Charles R. Stevens Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 I wish one could lay hands on the UV die marker traps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CactusBob Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 On 2/17/2018 at 9:09 PM, bigb said: My plan is to use a section of 1/4" steel utility pole (it wasn't me Cactus Bob!) LOL!! I know, mine were wood 23 hours ago, bigb said: If you called the police where I live to report anything less than assault, armed robbery or murder they don't even show up. Phone or internet report only. Are you in Southern Az sounds just like TPD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigb Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 20 minutes ago, CactusBob said: LOL!! I know, mine were wood Are you in Southern Az sounds just like TPD? yep TPD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I guess I'll weigh in on this. Having worked in the security sector for decades in an earlier career, I can say that there are two things central criminal actions.....desire and opportunity. You can't do much of anything to change a criminal's desire but you can do a lot to curb his or her opportunity. As has been said by others, if someone wants to steal your anvil it's going to happen. They'll come prepared to defeat your security systems and ready to transport the anvil quickly to a waiting truck and be out of there in a few minutes. I favor the high tech and low tech approach together. It doesn't hurt to have a REAL camera mounted high and very visible outside your forge. This will deter most amateurs from trying. Don't waste your time on the fake cameras with the little red lights because nobody is truly fooled by them. REAL cameras don't have red lights and everyone knows that. Noise making devices inside such as the cow bells are the low tech side. Some laugh, but one of the oldest narcotics house tricks is to fill a tall jar with marbles and place it next to the front or side door. Tip that over and you have a lot of racket. No boobie traps as has been said, but things that make noise and motion detector lights work. Thieves don't want to be seen or heard. I always said to make the thief work at it at least. Get decent locks that are hard to pick that also have a deadbolt. That's two locks to defeat. In a forge, have small octagonal windows that a person can't fit through for light. For your swing-out barn doors to the forge, have an old fashion medieval wood board slide down across both doors - good luck kicking that in. Make your anvil hard to steal by locking it down to its base. The more time it takes a thief to break in and steal stuff the more uncomfortable he becomes. Make him work for it. We are all metal forgers, so get creative about a way to lock your tong and hammer racks down to make that harder as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I actually do have cow bells on my shop door. Plus motion lights at the man door and garage door. If someone breaks into my shop I sure hope they have a good flashlight and their tetanus shots. Wouldn't want them to sue me if they got injured trying to steal my stuff.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 you could just buy one of these really heavy anvils that no one really needs.... and solve the problem of someone walking away with it !! lol or try forging on your knees using your buried anvil that would be a real chore to dig out and lift up and run off with !!! lol JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 It'd be hilarious to make a foam replica of your anvil and film the thief getting ready to heft that thing and flinging it clear across the room thinking he was lifting something heavy. Only real men use anvils like the big one in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 hehehe... will these aren't my anvils just a couple photos I found on the net.. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 That second one in the dirt looks suspiciously free of rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Probably where it landed after being shot. A dog is a great alarm and security system- depending on the breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 7 hours ago, Daswulf said: I actually do have cow bells on my shop door. Plus motion lights at the man door and garage door. And guinea hens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Those are annoying even to me. Awesome alarms tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfeile Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 3 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said: Probably where it landed after being shot. Probably, and that's kind of sickening to me. I can't find a good one in my area and those guys are buying them up to shoot them across the fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I got my metal detector. Let's go find the ones they didn't. Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jclonts82 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Hard to see in this pic, the only one I had available at work that shows the chain, but first its 253#, so that helps... then I have some simple galvanized flat straps that I lapped over the feet and screwed to the stump its mounted on. BUT THEN I have a large chain wrapped around the whole anvil that is welded together, chain cant be slid off off. THAT chain runs to the ground, where a 8' piece of 1" rebar is hammered all the way in the ground, looped over and welded to itself through the end of the chain... Nothing is certain, someone really dedicated could get it out of there, but id would be a heck of a job doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd&mlteach Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 Nice, I too wrap my anvils with chain to help quiet them done. I never thought about welding it together to make a security net around my anvils. That makes a lot of sense. As pointed out earlier, anything that can be thought of can be defeated. But realistic ideas for slowing them down are what I am interested in. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 I think the lesson is that what Jclonts82 has done is make it take longer to steal his anvil. The thief would be longer on target and having to break some sweat just to free the anvil for stealing. The last thing a thief wants is to be noticed and spend a long time at his target. The thief wants an easy in and easy out scenario, so if you can make it time consuming and difficult it helps. Make it so a thief can back his truck up to your anvil and roll it in, and he's going to target you for sure. We also have to realize that you'd need a specialized thief who would be willing to try to steal an anvil. He's not going to get much at a scrap yard worth him lugging it away and it's not a really easy thing to fence at antique shops, so the guy would have to expose himself by selling it on Ebay or Craigs List in which case you can monitor those things and report back to the police if you see it. I think most of your thieves are looking for a quick and easy score. Trying to make away with an anvil is work, and if thieves were good workers they wouldn't be stealing everyone's stuff. They want easy, that's why they prefer to steal your stuff instead of going to work and buying it themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Well my first anvil was stolen back before e-bay and craigslist and when prices had been stable at US$1 a pound for decades. It was in my backyard and we were having the house reroofed---there were 7 layers of shingles in the tear off and the yard was shin deep in nail infested shingles (the lowest layer were wooden shakes!) I suspected some of the day labor hired by the roofers; but could never prove anything. I've tended to be paranoid about it ever since. One reason I like my heel broken off Powell is that it's not such a target "damaged" anvils having sold for a steep discount---until recently when I keep seeing destroyed anvils being offered on the internet for perfect top end anvil prices. Now I'm getting nervous again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeltree Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Most people in my area know I guard the farm 3 days a week with either a 357, 45 or any number of long rifles,, They get to pick which 3 days. The worst is a little rat thief. He only takes one or two things at a time, you might not notice it gone for some time, but he keeps coming back over time, little by little Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Good locks, very difficult and noisy to dismount anvil stand, real cameras, all good. About the cameras though, I don't know how may times I've seen videos of easily identified culprits stealing US MAIL off porches and broken mail boxes but the police can't find them ad the DA does't have enough to prosecute them. The gvt. has better things to do with the funding than . . . Nevermind. Dogs, fire arms and only one way out; past the house. Fortunately in Alaska we don't have to retreat, we're allowed to protect, life and property with deadly force if necessary. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a proponent of shooting thieves, not even AT them. I just don't like supporting the junkies, the lazy and stupid out of my pocket. Dogs are cheap and you can help the jobless by paying them to pick up the poop. If I have to help support the miscreants I'll chip in my part for 3 hots and a cot in lockup. I do anyway so what the hey. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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