Police officer came to my shop today

[whtbaron]

Here's a pic I scrounged off another site of Gene Winfield's design for a railroad anvil. Also in the sketch are some sheetmetal shaping aids and a 3 wheeled work table for tools.

[docwelder]

i just looked at the above mentioned book," anvils in america", 65. new and 105. used. go figure. i have a couple anvils at work. underneath a dozen or so coats of paint and or rust it looks like someone (not me!) welded a new surface from bar stock. i can see what looks like numbers or letters cast into the side but can't make them out. on the better of the 2 i made a stand and a third hand attachment for it. i'm sure this idea is as old as methuselah but maybe someone else can use this idea?

[zapster]

Always nice to be on the good side law enforcement....


...zap!

[12345678910]

So Doug,

Tell me if Im pissing up a rope here, but would it help a poor mans anvil, say a length of 130lb rail to cover it with a couple layers of abrasion resistant rod then have it machined smooth or would I just do better leaving well enough alone?

poor mans anvil

Try a

Sea Robin Anvils

post anvil

google image search it, lots of photos



size doesn't have to be much bigger than the hammer.

You want the mass under the hammer
Rule of thumb is 20x times the hammer mass, so for a three pound hammer, 60 pound minimum


Used scrap yard hydraulic rams would be good hardened material.

[DSW]

Doc, better picts of that anvil would tell me more about it, but with that blunt horn, cast numbers or letters in the side and that top plate, chances are it could be original as is, and a Fisher anvil. Fishers had tool steel plates placed in the mold, then cast iron was poured in "welding" the two together. They had a patent on the process, but several other companies made cast body/tool steel plate anvils as well.

I've been busy the last few days doing a blacksmithing demo at the grange fair ( my friend who just gave me the anvil stopped by last night and saw me just as I was getting ready to pack up as it was getting dark), and going to the ABANA conference in Delaware, but I'll post more of my stuff in the next few days when I pull everything out of the truck and go to sort it and put it away...

[whtbaron]

I had forgot about this post and the green paint until I finally got around to taking the wire brush to Grandpa's anvil. Did you ever find out if your freebie was a Badger for sure? lol....hope you liked the green paint on my railroad anvil because the leftovers just might end up on the big one too. I could never see any markings on it because of all the rust and grime so it took a while with a cupped wire wheel in the grinder. The chips on the left side are quite bad so the top word was gone, but what remains is Wright .... Patent.... England. Under that I thought I could see the word Solid in an arc, which didn't make sense until I found out the Peter Wrights had Solid Wrought stamped on them. The numbers are 0 - 3 - 13 and I found the explanation online for them. Apparently it started with the old Imperial ton so a long Imperial hundredweight (the first number ) is 112 lbs, the second a quarter hundredweight or 28 lbs and the final number the remaining lbs. So my number deciphered is (0 x 112) + ( 3 x 28) + 13= 97 lbs. I must be getting old because I always thought it was heavier than that. At first I thought the middle number was a 5 but I'm sure it's not that heavy. Plan now is to finish cleaning her up and give her a fresh coat of the nice antique green. In a couple places it looked like there was some red oxide paint under the grime. Not sure if that was it's original color or just what was left of the primer.

[DSW]

Green anvil is still sitting where we put it back when it arrived. I'd hoped to get to use it over Thanksgiving weekend, but I've been sick. I'm hoping later this winter to have time to take it with me to New Jersey to the guy who runs the Fisher Museum. He though it might be a Fisher and if anyone can determine that it's him. I've left the paint alone because of where I have to store it. Top was rust free when I got it, but where it's at, when the temps do a major swing like they did about 2 weeks ago, anything with a heavy mass sweats in the humid air and the face has taken on a light coat of rust I'll need to take care of.


I'm hoping that once the antibiotics kick in, I can play some with the forge if the weather cooperates, maybe later this week. I have a few things to get done for presents and want to get them done before Christmas.

[wornoutoldwelder]

DSW,

I ain't read but the first few posts in this thread, but I can tell you that that there anvil, be it cast or not, disserves a fifth of Jack Single Barrel, and several dozen fresh hot donuts for that guy in blue.

I've experienced just one cop "buddy" that constantly showed up wanting me to fix/mod his Harley, his wife's car, make bumpers for his mud truck, help him steal stuff from work, and so on.....All that ended a few months ago when cop Clint showed up again to borrow my cherry picker yet again, and I told him it was for sale, and I'd rather sell it than wait months for him to return it. So he agreed to buy it and pay me next payday. I emphasized that I hated to let it go for that price, but I was recovering from surgery, needed additional surgery, and prolly had to retire early and needed the money NOW.

Fast forward to today, 8 months later, and I ain't seen the first sign of my "good cop buddy" that always could be counted on to show up-wake me up whenever he needed something done now and for free. I hunted him down twice at our old workplace since and demanded my money or the cherry picker, but he ain't coughed up neither.

Where I am at now with all this is, the very next time I see him, this old man is going to smile and approach him timing my steps, and punch him in the nose so hard he gives me a chance to then windmill his azz until I tucker out...And then stand over his cop butt and dare him to get up.

Where I'd rather share Jack Single Barrel Select and sticky hot donuts like I would with anyone I know, except this particular guy turned out to be a cop first, and shipmate last.

[whtbaron]

I'm hoping that once the antibiotics kick in, I can play some with the forge if the weather cooperates, maybe later this week..

Thought you had been quiet lately...hope you feel better soon.

[whtbaron]

I spent some quality time with my grandfather's Peter Wright yesterday. After doing some research on the internet I think this must be one of the later ones. Lots of people are talking about the steel top only being around 1/8", but this one appears to have started out as 1/2" as it's slightly under that now. After putting a straight edge on it, it's really not as sway backed as it appeared. Most of that was along the right side where the Peter had been beaten out of the Peter Wright. I didn't get a good shot of that before I started to work on it but I suspect that's why I was able to buy this one without being bid up by collectors at my Uncle's sale. While the "proper" way to fix them may be to preheat, arc weld, top coat with TIG and cool slowly before case hardening, I don't have the equipment to do that. I read where one individual had good results with MIG so I decided to try that. Rather than run the risk of doing damage by adding heat, I went the other direction and did the additions in slow increments without letting the anvil get too hot to touch and cleaning with a wire wheel after welding. I finished up with the grinder, and my tolerances over the face are within a 1/64" from front to back and along the edges. I heeded the warnings about sharp edges and beat my new edge back with a 3 lb. hammer. So far everything seems good and should last as long as I don't abuse it with cold metal beatings ( actually I'm thinking of a removable steel cap to protect it between those rare times when I'll actually be firing up a forge). This way the worst case scenario is that I could pop out my repair, and leave it exactly the way it was before. The MIG weld is quite hard, and compared to 100 yr old metallurgy , probably not much different than the original face. Since the previous damage has already devalued it as a collectible, my only concern is maintaining it as a working tool anyway. Besides that, the only way a tool will ever leave my possession will be in my estate sale after I'm gone so it's value on Ebay is pretty much irrelevant to me. With 2 sons and one son in law, I doubt the tools will even make it to my estate sale, and I'm good with that.

[whtbaron]

Finally got around to taking a pic, so I thought I'd add it to this green anvil thread... although the flash makes it look more blue than it really is. Think it came out pretty good.

[DSW]

Looks good. I need to get off my but and do some work on mine some time soon. Day after Christmas looks like it might be semi warm, so maybe I'll get a chance to go use mine for a bit. I managed to get the shop cleaned up some last week.

[whtbaron]

That rusty area where the new welding meets the old plate is still a little low but not bad. I quit with an imperfect surface rather than cover the tool steel plate with MIG weld that is probably a little softer. I bounced the hammer around on it and the rebound doesn't change much between the new surface and the old. Where it goes flat is the tail section where there is no metal underneath. My time has been devoted to hauling grain lately...have some contracts that need to get filled before year end.

[Joker11]

Where would one go to buy a new anvil of excellent quality nowadays? Someone must make them?

[whtbaron]

Something like this should be decent quality... didn't see any prices or shipping costs on the website though.

https://www.ridgid.com/ca/en/forged-anvils#dvTables


Looks like the big one could set you back over $2k on this side of the border. Should be cheaper if you are in the US.
http://ridgid.charlesjones.ca/conten.../Pxtm9ubr.html

[whtbaron]

This Hay Budden is supposed to have just sold in Brooklyn for $400. Doesn't look half bad as Ebay prices go.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/149Lb-Hay-Bu...p2047675.l2557

[DSW]

Where would one go to buy a new anvil of excellent quality nowadays? Someone must make them?

Nimba makes top quality anvils in Seattle. They are cast, but are made from tool steel that is then heat treated. The guys I know that have them tell me they are top notch.

There are also a few companies making fairer's anvils new, NC tool is one I can think of. A couple places in Europe also make new anvils that aren't junk.

[7A749]

Yeah, NC Tool sells their Calvary and other style anvils at a very reasonable cost. They mostly serve the farrier's trades, but I own one of their forges and some hot working tools. Everything is very high quality and I've been quite satisfied with what I've purchased from them.

They aren't really big, but for most general use stuff, I imagine they are going to be fine. You gotta be real careful buying "vintage" anvils. There's a lot of very unscrupulous ppl out there who sell bondo filled worn out anvils to the unsuspecting public or mislead you as to condition and quality. I got lucky with my 150 lb Hay Budden. I paid $350 for it and it's in pretty good shape. For the money tho, the NC anvils are a good value and high quality.

http://www.nctoolco.com

[Sprockmonster]

I got a 100 lb. hay budden from my uncle for free. First anvil I've owned, don't own a forge, or forging pliers/tongs.

Ive been bending flower leafs cut with my plasma cutter and using the hf 20 ton press to fold them to look like tulips.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[12345678910]

DSW,

I ain't read but the first few posts in this thread, but I can tell you that that there anvil, be it cast or not, disserves a fifth of Jack Single Barrel, and several dozen fresh hot donuts for that guy in blue.

I've experienced just one cop "buddy" that constantly showed up wanting me to fix/mod his Harley, his wife's car, make bumpers for his mud truck, help him steal stuff from work, and so on.....All that ended a few months ago when cop Clint showed up again to borrow my cherry picker yet again, and I told him it was for sale, and I'd rather sell it than wait months for him to return it. So he agreed to buy it and pay me next payday. I emphasized that I hated to let it go for that price, but I was recovering from surgery, needed additional surgery, and prolly had to retire early and needed the money NOW.

Fast forward to today, 8 months later, and I ain't seen the first sign of my "good cop buddy" that always could be counted on to show up-wake me up whenever he needed something done now and for free. I hunted him down twice at our old workplace since and demanded my money or the cherry picker, but he ain't coughed up neither.

Where I am at now with all this is, the very next time I see him, this old man is going to smile and approach him timing my steps, and punch him in the nose so hard he gives me a chance to then windmill his azz until I tucker out...And then stand over his cop butt and dare him to get up.

Where I'd rather share Jack Single Barrel Select and sticky hot donuts like I would with anyone I know, except this particular guy turned out to be a cop first, and shipmate last.

Na, that will land you in jail

Take him to court, or register a lein against him, that will shame him with his court and work mates

[7A749]

I got a 100 lb. hay budden from my uncle for free. First anvil I've owned, don't own a forge, or forging pliers/tongs.

Ive been bending flower leafs cut with my plasma cutter and using the hf 20 ton press to fold them to look like tulips.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hang on to it. They're quite valuable and will only increase in value as time goes on.

[whtbaron]

Hmmm.....looking into the Nimba prices.... 120 lbs is $975, 260 lbs $1805, and the 450 lb Gladiator is $2575. Chuckled a little when they mentioned "reasonable" shipping rates. Kinda like the other elephant in the room.
112 lb Calvary anvil from NC tool is $440 without the punch slot... $460 with.

[Dantheharleyman99]

Hang on to it. They're quite valuable and will only increase in value as time goes on.

Sssshhhhhhhhhh... Your not supposed to tell people that!!!!! It makes it harder for me to buy someone's "old rusty anvil"!!
Definitely hold on to that puppy! If you ever get into smithing as more than a once a month hobby you will be very thankful your uncle gave you such a good tool!

[NorOnt]

Finally got around to taking a pic, so I thought I'd add it to this green anvil thread... although the flash makes it look more blue than it really is. Think it came out pretty good.

Hope this isn't a hijack.

Saw your picture and thought it looked familiar. Mine looks the same but does not have any markings that I could see. I would guess its about 120 pounds, haven't lifted it in a few years. Has a chip on both edges but otherwise is in good shape. Price was good too; was on a demolition job and bought it off the contractor for $10, including the 3/4 inch steel base and wood pedestal. He said that was the minimum cost to cover the paperwork. Replaced the original rotten wood otherwise its the same as when I bought it.

Dimensions:
Overall length 26-1/2 in.
Top surface 4-1/2 x 16-3/4 in.
Height 11-1/2 in.

[whtbaron]

I looked at this one for about 15 yrs and never saw any markings either.... they didn't show up until I took the wire brush to it, and even then most of the markings are gone. They will likely be on the right hand side starting just below the hardened plate. Either the original builder was light with the stamps, or my grandfather was a pretty bad aim (which would explain a few things...). And you're right, that looks almost identical to my "before" pic, but your chips aren't as bad as the one that wasn't visible in my picture. I like your stand...might have to copy that some day. I should have reshot that pic in the sunlight, it looks really gross in that ugly blue color... thankfully in real life it isn't that bad.