rixter66 Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 I am new to the forum and have questions about a 208# Fisher anvil I purchased a couple of years ago. It looks to be in good shape and I enjoy using it when the need arises. Any information on the age and history would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 You want to know the age? It's got the date cast/stamped on it as Fisher offered a warranty for a certain period after purchase and so marked the anvils "starting date". Excellent anvils and *dead* quiet to use. Yours looks to be in great shape and good for another hundred years once it finishes off it's first century in 2024. If you are really interested in them you should visit the Fisher Museum; the curator of which participates in this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Welcome aboard Rixter, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many members live within visiting distance. 5th. pic shows the date. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 So, following up on what Thomas and Frosty said, your anvil seems to have been made in 1923, didn't sell that year, so they chiseled off the 3 and stamped in a 4 when it was sold in 1924. Not uncommon for them to do. I had a 270# made in 1924, with the 4 chiseled off and a 5 stamped in. The 20 on the foot indicated the (target- not actual) weight. You got an extra 8 lbs out of the deal. Because of the casting process there was some variation. They made the mold with a standard size form and stamped the inside so when done the numbers would be proud of the surface. That is an excellent anvil- my main anvil is a 250 Fisher, weight stamp 25. Br careful on the edges- the steel top plate is pretty hard and can be brittle. Being cast iron base, it 'thuds' more than it rings. Wear hearing protection anyway. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 57 minutes ago, Stash said: your anvil seems to have been made in 1923, didn't sell that year, so they chiseled off the 3 and stamped in a 4 when it was sold in 1924. Reminds me of the local Subaru dealer who sold me a "new" car this year at a great discount. When I checked the compliance plate it stated 2017 as year of manufacture. I complained and said i wanted to buy a 2018 car not 2017 ... so they said "but it was registered in 2018! My answer was to pull the other one and to order a new car from the factory. Anyway, I suppose anvils did not change much from one year to the other and their action of altering the manufacture date was more an honest way to allow for that extra year of warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Welcome to IFI, have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixter66 Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 Thank you all for the information. Irondragon, thanks for the link. I read up and will do my best in the future. I am old and impetuous, so don't be afraid to smack me upside the head when needed. Again, I appreciate the information and hope to bother you all again the the future. Have a wonderful and prosperous 2019!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 I should have commented on your Fisher anvil. It looks like an outstanding one. As far as being bothered, we love it and some are not shy about the head slaps. If you haven't figured it out yet we love pictures, the more the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 The step looks overly big, but hard to tell from the pics. Could you give us some more shots of the edge, step, and inside the hardy hole? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixter66 Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 Theses are the best I could do with my phone. Onto another tangent... would it be worth the effort to resurface the face and also repair the edges? Theses are the best I could do with my phone. Onto another tangent... would it be worth the effort to resurface the face and also repair the edges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 NO! Do NOT resurface nor mess with the edges! (Insert: sound of getting smacked upside your head) Grinding or milling an anvil's face removes years from it's useful life for cosmetics unless it's seriously damaged. If so then there are other methods of repair that don't do so much damage. It's also common for the face and foot of an anvil to NOT be parallel so unless the machinist KNOWS what s/he's doing in reference to anvils it's really easy to cut all the way through the high carbon steel face on one side or end trying to get all the dings out of the other. Ruining a perfectly good anvil trying to restore or repair it is WAY too common. Edges are rarely intact on older anvils, itsy bitsy chips like those aren't nothin! Sharp edges aren't desirable for a working tool. Setting a shoulder over a sharp edge puts what are known as "stress risers" or cold shuts on the inside corner. This is a natural weak point that is a failure initiation point. The physics are the same for scoring glass before snapping it. If you need a fine surface or sharp edge, bottom tools are easy to make. A piece of smooth or shiny steel with a square shank that fits the hardy hole welded on and Bob's your Uncle. Making your own bottom tools are one of the better parts about blacksmithing. Few things feel as good as using tools you make with your own hands. About all your anvil needs is some HOT steel hammered on her, that'll put a good shine on that fine old lady's face. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 Good Morning Rixter, That Anvil looks like it is just broke in, NOT BROKEN. It will give you a life-time of service, the way it is. This is not Jewelry that needs to be pristine and glossy. Enjoy the young Anvil the way it is. Clean the surface rust with hot iron, touch the rest with a wire wheel on a grinder. Give it a coat of paint on the parts you most likely won't be using, treat the rest with some Linseed Oil or light hydraulic Oil on a rag. Burn the rag when you are done, spontaneous combustion is a Bitch. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 On 1/12/2019 at 6:15 PM, rixter66 said: would it be worth the effort to resurface the face and also repair the edges? Those edges have not seen much work at all. Most if not all anvils in active use have radius on their edges, chips, worn out, no anvil has pristine edges unless it is for decoration purposes only. One thing I would do is rebuild the horn's end to needle sharp condition ... ... nee, only kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Bad joke; somebody might think it should be sharp and then find out why so many anvil horns show evidence of being hammered on. Only have to jab a short horn into tender regions *ONCE* to think flattening the end was a good idea and making a bickern to fit in the hardy hole when you need a small sharp point. Note: trying to resurface that anvil would be like taking a sledgehammer to your car for several hours after you found a faint scratch in the paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixter66 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 Point taken. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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