IL-Bridge Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 First post! I'm new to blacksmithing and the forum. I just acquired this anvil thinking it was a Trenton, but now I'm thinking it may be Arm & Hammer. The previous owner thought A&H but wasn't sure and there's no obvious logo. I *think* I *might* be seeing remnants of an "M" on one face. I did some research on past posts, and I didn't find a picture of this *exact* anvil anywhere but many are close. It ways just under 155 lbs and is stamped 155. Serial number is 1208?. (Note: I have a copy of AIA on the way to learn more but I was too impatient/excited not to post) If anyone notices any dead giveaways of Trenton or Arm & Hammer or any other interesting things about this anvil, I would appreciate the information. Thanks! Here's some posts with similar looking anvils: https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/51441-arm-and-hammer-new-to-me/ https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/57283-grandpas-arm-hammer-anvil/ https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/65472-arm-hammer-or-trenton/ https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/64845-arm-hammer/ https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53531-arm-and-hammer-anvil/ https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53891-149-lb-arm-hammer-yard-sale-find/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Do you have a: name, nick name, handle, etc. we can address you with? Your login is pretty cumbersome. Do you REALLY WANT us making something up for you? I'm far from a good anvil detective but that looks pretty Trenton to me. Don't quote me though, I only get excited about cast Swedish steel anvils and only a little unless it's close enough I might get MY hands on it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 I'm going with Trenton too due to the lack of telltale power hammer marks under the heel. No matter though it looks like a great anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 From AIA, weight on A&H was below the trademark. Weight and S/N on the front feet strongly suggest Trenton. If Trenton, S/N 1208? says....1900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Id say trenton as well. No name and only a weight and a sn_# is pretty common. Altho im no expert on A&H or anvils in general, i believe they had a cast body with a raised logo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 (edited) I think you may be confusing A&H with the cast iron Vulcan. Vulcan had a raised arm with a hammer logo. A&H was a forged top with a cast steel base. The logo on A&H was also an arm holding a hammer but was stamped. Edited January 10, 2021 by Mod30 Remove excessive quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 A&H had both raised and stamped logos, if I recall correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IL-Bridge Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the help! Seems to be more likely the Trenton than A&H. I just finished a base today so I can start working on it. If I end up taking a wire wheel to the side of it, I may be able to see an actual logo, but I'm happy with it either way. I'm actually pretty hesitant to do much to it since there doesn't appear to be paint on it. Next I'll need to dive in to past posts on this topic as well. Quick stand from stump and scrap wood risers: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 1 hour ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said: A&H had both raised and stamped logos, if I recall correctly. I could have been wrong in my previous post. I am not an expert and did not intend to pretend to be one. I have run across 2 forged A&Hs that I were both stamped, 2 is not a valid sample size !!! The couple of raised logos with an arm holding a hammer were cast iron Vulcans, again not enough for a valid sample. Most of what I think I know, comes from a single source, AIA, and for the most part the research is good. Black Frog was filling in some missing data, I don't know how much he found, and he hasn't posted in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 I'm not an expert either, just going by what I have seen on IFI and lately my memory can be considered to be laughable. IL-Bridge, if you wire wheel it, just put a coating of BLO on it to prevent rusting and bring out the patina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Know the memory feeling..."If I could remember all the useful things I had learned, I might be considered..." what was I saying? Why do I remember useless junk, but useful stuff escapes me. Oh well, so it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 A&H: Stamped, top shelf anvil Vulcan: cast proud, bottom shelf of "real anvils" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Thats why i qualified my response. Im just a working smith, not a afficiando of anvils. Good to know ,Thomas. I had a Vulcan A&H bottom feeder for a really short time. Lol, ive been down on Arm & Hammer ever since,,, except for borax. Out of curiosity are the two A&H anvils made by the same company? Strange that they would have the same brand/logo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Not made by the same company. Vulcan's were made by Illinois Iron & bolt Co. of Carpentersville, Il. A & H were made by Columbus Anvil and Forging Co. of Columbus, Oh. Trenton was made by Columbus Forge and Iron Co. Trentons were not made in Trenton, but Fishers were... Trentons were made about 2 miles from where A & Hs were made and sometimes both companies used bases from the same foundry. A&H was started by a former CFI employee. All the above info is from AIA, without AIA and IFI as refs., I would be completely useless...Even with references, my wife has her doubts about my usefulness... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Yes I have an A&H anvil that has a caplet indentation on the bottom, I also have a Trenton anvil with one too. Confused me a bit until I read in AinA that they would sometimes share bases. I used to live in Columbus OH, USA and tracked down the old factory for one of the anvil makers; their used grindstones were rolled into the river. I did it because I had talked to someone who worked there and they had told me that when they shut down there was a line of anvils on top of the bank over the river---I had hopes that there might be a couple in the water...unfortunately the riverbed was about 80% rusty metal and so a metal detector to find "buried treasure" would be useless. Anvil Factory to Hydrogenation plant to, now, condos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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