Largest vintage anvil

[Marc1]

So just a one by one. I bet you will have no shortage of customers for just one. 

Shipping is no problem. I used to import excavators and bobcats from the US. Bought plenty of diesel engines and shipped LCL general cargo. Cheap too.

Just for your information if you have an O/S customer. 

I decided that a wooden anvil to sit my dog on it will do and no one would object if I paint it green with yellow stripes.

[ThomasPowers]

The RSPCA will object if you paint your dog in those colours!

Several decades ago I coined the term "Anvil Envy" to explain why so many blacksmiths wanted anvils way larger than their work would profit from.

Even with a 469# anvil that I seldom work hard enough to matter; my heart still beats faster when I hear rumours of a BIG anvil.  The current price spike has exerted a heavy brake on me though.

[Marc1]

Yes ... need and want are two different animals, usually painted in different colours too. What you describe is usually painted red

At risk of going the same road we traveled recently, there are many reasons to buy a larger anvil and many others not to. 

Just like driving a Humvee to the nearest shopping centre is not the best use of resources, buying a 1400 lb anvil to bang up some hooks or a dodgy knife may appear silly to some, but it does not make it wrong nor reprehensible. After all what is the difference between buying a very large anvil or set up a blacksmith workshop for fun? or buying a vintage hand driven (useless) 2 ton drill that does the work of a battery drill? or a (dangerous) rickety junkyard hammer? 

I bought an ancient walk behind Howard Rotary Hoe just for the fun of restoring it. Will probably lose money when I sell it.

Things we do

I would encourage Foundryguy to build the largest anvil he can just to beat the record. Selling one will not be a problem. And shipping is the least of the problems. Strap on a pallet and find a fright forwarder you can send to any corner of the world. 

 

[JHCC]

4 hours ago, foundryguy said:

I would cut a foam pattern so 1 pc would work. I see you are in Australia, shipping is impossible from what I have seen

Maybe you could ship a pattern for him to get cast Down Under. 

[Marc1]

3 hours ago, JHCC said:

Maybe you could ship a pattern for him to get cast Down Under. 

... it may sound ridiculous but the difference between sending a Styrofoam pattern or the real deal by sea is not that different since it would go by volume and not weight. 

 

[njanvilman]

10 hours ago, foundryguy said:

I have entertained the idea of making  a 1,400 to 1,450 lb double horn anvil in H13. With gates and risers that would be my limit on weight. Would there be a market for this? It would be in the 6 to 7 K range

 

I have an exact size wood replica of the FISHER 1400 lb anvil in the Fisher & Norris Factory Museum.  Perhaps it would make a great pattern if you ever want to create this size anvil.  The original anvil still exists in the State Museum on NJ.  The original was made for the 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia.   PM me if you want to further discuss this.

[JHCC]

4 hours ago, Marc1 said:

it would go by volume and not weight. 

I suppose if it’s traveling by ship, volume would be the limiting factor, rather than weight. Interesting thought.

[Marc1]

It took me a while to wrap my head around this concept when I shipped machinery and marine engines. 

As for the shape for the future 1450+ lb, if Foundryguy is taking votes (  ) I vote for a southern german pattern with side shelf.

There are too many London pattern in the world. 

[stevomiller]

Yes! 

I’d vote his next pattern in general (not just the 1500lb leviathan) be Southern German, shelf, upset block, with the hardy hole on the round horn end. Of current makers only Refflighaus makes one, the Rat Hole is a beauty but the hor and it’s transition into the body are NOT South German.

 I could swing buying a 250lb Holland at some point but will need to leave that big boy 1.5 tonner for someone else!

[foundryguy]

On 8/6/2018 at 4:01 AM, Marc1 said:

... it may sound ridiculous but the difference between sending a Styrofoam pattern or the real deal by sea is not that different since it would go by volume and not weight. 

 

Marc, I would use a foam pattern to make the casting itself. We use them often, remove the foam and you can not tell the difference between a casting with a foam tool or hard pattern. It is very common in the casting business for one offs or short run items. I will not be making anvil replicas anytime soon, only the real deal and 100% usable. I have been thinking about this for a while. I would make it a double horn, not sure about a shelf as its something that could go wrong in the casting process. Finding a grinder or a mill to handle it would be something i would need to figure out. Busy now so it will be down the road. 

[MC Hammer]

A few years ago I made the longest stone celt (hatchet-like head for those who aren't familar with Indian Artifacts) just to see if I could do it.  I researched the biggest ones found archaeologically and made mine a few inches bigger.  My point is, go for it Foundryguy!  Not for bragging rights, but just to see if you can do it.  

[Marc1]

8 hours ago, foundryguy said:

Marc, I would use a foam pattern to make the casting itself. We use them often, remove the foam and you can not tell the difference between a casting with a foam tool or hard pattern. It is very common in the casting business for one offs or short run items. I will not be making anvil replicas anytime soon, only the real deal and 100% usable. I have been thinking about this for a while. I would make it a double horn, not sure about a shelf as its something that could go wrong in the casting process. Finding a grinder or a mill to handle it would be something i would need to figure out. Busy now so it will be down the road. 

It would be very interesting to see how you cast an anvil mate, or anything else for that matter. 

So shelf is a bit iffy for casting ... yea I can see that. What about an upsetting block at the base? Or perhaps a very low profile French pig or Nimba style? Those anvils scream stability without the long legs. 

Anyway, this is a project process I would love you to share, whatever you end up doing.

 

[foundryguy]

20 minutes ago, Marc1 said:

It would be very interesting to see how you cast an anvil mate, or anything else for that matter. 

So shelf is a bit iffy for casting ... yea I can see that. What about an upsetting block at the base? Or perhaps a very low profile French pig or Nimba style? Those anvils scream stability without the long legs. 

Anyway, this is a project process I would love you to share, whatever you end up doing.

 

Respectfully I would say the Nimba style would be simple to cast in the foundry. With a large mass like we are talking about the metal can chill as it travels across a surface in steel, smaller surface less issues including the shelf. On a one off, prototype, the simpler the design the better. That said, i would take my CAD data from my double horn and just expand it to get my correct size and weight. The pattern and the pour are the easy part, finishing is time consuming and hardening expensive. On our double horns we could see issues running out to the tip of the horn, the other end is think and simple out to the point. I appreciate your interest and will keep you posted but I have been thinking about this, saw the post and had to say something. I could do a big cast iron anvil simple and quick but I do not want to stick my name on it, 200 years from now they will say i make junk. Cheers

[forgedinfire123]

I seem to remember Larry Langdon,, recently deceased, owning a 937 pound Trenton anvil, which he used for tool forging

matter of fact......