Got a 150# Fisher anvil today

Brian Ayres

Brian Ayres

Joined
Feb 4, 2011
Messages
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TheGeek e-mailed me with a CL posting today. I am off for a week after surgery for a Ventral Hernia repair Wednesday. I have an app on my iPhone, but the guys post didn't show on my searches this morning or yesterday.... Thanks Geek!!! :D:D:D:D

I called the guy and he said he had a 150# Fisher for sale still and a smaller Armitage/Mousehole. He said there was a guy coming at 1:00 to buy the Fisher....
I got there at 12:30....:rolleyes::eek::cool: (sorry man).... $300 and it was mine. Not a steal, but considering it's rebound and my love for Fishers it was cheap. :p It was made in 1907.

The trick was getting it in my truck without lifting it and the guy was 80 so he wasn't much help. Managed to get it on my handtruck and wheel it up my ramp into my truck!!

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Here it is with my 1913 300# Fisher....

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Look, they're buddies!

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I picked up a 107# 1-1/2" plate for the base for my 300# Fisher last week and was going round and round about the height to mount it...:confused: The Fisher had so much better rebound than my 119# Kohlswa that I was going to mount the 300# 35" high for bladsmithing but that wouldn't let me use it for striking and using top tools.

I bought a 61# 1-1/2"x13"x13" plate for the stand for the Kohlswa last week too that I can now use for the 150# Fisher.

It's amazing. Both Fishers have around 95% rebound. Drop a ball bearing from 15" and all you have to do is slightly open your fingers to catch it on the rebound. While it's a good anvil, the Kohlswa only has around 80-85% rebound....:rolleyes:

Going to weld up a couple new stands next week when I'm cleared for lifting by the Dr.

I'll mount the 300# around 32" and the 150# closer to 35-1/2". :):)

Thanks again Geek! I owe you.
 
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Made my stand today. 35" High to the face. Tri-pod style with a 1-1/2"x13"x13" top plate.

I have a 107# 1-1/2" thick plate for the stand for my 300# Fisher that I'll weld up next week. I'll mount my 300# anvil at 30" high for striking and using top tools.
 
Thanks Phil!
I put a piece of heavy(1/2") tar roofing material under it. I think I'll take my razor knife to it and trim it around the base so I don't get smoked out if I drop a blade on it. The thought was it would keep the stand from ringing, I snagged a bunch of random U-bolts from the shop and will add more after I use it if I find I need more tongs and hammers at hand.

I welded up the foot pads pretty well. Some of the stands this one is based upon have sand and oil in the legs to stop ringing. I am not getting any ringing as is, but it's a Fisher and they don't ring, so not much to transmit into the stand. I can easily drill a hole with a hole saw and add sand and oil if I get bored.

I only had a 120v Millermatic 135 to weld it with so I set up a heat gun on the 1-1/2" plate an hour before welding it and had it pre-heated to 400 degrees or so and the little welder got pretty decent penetration I'll do a couple more spot welds with a 220 welder on the connection to the 1-1/2" plate when I buy one in the next couple of months.
 
Nice score with your Fisher. Here's a couple of pics of my Fisher 200 pounder, made in 1913.
 

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Two Fisher's are better than one Fisher.

I am fortunate to have a 300 lb Fisher as my main anvil in my smithy. Its dead quite with great rebound. It came out of the CSX RxR roundhouse in Charleston WV.
 
Nice acquisition! My first real anvil was an OLD 150# Fisher- while the edges were pretty chipped, the rebound was great. I kind of wish I hadn't gotten rid of it. Come to think of it, I got that one for $290 so pretty close to what you paid. I felt it was a pretty decent deal.
 
Brian,

I just read your other post about watching the edge gap when grinding. I found that interesting as I struggle with flat grinds on a dropped point. I was going to e-mail you a question about your approach.
Then I see this thread and found we share more than knife making & photography etc...
I have had a ventral hernia repair, I had surgery today (Wednesday) to remove my gallbladder (septic last week from obstucted duct) and I have a similar Fisher and a 300 pound...well close, not a Fisher but a Trenton.
My operation went well, I hope yours did as well
Dean from Boise, Idaho
 
deloid said:
Brian,

I just read your other post about watching the edge gap when grinding. I found that interesting as I struggle with flat grinds on a dropped point. I was going to e-mail you a question about your approach.
Then I see this thread and found we share more than knife making & photography etc...
I have had a ventral hernia repair, I had surgery today (Wednesday) to remove my gallbladder (septic last week from obstucted duct) and I have a similar Fisher and a 300 pound...well close, not a Fisher but a Trenton.
My operation went well, I hope yours did as well
Dean from Boise, Idaho
Click to expand...

Mine went well. Back to work today. Light duty.When it comes to grinding I'm mostly parroting what I've been taught as I only have a dozen blades ground to date. But I've had good teachers. So they get credit for anyone's grinding success and I'll take any blame for a failure to explain it clearly.

I finished profiling a batch of 5 similar drop point hunters and am grinding the bevels the next couple days while healing up until I have the all clear to start wielding a hammer.

I grew up in Boise. Went to West JR High and Borah High(for a few weeks)... Moved to Portland when I got married twenty years ago.

I'll be in Boise Nivember 10th n 11th for the Rocky Mountain Knife Show.
 
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