May 5, 20188 yr Greetings folks! This is a 2 part post/question. I've been scouring through IFI for a couple of days now trying to figure out what make/model of anvil I recently scored. The old guy said he got it from his grandfather who got it from his grandfather, so on and so forth. I've wired brushed it for the time being as I don't want to grind anything off and never knowing what the make/manufacturer is. I also acquired a chunk of steel in the deal and again other than the markings which are visible on the top of the mystery block of steel, again I have absolutely no idea what it is, what it was used for, etc, other than it has some decent weight to it. I've taken the liberty of attaching a series of pictures in the hopes those of you in the know nd much more experienced at picking out details otherwise overlooked could solve this mystery for me. For what it's worth I live on the Eastern most part of Canada on the island and province of Newfoundland. The reason I mention this is simply because long ago most inhabitants of Newfoundland made their way here from England, Scotland and Ireland. I suspect this is an English anvil of sorts but that's like saying I suspect my car is motorized of sorts. <sigh> Thank you all in advance.
May 5, 20188 yr Are you sure that chunk is Steel? I'd guess cast iron unless testing showed otherwise. It reminds me of chunks associated with piers/docks; which believe you have locally... I don't see a Best on the markings Postman lists for Mousehole anvils which would have been my first guess... Looked in AinA for "Best" and "Warranted" and Carey used BEST SCRAP over Warranted on their anvils. I leafed through Anvils and America and while I saw Warranted several makers Best was only the one mentioned. However Mr Postman has added a lot more English anvil makers to his list since his book was first published. If you must know, contact him! I've never known him to not be ready to talk anvils...
May 6, 20188 yr Author Thank you ThomasPowers. To the best of my knowledge, that block with the 5 and 6 stamped on top does sound and feel very much the same as the anvil. I was thinking possibly a makeshift swage of sorts. Possibly? I also thought maybe it was some form of a weight for ship ballasts? I never thought of dock weights but that's quite possible as well. I'll definitely try to contact Mr.Postman if all leads turn up nothing. Thank you again for your time.
May 6, 20188 yr I'll leave the anvil identification to those with such knowledge, however I strongly suspect the other piece of steel is a weight. A 56 lb scale weight and likely cast steel or cast iron, used on scales at docks, warehouses, railway platforms, scrap merchants even the post office. They typicaly have the hole in the bottom to accept a lead plug to attain accuracy and are cast underweight to be topped up with shot to a master weight and the shot then metled in situ. You'll have seen similar with the old domestic kitchen scales. The mark twixt the 5 and 6 will be where the eye was attached that the lifting ring was mounted in. I use two similar wieghts (ballast not scale) as block anvils.
May 6, 20188 yr Author 12 hours ago, Smoggy said: I'll leave the anvil identification to those with such knowledge, however I strongly suspect the other piece of steel is a weight. A 56 lb scale weight and likely cast steel or cast iron, used on scales at docks, warehouses, railway platforms, scrap merchants even the post office. They typicaly have the hole in the bottom to accept a lead plug to attain accuracy and are cast underweight to be topped up with shot to a master weight and the shot then metled in situ. You'll have seen similar with the old domestic kitchen scales. The mark twixt the 5 and 6 will be where the eye was attached that the lifting ring was mounted in. I use two similar wieghts (ballast not scale) as block anvils. Oh wow, that's exactly what that is! It's a weight! I can see that perfectly now that you mention it. Thank you very much for solving part 1 of my mystery!
May 6, 20188 yr Author EUREKA! I'm 99% sure this is a Attwood Stourbridge English anvil. I just have to clean it up a bit more to try and find the "Atwood" stamp/markings. Can anyone else make out the "Stourbridge" above "Best" in the pictures above? I forgot to include a link to a picture that looks very similar to the markings on my anvil. https://www.pinterest.ca/offsite/?token=928-191&url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F3c%2Ff2%2F0d%2F3cf20dcc05768af2bc227a64277db4ce.jpg&pin=3025924727119890&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDIzNTU2MjY3MzcxOQA~0
May 6, 20188 yr Author BABY POWDER RUB. Obviously I added the fonts but it sure seems to match the letters.
May 7, 20188 yr Author I couldn't see or make out the "S" stamp yet which is why I only superimposed the letters I was able to make out. Would you agree this is a Stourbridge?
May 7, 20188 yr Oh the potential of this one has my head spinning like a forbidden planetary. Frosty The Lucky.
May 8, 20188 yr Author Oh man, I still get a chuckle at how stunned I was in my post! Maybe it was the excitement of finally determining the manufacturer that had me looking foolish with the most obvious markings that I overlooked just how stupid sounding I was being! Even Detective Clousseau would be burying his head in his hands in shame! They call me Captain Obvious! LMAO It's all good. It can take it I may start a new side-gig as a detective looking into cold case files given my expert investigative skills!
May 10, 20188 yr Misspeller's of the world, UNTIE!!! A Shot in the Dark - Henry Mancini https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=Jjq0WDvapow
May 10, 20188 yr 1 hour ago, tanglediver said: Misspeller's of the world, UNTIE!!! Did the worldly Miss Pellers finally tire of B. Andy? Frosty The Lucky.
May 10, 20188 yr 6 hours ago, tanglediver said: Misspeller's of the world, UNTIE!!! Along with misuser's of the apostrophe!
May 10, 20188 yr Tell us about your Minkey? I recall that part in Peter Seller's "A Shot in the Dark" where they discuss the misuse of the term "innocent"...
May 10, 20188 yr Nasty? I wouldn't get up in the morning without mine. Some people. <SHEESH!> Frosty The Lucky.
May 10, 20188 yr Of course one doesn't get out of bed without one's liver flukes! I'm down where we get tropical disease crossovers, Zika anyone? May I recommend fava beans and a good Chianti? Perhaps a Gregorian Chianti?
May 10, 20188 yr I don't drink that much, a guy would have to have a whale of a liver for it to have flukes! A chianticle for Lebowitz? Frosty The Lucky.
May 10, 20188 yr I'm sure I have the blueprints for it somewhere here. I should have known you'd be a booklegger!
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