JustAnotherViking Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 Anyone who paid over the top for something will expect the same in return when selling if not more. It's likely purchased with disposable income, so they'll have no issues with hoarding it when they realise they will only get a fraction back on investment. If popularity does decrease, those who find anvils or have them passed down without having paid a small fortune would sell at the market rate, which in theory you would expect to be lower in this scenario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 Interesting thread. Got a few laughs out of it too. I use an old Kohlswa (never sure of that spelling) anvil at work and people often ask if the old anvils are better. It has a wonderful bounce with the ball bearing. I also have a later Australian made anvil stamped Connellan & Son, Brisbane. Well, not stamped, more cast into the body. I looks nice but is really soft and has about 40% bounce. I think it may almost qualify as an ASO. We also have Australian anvils made in Emerald, Q and some BK anvils (Sydney) and I don't know if they are any better. I Iike the old anvil though, as it fits well in the historic village environment where I work surrounded by old things. The forge is stone and ant bed, the blower is an old Rapid of Sydney, and we have hand-turned grindstones and leg vices and bellows on display. A shiny new anvil just wouldn't look right! My home anvil is a 300# HB - not sure of the age but must be early 1900s. I'm not sure how to answer the visitors' questions about old vs new, except to say that you really get what you pay for. Some new anvils are very good (Ped & Ref etc) but expensive, and there are a lot of cheaper but not so good new anvils available. How would you answer the question - briefly and in layman's terms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 I like to use cars as an analogy, or food. Folks can relate to those better. Which is better, and will hold its value to pass down to your kids? A 10 year old Mercedes with 100K miles, or a budget Asian or East European import, same year, same miles. Or a fast food meal in a paper sack, vs a sit-down, knife and fork meal in a nice restaurant. Both will fill your belly for a few hours, but one is a poor choice for Mother's Day, unless you WANT to be left out of the will. Which brings me to a question. If we in the States go to Outback Steakhouse, do you Aussies go to an American themed joint? I can see it now, Vinnies New Jersey Chophouse, "Fuggitaboutit". Inquiring minds want to know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 Nick's New York Style Pizza ...............on a barbi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Kindler Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 On the note of prices at the moment, it sure seems FIF wont be going away any time soon. More and more people seem to be watching and enjoying it as the seasons progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 On 1/4/2018 at 3:51 AM, JustAnotherViking said: My other main hobby is motorcycles... compared to buying custom parts, upgrades, donor bikes for projects.... not to mention the fuel and ferry costs for weekend trips... buying blacksmith equipment, even at inflated prices, is cheap by comparison! Get kids interested in motorcycles and they will not have any money for drugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 But may be introduced to them in a hospital after a crash...like one of my second cousins. As for old = better; Show them a 100+ year old Catalog, (I have 1897 and 1908 Sears Roebuck reprints), selling low grade, medium grade and high grade tools and talk about "preservation bias" The old low grade tools tended to wear out or break and get scrapped whereas the high grade tools tended to make it to modern times more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Frosty don't look. Thought I may have found an anvil. It's a 180 lb Paragon. Notice the repair on the right side. Unless someone sees something I don't I think I'll keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoName Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Hey Pap, the welds don't look very solid, it looks like all of the edges have been "fixed". I do have a thing for Swedish anvils. Scared, the welds look like Swiss cheese...not gouda...keep looking...sorry I got cheesy. Just my .02 cents. N.N.F. Beautiful, Manchester, Michigan. USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Depends on Price; less than US$1 a pound I'd buy it to have as a loaner anvil for new students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Gouda-nuff for student work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoName Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Gotta go against the tide here. Yes, I love hot, sharp, and heavy. But I think accidents can be prevented. I having a leather apron, older than my kids, it's not ballistic rated. Potential shrapnel is something I will avoid. N.N.F. Beautiful, Manchester, Michigan, USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 It is one thing to succumb to your own OCD and weld up a worn out anvil ... a different one to buy someone else's mistakes. Whoever welded that anvil edges, can't weld for nuts. Who knows what he used and most likely no heat treatment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Colour may mean a high nickel rod---unsuited for anvils... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Asking price was $3.61/lb US. ($650). That's a great price for this area but he stopped responding when I asked what kind of rod he was using. There was a smaller PW but it was not finished and some "repairs needed more work". Pass! I'll find one one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 I've noticed a number of "deals" where once you have shown that you know something about the item in question suddenly dry up and disappear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 21 hours ago, 51 Papy said: Asking price was $3.61/lb US. ($650). That's a great price for this area but he stopped responding when I asked what kind of rod he was using. There was a smaller PW but it was not finished and some "repairs needed more work". Pass! I'll find one one of these days. Check for Thomas' "anvil acquisition technique" ... besides being rather funny it works. There are thousands of anvils under peoples workbench , in garages and even in gardens. Having said that, if I was living in the states and had $500 to spend on a smaller anvil I would just buy a NC anvil new and not bother with ancient abused tools. Check for NC anvils or NC tool company. They make smaller anvils for farriers that besides looking rather cool and out of the ordinary london pattern boring style, are very cheap . Another little known source of anvils is Perun in Poland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Thanks Marc. So far TPAAAT has yielded three 70-90lb ASO's, several pieces of RR iron and backhoe hammer bit all freebies. Half the fun is in the hunt. Perun anvils look interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Papy, better save up your cash. Once you land one they will be swarming you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 OTOH I've bought 2 anvils in the last month and I'm not even looking for them! (Sorry both passed on to good homes...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Agreed, with old beat anvils priced for what, or close to what a new anvil is going for I would go new. I have a JHM and it is a nice anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 I replied to an ad on Gumtree that posted a NC anvil (the one called Big face anvil) and a homemade gas forge, fairly large one with two burners. I was interested in the gas forge but would have paid may be $200 for it. This guy, a retired farrier posted both anvil and forge for $2000 Australians some $1600 US. I sent a message asking if he would sell the forge on it's own to what he replied no. So i passed to tell him that NC in the states sells that particular anvil (70lb) for $290 new and that considering exchange rate and shipping for 30 kilos and the very used forge that needed the welding grinded off to replace the lining, best I could pay for the lot was $500. Needless to say he did not accept and made a counter offer of $1000. I am not sure who in his right mind would pay those prices for an anvil that is in current production and that can be bought online from the manufacturer. Having said that, the same anvils are sold by other farrier suppliers in the US for prices that are almost double what the manufacturer sells them for. If you would try to do this with a different product, a vehicle, powertools, anything, you would be laughed out the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Das that's funny. Be funnier if you could see the size of my shop. If I "needed" an anvil think I would buy a new one at this point. But I just want one so I'll keep looking for a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 I'm not making fun at you. Just saying, once you find one they all come out of the woodwork. I wish you the best in finding a good one regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 I think a lot of people are relying on an "inefficient market"; expecting that many people don't know where they can buy equipment new from the manufacturer and so fall for their "special" deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.