I made a quick Craigslist grab today and got a two for one.  Picked up a cool old lady who still has some fight in her and made a connection with the seller who turns out to be a scrapper.  While scrap yards in CT don't allow people to pick this guy has access to them simply because of a long working relationship.  He willingly took a shopping list from me in exchange he will tap me for info and resources that I have.  He told me it's ridiculous mow much good stuff gets melted as scrap here in CT because no pickers are allowed and he can't save it all.

To the goods:

An old English anvil with an unknown maker.  Her nose fell off some time ago.  I can't find a maker's mark even and doing a rubbing.  There are only vague hints.  The feet on this anvil are quite thick.  My Hill's feet are tapered almost to a point.  These are over an inch thick.  The oak stand came with it.  The markings are 1 1 6 so it was 146 prior to the nose job.  Weighs 130 now.  No pritchel and a 3/4" hardy...I think she has some serious age on her.  The construction is a bit second rate.  There are serious hammer marks on the bottom where it was welded by a striking team and there is a slight belly in the bottom such that the stand has to be concave in the middle so she can sit flat.  Also, the steel face is thin, maybe 3/16".  For $130 I had to have it if only to save it for posterity.

 

Lou, you don't think it was done by a couple of bored old Yankee troopers nostalgic for the good ol' days of wrecking Confederate smithys? A memento smuggled back in a saddlebag? And of course, Rebel troops never made it that far north in a retaliatory raid.

 

I mean, it's not like its a weak spot or anything?

28 minutes ago, John McPherson said:

And of course, Rebel troops never made it that far north in a retaliatory raid.

It's a little-known fact that the secondary objective of the St. Albans raid was to destroy as many anvils as possible. 

I hear you can always find those Yankee vets hanging around the VFW.  An anvil isn't safe in there.

Now that is funny, i dont care who you are lol! 

Gifted this buy a client. Been sitting in his barn for 20 years

if memory serves they came with a simple 1/2 moon sheild. 

More roadkill: a 16 foot tow chain, with hooks.

This was given to me by a friend in Tucson. All I had to do was go pick it up.

I recognized that puppy in the first pic. The Johnson Appliance forges in my metal shop classes were a little larger. Does it work? 

Frosty The Lucky.

Most likely for natural gas firing.  If want to run on propane will need to replace orifice

johnson sells propane  orifices for them.

 

2 minutes ago, Latticino said:

Most likely for natural gas firing.  If want to run on propane will need to replace orifice

Ayup, order the parts from Johnson, they'll want the serial and mod numbers. IIRC they continue to support any appliance they make or ever made.

Frosty The Lucky.

You also might consider relining it.  Most of the Johnsons I've seen have lots of thermal mass in their lining.  Not sure if the older ones have any asbestos insulation (outer layer).  Take care if you work with it.

I've not seen one with a loose side unit before.  Looks like a safety sensor on the front and some kind of variable blower control on the side.

Way cool.  Can't wait to see how it works.

Not sure if it works yet or not. This will be the 4th forge to show up at the house since I started building mine. Stop working on mine as there is now no space for it. I just wish I was an anvil magnet as I am for forges.

I used to own one exactly like that: Bought it at a public school auction when I lived someplace with natural gas; moved it 1500 miles to a place without NG; after it set in a corner for a decade I traded it to another smith for a 5 gal new bucket of Parks 50.  Something I could use for something gathering dust.  I'd been using my propane forges for close to 2 decades then and didn't see myself needing that one...The side units are typical of Johnson's forges and furnaces; I've owned several...and the ones I used back in the '70's in school had them too.

IIRC that model is called a heat treat furnace.  Note the spark plug; it runs continuously as a safety measure.

MG 42 why not trade it for an anvil?  Johnson stuff is powerfully expensive and someone might be willing to deal!

I have one of those, but I did not get the side unit. I have heard that they are gas hogs, and mine is going to end up as a "mailbox" at the end of my driveway. 

I have a Johnson 122a trench forge I had to take as part of an estate sale. There was a lot of smithing tools I wanted but it turned into an all or nothing deal so I have this big honkin trench forge. I've considered tearing out the almost 8" of hard fire brick liner and replacing it with an insulated liner. Being thermostatically controlled it would or should improve economy considerably. Thing is I have no use for heating what 4' of anything.

I'd be seriously tempted to put an insulating liner in a Johnson that size were one to appear here. Thermal mass is a good thing if you're heating a lot of stock and need to do it quickly. That is you're a production shop. Me? I just noodle around anymore and heck I play with the forge more than hot steel and hammers even.

Frosty The Lucky.

Weekly trip to the trash compactor and 7 rail sections and some barrel hoops came home.

I have seen dehorned anvils before.  There was  shop in Amesbury, MA, Old Newbury Crafters I think it was called and they made sterling silver flatware.  There were a number of silversmiths working there and every anvil in the place had the horn cut off.  I asked one of the crafters why that was and he said they were quieter that way and they did not need the horn for what they were making.

6 hours ago, Gazz said:

I have seen dehorned anvils before.  There was  shop in Amesbury, MA, Old Newbury Crafters I think it was called and they made sterling silver flatware.  There were a number of silversmiths working there and every anvil in the place had the horn cut off.  I asked one of the crafters why that was and he said they were quieter that way and they did not need the horn for what they were making.

That seems a bit drastic. A chain would have done to quieten them down.

However, a hornless anvil is still useful in the shop. Here's one I found in the scrap a while ago. It would do 95% of what I make.

 

Hay budden anvil, felt like about 220ish lb, side stamp is 253, but im unsure how to interpret that.

A buffing wheel that used to be used to polish brass instruments, ~9000+ rpm.

and a CLR 4X106 belt grinder (formerly Sommer and Macca) 

 

grand total cost = $2.00 in gas to go pick it up
plus whatever 4 ibuprofen costs for the back ache. 

That is an amazing score.  I'm oozing with jealousy over here!

More jealousy here, you really cleaned up great haul.

 

Okay J, I may have to hate you for a while! Recently I got pretty excited about finding a wire rack I can use in the shop at the transfer station. They won't allow you to pick at the dump, you have to catch them looking the other way. At least tell us the buffer and grinder don't work, something, needs a plug, scratched paint. . . SOMETHING?

Okay, I'm over it now. SWEET SCORE!

Frosty The Lucky.

well, the buffer has a little trouble turning, I need to take it apart and either clean and lube, or completely replace the bearings. but the motor does make it move, with some help...

 

The belt grinder had some pine needles and dust in the bottom pan... does that make you feel better? I kinda poked my finger on one of them...