The smaller 250 pound anvil you see in the foreground, is the only one i know of that was ever cast at the factory with the smiths name cast into it. The large anvil with a horn is a Peter Wright, 440 pound. It was orginally on a sailing ship, then Pullman Rail car bought it, then when they went out of biz i ended up with it. the first photo is of my forging room. I mainly use a propane forge but have a small coal forge, since that is what i trained myself on. Many years later a few of us got togther to develope a propanr forge as it is cleaner etc for most people. Thats a 1904 Koken barber chair that i use for my shop guest chair.
Thank you. I love the motto. I hope that everything in your life has the pointy end going away from you. Good of a prayer as I have ever heard. A nice collection of anvils and I would love to hear the story on the Bowers with the Jerry Fisk on the casting. That is something you don't usually see. Was it made for you? The bladesmith is also interesting. One picture and I can already see many very interesting stories. The chair as well. Barber or dentist? The sign, old but new, comment on society in an off hand way. Will never see it but I already love your shop. Clean and clear with just the right amount of organized clutter. Neat and clearly a place where someone really works and not just a collection of tools for viewing.
None of them ring. They all have a bed of sand, even the one on blocks has a sand pad. The straps are just to hold it on an anvil.
Yes, the anvil was made for me and they went out of biz about 6 months later. The barber chair came to my small town in 1905. My granddad, dad, us boys, my kids and grandkids have all had their hair cut in it. It was the first year of the white ceramic base.
I use a 100 pound air hammer and a 60 ton press for most things but some work can only be done with a hammer in your hand. I have 2 grinders. 2x72 belts. I normally use 60 grit, 120, 320 and 600 belts. Anything further i use pads and hand sand to polish. Belts are about $9 to $11 each. Some pieces i actually draw file and sand only by hand to get what i need.
Mr Fisk ,, that is a really nice shop ,, I really appreciate you showing us your office . Seeing the pics of your shop ,, really brings out the appreciation, and respect for your talents . There's a lot of history in that shop ,, I asked for a few pics of your tools ,, and you've given way more than I expected ,,, thank you very much ,,the shop and the tools are just as beautiful as your work . Really nice ,, thank you .
My thanks as well for sharing your shop images! One of my grandsons is starting with welding/blacksmithing. his mom (My DD) & I went halfsies on his big anvil. So happy he has chosen the Trades to make his way through life.
Do you find it much easier to keep a neutral flame with the propane? My grand dad tried to teach me about fires in the forge. All I can really recall was that with coal it is quite an art. Do it wrong and you could very quickly ruin the steel. I would expect it would be easier. My great grandad I was told usually made his horse shoes from bar stock. My grand dad could make them from scratch as well. He usually bought them or it seemed to me they just grew in his shop. When I was a small child, early 1940"s with war and all, most of the farms still used horses, and as a 6 year old I loved to see it all happen. My dad did hot shoeing and could fit a shoe. My brother could cold shoe and did, I watched but went into electronics instead of farming. I could check out the hoof and tell when they needed shoeing. My sons, grand children, and great grand children don't really know what a horse is. I have a picture someplace of the home farm about 1915 or so. They had a cow barn and a horse barn. At that time and in the picture there were over 30 horses and mules on the farm. I can remember riding on a grain binder with a 4 horse team and they used a 4 horse team for plowing as well. 30 horses and mules, used mules mostly for logging, much better in woods than a horse, and cultivating corn. They don't step on the corn. Horses, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys. now they have 1 dog and two cats for the whole farm. The do have a couple hundred thousand dollar combine and over a hundred thousand tractor. The blacksmith in town in the 1940's had as I recall it what they called a trip hammer hammer and when dad took the plow points and grub hoes down to be reforged, he would use it. I loved to watch it. Thank you for sharing and I love to hear the history of your pieces, knives and tools. Love that barber chair.
