Jsanvil1987 Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Hey I'm new. Just got my first anvil. Hope this is ok to ask in this section but it's a Trenton I believe from what's left of the marking. Serial number is A89269 and there is also a K 80 on the other side which I'm guessing is the weight and inspection letter. What I'm really interested in is finding out what year it was made and any other information about it. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Welcome aboard... You have it posted in the right section. It's definitely a Trenton which are very good anvils. I hope you have read about not doing any grinding, milling or welding on the hardened steel face plate, which will do more harm than good. All it needs is a good wire brushing and some BLO wiped on it, Hammering hot metal will shine up the face. Have you done a ring & rebound test to check the condition of the forge welded on steel face plate? I'm sure someone who has a copy of AIA (Anvils in America) will be along shortly to give you an approximate date of manufacture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsanvil1987 Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 Thank you very much... Glad to be here! I will def not be doing any milling or welding etc and ruin anything as I've read a lot about that topic....I'm going to play it safe and just plan to wire brush and coat with oil. So happy and honored to own an old anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Nope; anvils start getting old around the 200 year mark, that's an anvil in the prime of it's life! A bit light at 80#; but would make a travel/demo anvil. Frankly I have more hours forging on my 91# Arm & Hammer than on my 469# Fisher as my travel anvil gets dedicated day long smithing sessions on it whereas my shop use is punctuated with other tasks. Also: it was made in Columbus Ohio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocB Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 I picked up this anvil from an estate sale, last weekend. Covered in rust, so I wire wheeled and steel wooled it. The side shows a very faint trenton logo barely readable (mainly shows as ENTO. The foot has these numbers. Looks Like K 200 A 8 8 5 3 5 I'm not sure about the A could be a 4 or the 3 as it is kind of half on the edge. I know it is 200lbs but don't know what the other numbers and letters mean. Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 Welcome aboard DocB.... The A88535 is the serial number, 200 is weight and I think the K is an inspectors mark. Someone with a copy of AIA will be able to tell you when it was made by the SRN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocB Posted August 13, 2021 Share Posted August 13, 2021 Thank you so much for the info! now i just have to figure out how I want to attach it to a stand and what kind of stand. I'm leaning towards a cedar stump, readily available in my back yard. I will do some more research on here for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisal Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Hi all! This is my first post. Just picked up my first anvil and I'm not sure what I have. I have been trolling this site for several months now and found it to be a source of a lot of information/knowledge. I noticed that several members seem to know a lot about Trenton anvils, or have created databases (Black Frog), and I think I picked up a strange one. It looks like the Trenton diamond, but inside the diamond it looks like it says "INDIAN" and below the diamond CHIEF (I believe...). I have searched Google for every possible combination to find a similar anvil and no luck so far, but some images have been deleted over time. Hopefully someone has seen something comparable/similar. The anvil doesn't have a throat or base foot as they didn't exist when I bought it, which will make identification more difficult. The piece that I have weighs 149#. I think it spent some years of its existence living in the dirt as it has heavy pitting on the bottom the the horn and the broken base. Any help in determining what I have would be greatly appreciated! Measurements: Overall top length is 32" Face plate: 19.5" long, 4.5" wide Step: 2" Horn/Bick beyond step: 10.5" (with a blunted tip) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 (edited) The Indian Chief anvil was made by Trenton if I recall properly. Too bad the base is missing but fabricating one shouldn't be too hard. Looks like it was separated where the base was forge welded on. Have you tried to test the ring & rebound. That should tell if the hardened steel face is still in good shape and not been in a fire. Here is one thread I found, unfortunately the pictures were lost during a site update. https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/27508-indian-chief-anvil/ This is from one of the bladesmithing forums, don't think I can post a link though. "According to Anvils in America, Indian Chief was a trademark of the Columbus Forge and Iron Co. registered in 1908. CF&I were the makers of both Trenton and Arm and Hammer anvils, among the best American forged anvils." Edited October 14, 2021 by Irondragon ForgeClay Works add note Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 I think I saw some portable farriers anvils made by tfs that have split bases made from aluminum, I wonder how hard it would be to copy their idea an maybe cast a aluminum base for that one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 TW I have seen those 'future' anvils and thats a good idea. Build a mold where the face is sticking into a pan of water or something. Drill some pins .....hmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 No CF&I were not makers of both Trenton and Arm and Hammer---different companies, different factories, though both were in Columbus Ohio. (One just above Downtown and one just below downtown.). The poster of that needs to go back and review AinA. Funny I have the base from a PW (according to Postman) that lost the top; but was used anyway---enough to give it mushrooming along the sides. The weight stamping shows it was once a full anvil. You have the more useful piece! As some brands of anvils went from forge welding the base on to doing a heavy full perimeter arc weld, you may want to try that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisal Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Hi irondragon, thanks for the quick reply! I did the rebound test with a 5/8” ball bearing and it hopped back up to my hand on almost all sections of the faceplate. Nice ring to it as well. I couldn’t see any pictures on your linked item either. Hopefully someone out there has a picture of a comparable anvil. Like I said, I haven’t seen anything that looks like what I have on any google search. Idragon, TW, and RP I would love more specific info on safe ways to move forward on fabricating a base/foot for the anvil. I’m new to a lot of this stuff but really want to see what options make sense and the range of what’s possible. TP, I wasn’t trying to imply with any certainty that this is a Trenton anvil made by CFI. Just with my limited anvil knowledge, I’ve only seen the diamond pattern associated with Trenton’s makers mark. I am definitely no expert and I don’t have access to AIA in my local libraries. I put in an order for it yesterday. I’m only here to find out more information on the anvil and how to proceed with what I have. Thanks everyone! If anyone has a picture of a comparable out there, I would love to see it. Also any information on ways I can add a base without destroying the anvil would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Good Morning Al, It is an Anvil for shorter people, unless you fasten it to a tall stump. The original maker is irrelivant, it looks like it wants YOU to help it back to life. Treat it well and it will return the favour. Make a mounting base to match the break line, drill and tap the base to bolt it to your new base. Figure out it's name that YOU will call it and enjoy the Journey. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 "Destroying the anvil" would be messing up the temper of the face or removal of the thickness of the face. What you do at the waist should do neither! A in A mentions that sometimes you can see the original Trenton stamp underneath a rebranding stamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisal Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Thanks for advice, Neil. Thanks for the clarification TP. That's good to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Indian Chief Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Hi i think i have an anvil similar to yours, its welded to a base so i cant check for other marks . Not sure how heavy it is the semi rim and stand probably go 100 themselves. I was trying to identify it and yours looks real similar. Trenton Indian Chief... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 22, 2022 Share Posted June 22, 2022 Welcome from the Ozark mountains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Indian Chief Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 On 6/20/2022 at 10:23 PM, Trenton Indian Chief said: I was trying to identify it and yours looks real similar Look for a serial under the horn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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