Jonnytait Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Hi there people, great forum! I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me identify my anvil. I bought it afew years ago but have only gotten round to trying out blacksmithing recently, great fun It is 429 Lbs and seems to be in pretty good condition as far as I can see anyway. Here are some photos - There are numbers, a symbol and some letters stamped onto the side. I can make out the weight but cant see much of the writing, some of it is missing. The only letters I can make out are MORA which seem to be part of longer word. I drew a picture of the symbol and numbers/letters hope that helps Also there is my first pair of tongs room for improvement im sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Lovely Soderfors anvil! That is part of the shield logo you see, and Dannemora was part of the Swedish mining district where the high quality iron-ore was known for. The double-hardy hole pattern like yours was not a very common one. The year stamp is partly visible, maybe 1922? Here's a better look at the shield logo on a sign that I have: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnytait Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Thanks, didnt expect such a quick response! It may say 1922 now that you say that, il have a closer look at the anvil tomorrow. So the anvil is from sweden? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Yes, cast steel, made in Sweden. VERY good stuff!! Worth a lot of money here in the U.S. Where are you located? Also the anvils looks to be sitting atop of a Blacker hammer anvil base. Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnytait Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 good to know i feel i may have got myself a bargain then! im in the Shetland Islands Also yeah, no doubt that symbol is definitely the same. good stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Great find! Almost as good as a Mousehole Forge anvil! If you put your location in the settings for your profile, that would be a Very Good Thing. Welcome aboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnytait Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 ah, will do! and thanks guys for the help, I spent many hours browsing the web trying to figure that out myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Welcome aboard Johnny, glad to have you. That's a beautiful anvil, the quality is as good as they get and a size to keep thieves from stealing and running vary far or fast. Big shop anvil, excellent score, I'm jealous though not nearly so much as JHCC. Poor boy has to make do with what he has. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnytait Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 14 hours ago, Frosty said: Welcome aboard Johnny, glad to have you. That's a beautiful anvil, the quality is as good as they get and a size to keep thieves from stealing and running vary far or fast. Big shop anvil, excellent score, I'm jealous though not nearly so much as JHCC. Poor boy has to make do with what he has. Frosty The Lucky. Thanks! yep, it isnt the easiest thing to move around the shop. I think I have found the perfect spot for it though, and will be putting it to more use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Of all the "useful" . . . stuff I've picked up at: yard, garage, etc. sales over the decades the engine hoist is one of the most useful ever. It even helps keep the shop clean! If I have enough clear floor to back the pickup in the door I don't have to lift heavy stuff my lazy self! Way better than a broom or vacuum any day. I'm a huge fan of Soderfors anvils, John (JHCC) and I poke fun at each other about anvils and Mousehole anvils are excellent anvils, just not quite up to being great anvils and Soderfors is about peak of the pile. He's understandably just a little jealous. I've gotten to use a lot of different anvils and most good ones are fine tools, I've just never used better. Welcome to the club. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnytait Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 21 hours ago, Frosty said: Of all the "useful" . . . stuff I've picked up at: yard, garage, etc. sales over the decades the engine hoist is one of the most useful ever. It even helps keep the shop clean! If I have enough clear floor to back the pickup in the door I don't have to lift heavy stuff my lazy self! Way better than a broom or vacuum any day. I'm a huge fan of Soderfors anvils, John (JHCC) and I poke fun at each other about anvils and Mousehole anvils are excellent anvils, just not quite up to being great anvils and Soderfors is about peak of the pile. He's understandably just a little jealous. I've gotten to use a lot of different anvils and most good ones are fine tools, I've just never used better. Welcome to the club. Frosty The Lucky. I think a hoist would be a good investment. It would certainly make life easier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 17 minutes ago, jonnytait said: I think a hoist would be a good investment. It would certainly make life easier! Especially when you finally decide to get rid of that Soderfors and get yourself a proper Mousehole, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnytait Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 1 minute ago, JHCC said: Especially when you finally decide to get rid of that Soderfors and get yourself a proper Mousehole, of course. Hey why not have both? theres an idea I was thinking about getting another anvil at some point down the line, thought maybe it would be good to have a smaller one too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thief_Of_Navarre Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 I have two Mouseholes and I'd trade them both in a hot minute for a soderfors.... Even despite being from Sheffield originally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 4 hours ago, jonnytait said: I think a hoist would be a good investment. It would certainly make life easier! When I bought my power hammer, I didn't have a way to get it out of my truck. I forged a cross beam out of two sucker rods and attached them to four ten foot lengths of 3/4 inch water pipe. Made a good a-frame to attach my chain-fall to and pick that heavy son of a gun up. It breaks down so if I need to get anything heavy I just throw it in the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 22 hours ago, jonnytait said: Hey why not have both? theres an idea I was thinking about getting another anvil at some point down the line, thought maybe it would be good to have a smaller one too Having a small one is handy so you can move it if you want to close the door. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 19 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: I forged a cross beam out of two sucker rods and attached them to four ten foot lengths of 3/4 inch water pipe. Irondragon - got photos of that? On 06/15/2017 at 0:10 PM, Frosty said: Of all the "useful" . . . stuff I've picked up at: yard, garage, etc. sales over the decades the engine hoist is one of the most useful ever. Yep Frosty, also known as a "cherry picker" but in the case of that Soderfors, you could call it a LEMON picker. Really, these guys are just being nice, which I find admirable, but Soderfors is one of the WORST anvils ever foisted upon an unsuspecting public. And to add insult to injury, the "steel" comes out of Dannemora . Indeed!! On 06/14/2017 at 0:42 PM, jonnytait said: good to know i feel i may have got myself a bargain then! im in the Shetland Islands Sad to hear jonnytait, that you are across the pond. Otherwise, I offer a service, wherein I pay shipping for any unfortunate Smith unlucky enough to have been duped into paying good money for "The LEMON of All Anvils" My noble goal, of course, to save the world from the Scrapiron Scourge, piling these ASO's in some dusty corner where they may do no more harm Looking for Soderfors #3, Robert Taylor And welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 20 hours ago, Thief_Of_Navarre said: I have two Mouseholes and I'd trade them both in a hot minute for a soderfors.... Even despite being from Sheffield originally. someone with some sense!!! jonnytait, that is one of the world's best anvils. i have it's 'lil brother, and you can't beat them. of course, you can beat on them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnytait Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 2 hours ago, Anachronist58 said: Irondragon - got photos of that? Yep Frosty, also known as a "cherry picker" but in the case of that Soderfors, you could call it a LEMON picker. Really, these guys are just being nice, which I find admirable, but Soderfors is one of the WORST anvils ever foisted upon an unsuspecting public. And to add insult to injury, the "steel" comes out of Dannemora . Indeed!! Sad to hear jonnytait, that you are across the pond. Otherwise, I offer a service, wherein I pay shipping for any unfortunate Smith unlucky enough to have been duped into paying good money for "The LEMON of All Anvils" My noble goal, of course, to save the world from the Scrapiron Scourge, piling these ASO's in some dusty corner where they may do no more harm Looking for Soderfors #3, Robert Taylor And welcome to the forum. Ah, finally the truth comes out! I will phone the scrap yard at the start of the week and see how much they will pay for the LEMON of all anvils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 5 hours ago, Anachronist58 said: Irondragon - got photos of that? Had to go out and take a picture. Didn't want to dig the legs out of the resource pile but you can see the tops of two at the bottom of the picture which are tapped for bolts to lock them to the cross beam of two pieces of sucker rod arc welded together. I call it a poor mans a-frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 26 minutes ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: I call it a poor mans a-frame. Thank you for that. Great minimalist solution. I've been pondering, and that fills the bill. Any issues with fatigue brittleness in sucker rod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Not that I have found. I have used the A-frame about a dozen times, with the heaviest weight being the power hammer (1200lbs) and the beam didn't give at all. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Thank you Sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 You're welcome, it can be a little cumbersome to set up by oneself. I set the beam on the ground and put the two legs closest to the ground and lock the bolts then set the other two which point up at an angle. The fun part is getting it upright by yourself. No problem with a helper on the other leg, Luckily my wife is willing to help to make it easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 6 hours ago, jonnytait said: Ah, finally the truth comes out! I will phone the scrap yard at the start of the week and see how much they will pay for the LEMON of all anvils Doesn't it though. Robert is such a terrible liar. 8 hours ago, Anachronist58 said: Irondragon - got photos of that? Yep Frosty, also known as a "cherry picker" but in the case of that Soderfors, you could call it a LEMON picker. Really, these guys are just being nice, which I find admirable, but Soderfors is one of the WORST anvils ever foisted upon an unsuspecting public. I'm thinking you should change the line to limes to match the envy green of your complexion Robert. Those of us who DO suspect snap these crowning jewels of anvildom up at every opportunity. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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