainly used by farriers, but can be handy for other smithing projects.

it is the standard projection for making clips on horseshoes and a primary indicator that it is a farrier's anvil.

it's for drawing clips on horseshoes.

Hmm. well, if it's useless to you I'll come take it off your hands, free of charge of course.

 

 

Scroll down to next page and look at thread called clip horn. You can see a demo of it in use.

Good score on the anvil

 

Interesting. Thanks for the replies everyone. Couldn't one just use the edge of the face for the same purpose though? Why cast in a whole separate section? Unfortunately my internet is being weird and won't let me view the video...

Das

This baby is (hopefully) going to stay with my family for generations. One day my great great grand children will be able to look at a 250-ish year old anvil and wonder what has been made on it before their time, just as I do now. 

Just realized someone commented on a thread about the same thing I asked and brought it up right underneath my thread. Oops. Sorry for the repeated content. 

Some farriers don't use them, some do. Think of it as an advertising feature like some of the spoilers on muscle cars that research shows didn't really work until you are going way above the car's limit in speed...

Haha yes, that's true. Seems like a good way to look at it. I'm sure it may serve a purpose at some point, but just like the spoilers, right now it just makes it look cool. 

It's a feature your anvil has; find a way to use it for the things *you* do!

Wise words indeed. Thank you. 

I bought my Soderfors from a farrier who bought it from the farrier who brought it from Sweden with him. One corner of the heal was rounded for drawing clips. I haven't measured but it looks to be rounded to about 1" dia. (1/2" radius) corner. It's flat to the face and square to the sides, the edges are only slightly radiused.

Frosty The Lucky.

10 hours ago, Will W. said:

Interesting. Thanks for the replies everyone. Couldn't one just use the edge of the face for the same purpose though? Why cast in a whole separate section?

It can certainly be done on a face edge.  As mentioned by others, the clip horn is a convenience for some farriers or an advertising thingy.  Gary Huston, a British farrier and smith, has a youtube video of forming clips on a face edge...check it out.  He makes it look easy.

Will do, arkie, thank you. I've tried to make a few horseshoes from scratch before and they are not easy. And that was just getting the shape down, to say nothing of forming the clips evenly and punching the holes in the correct spots. It is definitely an art in and of itself.