millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 I was just blessed to receive my grandfather's anvil that he had in Mississippi. He was born in 1887 and was a boat builder making 2-3 masted wooden oyster schooners. He bought the anvil from the local Pascagoula Livery & Ironworks but I don't know when that was. I can only make out what appears to be the "Trenton" anvil logo on the anvil. I have looked everywhere else to try and find any other numbers or markings but to no avail. I can't seem to be able to include some photos as well but here are the dimensions of the anvil. 39.5" long form heel to horn, 15" tall, the base is 16" x 13" and the working face of the anvil is 5 3/4" wide. Can anyone with Anvils in America be able to help me out? Could this have been made in Germany or would this one have been made in Columbus, OH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelonian Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 That looks like the anvils made in the Columbus, OH factory. Originally I believe there would have been a serial number on the front right foot, but that has clearly been obliterated by corrosion. Regardless it looks like an extremely nice large anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) Do you know if the Trenton's that were made in Ohio had the hole in the foot or main body of the anvil? That is what is confusing me a bit. It seems like this anvil has some of the characteristics of a Trenton but also not. Edited December 15, 2020 by Mod30 Remove excessive quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 The caplet depression in the base combined with the Trenton stamping is pretty indicative that it's A a Trenton and B made in Columbus Ohio. We have a member that was tracking the logo changes IIRC who might be able to guess at a better date if he weighs in. I too have a large Trenton with the markings obliterated, the caplet and configuration is pretty much what I've attributed it by, mine is: face 23.125" x 5.75", horn + cutting step length 15" (as horns often get truncated a bit; the face length is a better comparison point) and 15" tall. I haven't weighed it and don't care about it's age as that doesn't affect it's use in my smithy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) Thomas, Thank you for the info! I am purely interested in age out of curiosity in relation to when my grandfather might have actually purchased it and acquired it himself. I want to try and do a really nice restoration on it and would really appreciate some tips on cleaning it up. Would sandblasting it first and then wire wheeling it be acceptable for the main body? I was then thinking of taking a flap wheel disk and cleaning the horn up. Perhaps a stone cup on an angle grinder to clean the working face? I used to restore old wood burning stoves like the Round Oaks and Great Westerns, and I was curious if the "Stove Black" polish that we applied to those stoves would be a good protectant/shine for the body of the anvil? Edited December 15, 2020 by Mod34 Excessive quoting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 I wouldn't go further than wire brushing the base and then coating with boiled linseed oil---for a using anvil. Only grind on the face the same amount you have ground on *your* face and do yours *first*! Wire brush it and then working hot steel on it will polish the face out nicely. The hardened section of the face is limited in thickness, any grinding and milling will destroy decades of use life. I had a friend who when young bought an anvil and paid to have it milled flat and shiny only to discover the hardened layer was no longer thick enough to use. Carried it around for 20 years until the local ABANA Affiliate had an anvil repair day and then using the Gunther/Schuler method the face was rebuilt, only took 6 hours by a professional using industrial sized machines to do it! Cost would make a brand new anvil look cheap; except it was done for free... I have a 130+ year old book on smithing that says: Practical Blacksmithing;Volume 1, published in 1889; page 110: "For my own part I am satisfied not only that the sharp edges are useless, but that they are also destructive of good work. I cannot account for their existance except as a relic of a time when the principles of forging were but little understood. I want both edges of my anvil rounded, not simply for a part of their length, but for their whole length." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) Good to know. When applying the boiled linseed oil, do you "warm" the anvil at all in order to get a better soak? By warming it, I mean warming it...nothing that would compromise the temper of the face, etc... The edges on this anvil look really good for the most part and I don't think it would ever warrant what I have seen some do with welding, grinding etc. I just wanted the anvil to look as nice as possible and restore it to her former glory. Edited December 15, 2020 by Mod34 Excessive quoting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 Yes warming is a good idea---especially in the winter! The glory of an anvil is in it's use. Use it and it will look glorious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) Sounds good! I can't wait to start using it! Edited December 15, 2020 by Mod34 Excessive quoting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 WHAT?! You haven't started using it yet? The Horror, the horror... Mine was used/abused in a copper mine in Arizona; so from Columbus OH to Arizona, sold finally to a fellow who took it back to Columbus and traded it to me. I then moved it out to New Mexico and it was repaired at the same anvil repair clinic as I mentioned above. Mine had been used as a fixture by the maintenance dept at the mine and had air arc gouges across a nice flat face...bless their little hearts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) HA! I am currently using a 110 lb Kanca anvil (been using that for over a year now). My current anvil stand is tool tall for this new Trenton so I have a large tree stump that I am going to have to trim down to get the anvil at the right height. With an anvil this large...I feel like I am going to have to "up my forging game." haha Edited December 15, 2020 by Mod34 Excessive quoting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 An hour or so with cup wire wheel and she'll shine right up for you. Then, as mentioned, a coat of lindseed oil on all the non-working surfaces and you're good to go. I know when I first got mine it was coated in a thick layer of brown paint.. I stripped that off, then when to town with the wire wheel and she looked good as new. Ok, not as new, but you know what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 Time for strikers and larger projects! Or just continue with what you are doing with the 110# Kanca; it's allowed. Height is an issue. Larger anvils used for heavy stock and sledge hammers are often mounted lower for heavy work. OTOH most of use are doing small work like knives and smaller ornamental stuff and so mounting it higher helps the back a lot. This is also where having more than 1 anvil mounted at different heights can be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Frazer said: An hour or so with cup wire wheel and she'll shine right up for you. Thank you sir. 20 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Height is an issue. Larger anvils used for heavy stock and sledge hammers are often mounted lower for heavy work. OTOH most of use are doing small work like knives and smaller ornamental stuff and so mounting it higher helps the back a lot. My current 110lb'er is mounted at my knuckle height when my arm is relaxed at my side....works well so far. Do you think mounting the new anvil higher up would ok, or does it jack your shoulders up? Edited December 15, 2020 by Mod34 Excessive quoting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 For things like knifemaking I like wrist height. I find I bend over too much with a lower anvil. This is where finding out what works for you is best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 Good to know. I primarily do knife making and smaller ornamental stuff so it might be nice to mount the smaller kanca up higher and then make the new larger anvil sit a bit lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 As I do a bit of teaching I need to have anvils at a variety of heights; makes it nice for my personal use too! (Except I have no use for the stump for the 6'4 student I once had.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millcreekironworks Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 My wife ordered me the Anvils in America book. Do you know if that book will catalog the different Trenton Logos and their estimated date ranges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 53 minutes ago, millcreekironworks said: My wife ordered me the Anvils in America book. Do you know if that book will catalog the different Trenton Logos and their estimated date ranges? AIA is a great book, good job to your wife for ordering a nice Christmas/Hanukkah present. Richard Postman did a heck of a job researching and documenting anvils and the companies that made and sold them, there is still a ton of info out there he hadn't found when the book was published. Hopefully someday new info will be added. Some of the ads reprinted in AIA can give you at least a rough date range, it is a shame the feet are so corroded, the S/N would have given you exactly the info you seek. In any case you have a very nice family heirloom. My H Hudson Tool Co anvil was painted yellow when I got it, a wire wheel and some time got the paint off. I didn't polish it, I just took the paint off and let the "patina" stay. (When you get your AIA, see who made Hudson anvils and who sold them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Speaking of which---anyone hear from Black Frog lately; his profile says he hasn't been on since July! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 I was wondering the same thing, hope he is OK and staying safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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