It followed me home

[starbits]

Thanks guys.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Had a good haul today, some tongs an hammers, 172 pound Ajax with sharp edges two champion blowers, a forge with a cast fire pot, a cast iron ducks nest, and 3/4 ton of coal and another forge I still gotta haul down here,

 

[George N. M.]

TW, that is a nice haul.  From whence did you obtain it all? And, if you don't mind saying, how much did you have to part with to obtain it?

GNM

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Well George it’s kinda a long story but I’ll try to sum it up quick,

unlike all the usual blacksmithing junk I drag home while out barnstormin that I usually turn around an pass on

this time is a little more important to me,

years ago the company I worked for was goin outta business and try as I might applying to jobs an goin to interviews I could not land a job anywheres, every time there was another body just ahead or behind me that had one more feather in their had then I did

so as the clock ticked down and I saw there was no more time I opted to clear out my bank accounts and buy up all the fast movin parts and what machinery I could get, then I went in the hole for another upteen thousand dollars to buy out the rest

but I needed one more thing a service truck with a 1000 pound lift gate to help me pick up an deliver machines,

so….. I traded an sold off every last blacksmithing tool I had, so I could afford to get a good used rig like I needed,

This batch of junk a coal was my very first kit that I had put together, that is my very first anvil I ever found!!!

when the opportunity to retrieve my original junk presented itself to me a few weeks ago cost was not to be spared,

it’s not all really worth that much to anyone else but it means a lot to me to get it back 

to answer your question I traded a brand new commercial saw that I had purchased for $1450.00 bucks for this stuff an a few more loads,

[Daswulf]

Glad you were able to turn around all that and get your first anvil back. I feel your pain with some of that every time I toy with the idea of starting my own body shop and the idea of what I would need to do it. 

I'm not there yet but the prospect sounds better all the time. 

[JHCC]

About 8-10 years ago, I got back my very first cross-peen hammer, which I’d had to leave behind twenty years before. Great feeling. 

[ThomasPowers]

My first anvil was stolen----in Oklahoma too....

 

When I got back from my Daughter's wedding today I had a 43# package from the New Little Giant company full of TREASURE!    Now to go out to the shop and hide it on the oily 25# LG that I have waiting for it...

[George N. M.]

TW, that was a great opportunity.  As you say, you can't put a dollar amount on that.

There is something about tools that you have owned or have been used by someone in your family that is very special.  Some sort of spirit transference.  I find I work better with old tools than new.  Sometimes it sort of feels like I am channelling the former user(s).

My aunt passed away last year at the age of 103.  My cousin found my grandfather's (who I'm named after) tool box and a few tools in it and sent it to me.  I can't tell you how good it made me feel to touch and use it.  It has been sitting unused since he passed in 1953.  Some of my earliest memories are being in his shop with him.  I tend to take after him in the sense of liking to work with my hands.  My father barely knew which end of a hammer to hold.

So, excellent score.

GNM

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

2 hours ago, Daswulf said:

the prospect sounds better all the time.

Ya know Aric,

In a body shop, metal working, forming, shaping, ect… tools are a tax write off, a the really expensive ones can be depreciated over several years!!! just sayin 

2 hours ago, JHCC said:

Great feeling. 

John,

yes its a very awesome feeling!

This anvil was my most treasured possession at one time, now my family

I’m not rich by no means now days but back then I really didn’t make or have a lot of money when I bought it, at the time it seemed like a fortune when I bought it for $300 bucks 

I didn’t know diddly about blacksmithing at the time but I sure tried my hardest to setup a smithy, I was very proud of myself when I had a forge a blower a post vise an anvil! I thought I was eatin high on the hog!

it was a major blow for me to suck it up an to let go of my stuff at the time

So like I said before this particular load of junk may not have been worth it to a lot of folks an I didn’t really need it back, I’ve got plenty others, but it was a sense of accomplishment and a matter of pride to retrieve it for me

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

My first anvil was stolen----in Oklahoma too

That’s cause you lived in town somewhere! Shoulda moved to peavine youda still had it!

I’m the mayor here don’tcha know! I run a tight ship! Ain’t no anvil thieves in peavine! 

Besides you ain’t fooling no one!!! We all know you done bought sold a traded a truck load of anvils by the time you turned two!!! 

George,

im glad to hear you got hold of your grandfathers tools!

I imagine that was worth a small fortune to you,

I’ve inherited some of my grandparents an great grandparents odds and ends that I’ve set aside for Max when the time comes for me to pass it on to him

[Shainarue]

My wife and I drove out to Peavine Oklahoma to visit TwistedWillow and do a trade. I picked up a blower for him in Kansas and he traded it for an anvil. I am now the proud owner of a 109lb Peter Wright anvil. I also bought a post vice from him and then he piled me up with all sorts of other stuff. 

I came home with almost as much as I could fit into my wife's Kia Forte Hatchback. There was a little room for more but I figured I could always come back for another visit and get more junk, lol

Anvil and something to possibly use as a forge hood if I decide to set up inside the shed:

Post vice and parking pole and thick round plate to mount it to:

Coal, stuff to make tools with, and stuff to play with

[Frosty]

This puts a big smile on my face Billy, you've been talking about getting it back for a while now. I have a little bit from my Grandparents, my Grandfather's gold pocket watches, One is for sure it has his name engraved in it. He was a Federal Superior judge who worked the circuit for I don't know how long. He and Mom were the only ones in my family that didn't get hammered hard by the depression.  

I think the Depression ate most old family artefacts with a very few exceptions like the pocket watches and a few pictures. 

There are a couple few things I'd like to reclaim from my earlier days, a couple of my first vehicles and one of the spinning lathes I worked at would be cool. I'd like to put a spinning lathe to work.

Frosty The Lucky.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

1 hour ago, Shainarue said:

There was a little room for more but I figured I could always come back for another visit and get more junk, lol

Lol come on back down anytime a if ya can bring a ol pickup truck!
GVRW is only a suggestion!  We will load that dude up! 

I hope ya get some good use outta that stuff, I can’t wait to see the new vise stand you build!

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

The small hood should work just fine for the forge.

[Jobtiel1]

I agree with everyone Billy, congrats on getting your stuff back!

~Jobtiel

[gewoon ik]

Nice catches everyone.

[671jungle]

All this plus some for $5 at the local recycling

[Scott NC]

  There might be a niche market for custom carved anvil stumps.    

[Jobtiel1]

Nice! Especially the stones. The plane irons don't look like they have a lot of life left, any use for them?

~Jobtiel

[ThomasPowers]

Clean the stones and get a container for each one individually to prevent cross contamination.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Just got back from an auction, couldn’t afford to touch the anvil, $1300 bucks for a 200 pound Peter Wright

Beat up tongs $30-$45 a piece, there was some nice hardy tooling but it sold from $30 up to $60 a piece! broken post vises went around $200, broken blower brought $200, fullers flatters top swages went $30-$40 a pop,

All I ended up buying a champion rivet forge, a 65 pound saltfork swage block a forge hood, and a small pile of top tooling, an I spent way to much on that stuff,

i gave $180 for the swage block,

I figured that was as a fair deal since they sell new for $250 plus tax an shipping, 

$190 for the champion rivet forge, 

$30 for the forge hood, looks like it got built and never used, I’ll get pics later it’s still in the truck

$30 for a atha made top swage,

$27 for pile of top tools, atha double peen, a couple fullers, ball peen, an some weird hammer I have no clue,

there was a steam engine there I wanted an it sold cheap under $400, but I didn’t really wanna have to move that thing, and I didn’t bring any straps or chains

[arkie]

Great haul, Billy!  Yeah, those prices particularly at an auction are sky-high.  Good deals on the forge and tools.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

1 hour ago, TWISTEDWILLOW said:

weird hammer

I think that little hammer is a Tinsmith's hammer.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Thanks arkie,

yeah here lately these auctions have been stupid high on some stuff an cheap as dirt on other stuff,

here’s the hood I picked up at the sale, back hurts an it’s raining so I ain’t unloading it today but I thought I’d get some pics,

looks like it’s made from 1/8” or 10 GA, 41” tall, 32” wide, 12” deep,

intake is 12”x12” and exhaust is 10”

really good looking welds and it doesn’t look like it’s been used much if any, I figured it was worth the $30 bucks

Randy, thanks I was wondering, I’ll get a closer picture here in a few of that weird little hammer,

[Cavpilot2k]

These two beauties followed me home today!

A sweet 190 lb Trenton anvil with very good edges. 30.5 inches long! Just needs a good cleaning. 

And a solid steel cylinder 6" high and 8.5" across, weighing 90 lb. It will make someone a great starter "anvil". 

 

[George N. M.]

Oooo, very nice.  Do you mind saying what you had to give for the Trenton?

Something like the cylinder will, IMO, be a better starter anvil than the Centaur rail anvil that someone was just looking at and we were commenting on.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."