Any leads on a Fisher anvil? Eastern KY

R

Rob Cole

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Jul 18, 2010
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I was going to pick one up this weekend but the deal fell through. A good Anvil is hard to find in this part of the country! I've been scouring C-list and Ebay.

I need a Fisher to keep my neighbors from throwing rocks at me, unless there is another "quiet" brand out there that I don't know about yet.
 
By coincidence just the other night I looked at all 20-some pages, 200 listings to the page (!!) of anvil listings, on Ebay, and saw one 86-pound Fisher currently at $340, and a 120-pound Fisher-Norris at $440. Forget if these were bids or "buy it now" prices. Pricey little devils, ain't they?
 
Ive seen a couple from time to time at Bull Creek flea market in P-burg. Its not too far from you. If you take 80 east, when you get to Prestonsburg just turn north on 23 and its about a 1/4 mile on the right.

Sean
 
They are indeed expensive. It is hard enough to find any anvil in this area, let alone a specific maker. I had one lined up for today but missed it by a few hours.

Sean, thanks for the heads up, I'll give it a try. I've tried the Hazard and London flea markets with no success so far.

There is a 300 pounder on ebay but half of the face is broken off.
 
You can mount an anvil on a bed of silicone sealant and it will deaden the ring. You can hang a weight from the horn by a leather strap and it will deaden the ring. You can stick a big speaker magnet or two on the side of the anvil to deaden the ring. I live far from neighbors so it does not matter, but when my PW gets on my nerves I stick a cuffed welding glove onto the horn, which also cuts the ring considerably.

I did have a 150# Fisher for a while. They are probably my favorite anvil, the lack of ring is good but I love how they rebound. The best IMO.

Vulcan brand anvils don't ring much, but they are not that great quality wise. They have a hardened top, but I've seen a lot of them with the faces cracked or broken off.
 
Eastern, Ky is no blacksmiths happy hunting ground. Thats for sure.We'er in Floyd co..We have combed all over the eastern part of the state for years and I have found three anvils worth buying. A 200 pound fisher that Lisa bought about three years ago in Morehead, a super nice Arm&Hammer bought from a kid in Johns creek and a Hay budden that came from the scrap yard in Salyersville. Ive seen about three or four at the flea markets and they have always been beat to death, broken and/or sway backed. Not to mention prices that made my heart hurt :eek: Dont get me wrong I dont mind paying a respectable price but not $300 for a broken heeled 100# vulcan.A lot of our flea marketers have that "Collectors syndrome". We did find a very nice champion blower at the new flea market above bull creek last summer. Our swage block had to be ordered and both our leg vises came from the western part of Kentucky. A 4" and big ol' 6"..
You might want to get up with the South Eastern Kentucky Blacksmiths Association. They may be able to help..
Also there is a few tricks to deaden the sound. Large magnets under the heel and 15' of chain wrapped around the waist will deaden the sound a lot..Our Arm&Hammer is a forged anvil, you can hear it ring the next hollar over if you dont wrap the waist with chain :D
If you have been to the jenny wiley festival you have seen Lisa set selling wares..
I talked to a guy in Western Ky the other day who had a 130 pound anvil for sale. He is reasonable on his shipping. You can email me and Ill help you get in touch with him. It might help..
 
Thanks Ky, Ill send you an email. I'm in Nashville this weekend, and we are going to try the big flea market they have at the fairgrounds. If not an anvil, hopefully there will be something useful there.
 
No problem, I sent you the numbers..I know how hard it is finding smithing tools around here..Then you have to get around the collectors mentality when you do find them..
I saw a old 75# vulcan with half the face plate gone last summer at bull creek and the guy wanted $200 for it :confused:
You might also try running a "wanted" ad in the big sandy trader..Its free...BUT if someone calls you about a 400-500 pound anvil I get first crack..LOL
 
I have a 185 pound Fisher stamped 1896 in near perfect condition.






But it's not for sale. :D

Sorry, I know that was NO help whatsoever.

They are really nice anvils though with excellent rebound as Salem said.

Hope you find what you're looking for.
 
Yeah Fred, that's it in the foreground, right? That blocky heel is a dead giveaway. Not do derail the thread...
 
Salem Straub said:
Yeah Fred, that's it in the foreground, right? That blocky heel is a dead giveaway. Not do derail the thread...
Click to expand...

Most of its history it resided in the Charleston WV train roundhouse.

Anvils with a history add something to the steel.

Fred
 
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