territorialmillworks Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Any advise on Fisher & Norris anvils as to quality/desirability? The anivl is chunky with a short horn but with a large face........and definitely not portable!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo33 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I have a large Fisher/Norris, approx. 220 pounds. Year 1936. I love it. It is my primary anvil. Excellent quality and as posted above, very quiet. The anvil has little to no ring in it, don't get thrown off by this. Base softens the ringing sound. Face plate is very hard. One of the better anvils you could buy in my opinion. If you can get a good deal on one, definitely scrap it up. If not send it my way. (Just kiddding) Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I'd love to have one, they're excellent anvils. Baring excessive damage, abuse, etc. of course. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) Fisher anvils are excellent anvils their quietness making them particularly good for smiths who live in thickly settled areas---or worry about their hearing. As they have a cast iron base with a good thick steel face plate they are harder to repair if abused. But they can be successfully worked on, especially if the damage does not go through the face plate. My primary anvil is a 500+ pound Fisher (from a Blackler powerhammer) I use it in preference to my large trenton (410#), or my medium sized (around 150#) Hay-Budden and Peter Wright anvils. Edited February 5, 2009 by ThomasPowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo33 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 ThomasPowers, Correction to my post above. I said that I have a large Fisher Anvil, 220 lbs. Incorrect; YOU have a large Fisher. 500+. Must be a beauty! Leo33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKForge Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Fisher anvils are very sweet in their quietness but I will say that having used a Fisher and an old English wrought anvil I would say that they do feel very different. While I know many love the Fisher anvil I will admit that I am having a hard time getting used to the feel of the Fisher. I am in no way bashing it. It is nice that it is quiet and the rebound is incredible but it feels different because of the cast base and while it may only be my perception I don't feel like I get the same transfer of energy with the Fisher as I do with the other non-cast base anvils I use. They are very desirable and I would buy one without hesitation if I found one for sale for a reasonable price because there are a lot of folks who love them. I am just not sure that I have Fisheritis yet like others do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwmotley Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Fisher anvils are very sweet in their quietness but I will say that having used a Fisher and an old English wrought anvil I would say that they do feel very different. While I know many love the Fisher anvil I will admit that I am having a hard time getting used to the feel of the Fisher. I am in no way bashing it. It is nice that it is quiet and the rebound is incredible but it feels different because of the cast base and while it may only be my perception I don't feel like I get the same transfer of energy with the Fisher as I do with the other non-cast base anvils I use. They are very desirable and I would buy one without hesitation if I found one for sale for a reasonable price because there are a lot of folks who love them. I am just not sure that I have Fisheritis yet like others do. Darryl I'll come get those Fishers anytime you're ready to let them go!!! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) Goodness Darryl if you're not bashing on your Fishers, what are you doing on them? Perhaps if you tried doing a little bashing on them you'd learn to like them. Still, if you can't shake the feeling you don't like Fishers please remember I've offered to store old unwanted or dangerously addictive smithing tools here where they're safe. I will be proud to sacrifice the room necessary to keep yours from harming any innocents. PM me for shipping info any time. On a more serious note (not that I won't accept any smithing tools you guys want to send me) anvils differ, no two are exactly alike. My 125 Sodorfors is a world different from my 200lb Trenton or my buddy's 300lb Trenton which feels different from my Trenton. And so on. This is the nature of tools and the human using them. We're a lot more sensitive to minor and I mean MINOR differences in our hand tools than non-makers think. Heck I have two Craftsman 2lb driller's hammers that are identical in appearance but I can tell them apart at a touch. Anyway, being adaptable to differences is a good thing. Sure a person will do their best work with their favorite tools let alone someone else's but being able to do it anyway is a real plus. Frosty Edited February 6, 2009 by Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
territorialmillworks Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 Thanks for all the input. I bought a 250# Fisher cheaper than the last 127# Hay budden that I bid on. With my experience, I don't think that I could tell the difference between a Trenton and a Hay budden but I know that I can tell the diff between the fisher and the Harbor Freight ASO that I've been using for the last year..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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