The Armour Archive

have come accross an old anvil and would like to find out a bit about it,
its double ended,
very square without the usual waist and feet and has a huge lug on the base to mount it on something.
I got it at the local auction with the piece of timber it fits on and here are the aprox measurements

length overall 30"
height 11"
width 6"
length of body 14"
and I expect a weight of 2 cwt ( about 100kg ).

here are a few pix, I could not find any maker or other markings on it apart from the rought surface it has mostly.

when I described it to someone they said it was a 'London' pattern anvil but when I told them of the base they said it was not a london but may be something old with a specific purpose.
any ideas anyone?

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v170/hodgesaargh/anvil3.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v170/hodgesaargh/anvil2.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v170/hodgesaargh/anvil1.jpg[/img]

It is mine, please mail it to me, out of the goodness of your heart.

wonder what it would cost you to have it sent by airmail
or would you rather collect it in person?

have not tried it out yet but may take it to a large event here this weekend to see if I get anyone wanting to force me to take large ammounts of money for it.

Go to http://www.purgatoryironworks.com/ and ask there, there are some really knowledgable people on those forums and they like to help a lot.

try rubbing it with a piece of chalk to bring out any markings - it looks like a field anvil for a traveling shop

I'm gonna go TOTALLY out on a limb and say it's a shop anvil, from a production line type-joint of some sort. That spur for seating it makes me think "quick change" and "replacement" rather strongly.

I know there were tons of em at the Bethlehem Steel (literally) and other places, used for various purposes, as well as locomotive shops, boilerworks, etc.

And London Pattern would, to my knowledge, be narrower at the "wide part" and longer horns.

It's dead on for a Spanish "bigornia" (two horn) anvil pictured in Southwestern Colonial Ironwork by Marc Simmons and Frank Turley, right down to the tang that is inleted directly into the stump.

(ISBN 0-89013-127-9 [clothbound] -7 [paperbound]; LoC 79-66181)

thank you for the help guys

Dang... I just love treasure hunts.
Last week I bought a sight unseen 70 pounder for $100.00 delivered.
I now have an outside anvil on a big stump.

I think you have a very old anvil.
Send to me and I can use it for the keystone in my armour scraps creek dam.

Hal

this one cost me nearly the same ammount and I collected it from 7 miles away, it is probably 200 to 250 lbs.

if you want it Hal you are welcome to call in this morning and pick it up ( as long as you can carry it all the way home )

The Iron Dwarf wrote:this one cost me nearly the same ammount and I collected it from 7 miles away, it is probably 200 to 250 lbs.

if you want it Hal you are welcome to call in this morning and pick it up ( as long as you can carry it all the way home )

You funny guy.
I struggle with a 70 pounder.
I bet you watch Benny Hill Show.
We watch road runner cartoons.
And we know what an anvil is to be used for.

Hal

road runners are good ( wonder what they taste like )
I will have trouble lifting this to load it in my van to take to an event, will either walk it up a plank or use a hoist.
we dont get many coyotes round here to squash though.

If I had to lift it and place it in the back of a pick up truck.
I would drive the truck under the A-Frame hoist and lower the anvil.

Putting it in a van is not such a good idea.
How about a 12 volt winch with 1/4" stainless steel cables?

Use an angle iron ramp welded and sized to fit the anvil.

Attach the winch a few feet from the transition point.
This apparatus will sit in the van back cargo space and provide a ramp.

Dang now you got me thinking like Red Green.

Hal

PS: Roadrunners taste like chicken, only a touch gamey.
Season with lemon pepper and garlic salt.
Grill over medium coals till golden done.

dont have a pick up, just a small van but if lifting it with a hoist I could get it over half way in and then walk it the rest.
I do have a small hydraulic trolley but dont know yet if that will do it but may try later today.

it is 8am here and im off to work now, getting ready for a major event here where im selling tools etc

Perhaps one of these is the ticket.



We call them Engine Hoist.

Best of luck moving your treasure.
And profitable sales.

Hal

Looks like a nice anvil, might swing by your stall and take a peek

well my hydraulic trolley lifted it and will be at the event with me, im at Kelmarsh in the historic traders market and you could collect at a later date from my workshop 8 miles away if you wanted.
( also have a few new stakes for you to take a look at ).

the only 2 problems with an engine hoist Hal is
A) I dont have one and
B) probably would not be able to get it in my van with all my other stock

Don't have any cash to buy anything i'm afraid, will happily oggle .

You could hire one from HSS there not that expensive and I think that you can pick one up in Northampton and then drop it off at another one somewhere else.

You'd need to check though.

It is a nice anvil. I love mine. I may have a leg vice going soon. As I can't find space to put it.

Alixx

So, my question is: how did a Spanish anvil get to your sunny shores? It's not the sort of thing folks casually leave behind, or tote back home as souvenirs. There's a fascinating story there, somewhere.

dont know the story, in the next town the local auction place had it, they sell anything you want them too.
I can ask them to pass on my address to the previous owner and see if they contact me, it may be from a house clearance and it certainly has not had any recent use

Since the London Pattern is characterized by a single horn and a projecting heel I can't think what the other guy was thinking!

Note that the "Italian style" anvil often does not have a waist and does have 2 horns; however many continental anvils share those features.. If it was footed I would be tempted to rob a bank...

Thomas

I know little about the various types but have learnt a bit more due to this thread and for that I am gratefull, I could only go by what a friend told me after I described it over the phone