Thread: 2/3 of an Anvil

Went out today to try and decipher the lettering on the anvil.

I ground up some speedy dry into powder to try and highlight it.
What I read is somewhat puzzling to me.
Reading normally from left to right the first word is ATTWOOD and it is stamped up-side down??
The second word is JOSEPH.
The letters are all upper case and close to 1/2 inch.
This leads me to believe that it was haphazardly stamped by the owner??
If anyone knows any different, please let me know.
There is a set of what I think are small numbers underneath that are unreadable.

As far as how hard it is, I really have no idea and don't know how to tell.
It does ring when struck with a hammer.

Pete <:-}

Originally Posted by petercp4e

Went out today to try and decipher the lettering on the anvil.

I ground up some speedy dry into powder to try and highlight it.
What I read is somewhat puzzling to me.
Reading normally from left to right the first word is ATTWOOD and it is stamped up-side down??
The second word is JOSEPH.
The letters are all upper case and close to 1/2 inch.
This leads me to believe that it was haphazardly stamped by the owner??
If anyone knows any different, please let me know.
There is a set of what I think are small numbers underneath that are unreadable.

As far as how hard it is, I really have no idea and don't know how to tell.
It does ring when struck with a hammer.

Pete <:-}

Since I know little to nothing about anvils I'm wondering if the lettering is Stamped (recessed) then it would be logical to believe the owner had put his name on it. However if they are cast (raised) then I would think that would have been done when the anvil was manufactured.

About 'hardness' use a ball bearing (I can buy individual ones locally here in WW) and drop it from about 6 inches from the anvil. It should pop back almost to where you dropped it. You can also use a ruler to see how far it bounces up.

If you have a piece of heavy steel, do the same and you'll see that the bearing won't come close to what it does on the anvil.

Thanks Roy.
FYI the lettering is stamped, and very evenly.
Looks like it was done a hundred years ago.
I'll see if I can come up with a ball bearing.
The hammer bounces rather nicely.

Pete <:-}

The more ya hit it, the harder it gets, I bet.

Originally Posted by petercp4e

Went out today to try and decipher the lettering on the anvil.

I ground up some speedy dry into powder to try and highlight it.
What I read is somewhat puzzling to me.
Reading normally from left to right the first word is ATTWOOD and it is stamped up-side down??
The second word is JOSEPH.
The letters are all upper case and close to 1/2 inch.
This leads me to believe that it was haphazardly stamped by the owner??
If anyone knows any different, please let me know.
There is a set of what I think are small numbers underneath that are unreadable.

As far as how hard it is, I really have no idea and don't know how to tell.
It does ring when struck with a hammer.

Pete <:-}

I know there was an English anvil maker called Attwood, but I don't know about the "Joseph" part. And as for the upside-down... drunk apprentice at the foundry maybe?

However, if you do have a 19th-century English anvil, then I suspect you'll be pretty happy with it!

Originally Posted by AlanQ

when its -15 you play hockey or ski you dont swing a hammer

Also, I take issue with Roy's chart and its assertion that BBQing in Canada winds down when it freezes. My personal record for BBQing is -28c with a windchill of -40 something on a Boxing Day outside of Winnipeg several years ago.



Sorry Pete - I'll stop with the now.

Originally Posted by AlanQ

when its -15 you play hockey or ski you dont swing a hammer

Them hockey players do wear big gloves.

How cold is it when a puck shatters?

IIRC, Joseph Attwood was an English anvil maker in the late 1800s. His label is stamped upside down to differentiate him from the other Attwood making anvils at the same time.
If you really want to know about it, ask over at https://www.iforgeiron.com/
those nuts chase down anvil history as if anvils were straightrazors instead of just a tool.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

IIRC, Joseph Attwood was an English anvil maker in the late 1800s. His label is stamped upside down to differentiate him from the other Attwood making anvils at the same time.
If you really want to know about it, ask over at https://www.iforgeiron.com/
those nuts chase down anvil history as if anvils were straightrazors instead of just a tool.

I am constantly impressed with the knowledge folks on SRP have about fairly obscure topics and the lengths they will go to chase it down just to share with another member,

Kudos.

Originally Posted by 32t

Them hockey players do wear big gloves.

How cold is it when a puck shatters?

No one knows
Jockey straps shatter before the pucks (harder rubber)and well when the strap goes its time for beer