[TheForge] big anvil

[Phlip]

Shannell skrev:
> I really dont get it, weve got a nice , large garden and Id never think of
> putting industrial equipment in it to "jazz" it up, Ive never seen one
> displayed in such a way either, mabey its a U.S. thing??

Well, Shannell, it's part of a peculiar US thing, a result of too much
money, and not much sense. It seems that people around here like to express
their individuality by doing just like everyone else.

Over the last few years, there has been more garbage manufactured and sold
for gardens in the US than you would believe. For the less wealthy sorts,
every garden seems to sprout a cement critter, at least one painted wooden
butterfly, a silouhette of some guy smoking a pipe, and frequently his dog,
plastic whirligig daisies, usually with one or more petals missing, an
elderly, fat person bent over working in the garden, and at least one
chipmunk crossing sign. It's an outgrowth of plastic pink flamingos, and
black sambo horse hostlers.

When you get into the wealthier sorts, there's more of an antique type of
flair. Rustic wooden benches, never used hand pumps, and anvils will form
the centerpiece of their gardens, and they can say, "Yes, that's a genuine
Peter Wright anvil, from England. I don't know how old it is, but I got it
for only $3500 dollars! It was a real steal!!!!"

The same syndrome is why it's almost impossible to find a cast iron
rendering pot in the US. They've all had holes drilled in them and been
filled with flowers. People like Martha Stewart make their livings out of
convincing people how artistic old junk can look in your garden-
unfortunately, much of it isn't old junk.

An Amish friend of mine was interested in an old farm wagon he'd heard
about, sitting in someone's front yard for sale, so I stopped next time I
was up that way, and priced it for him- $2000, and while all the fittings
were fixable, they'd have taken a lot of love and oil.

Myself, I rescued a cast iron cauldron from some twit who wanted to grow
flowers in it. The guy wanted to out bid me, but I'd worked out a deal with
the owner, just before he arrived. When I came back to pick it up, the
seller told me privately, that yes, he could have used the extra $100 the
guy was willing to pay, but it had been his grandmother's, and he'd much
rather it got used for its intended purpose. It's the big one in our camp at
Pennsic, Johan, or have you seen it yet?

I also picked up a big copper apple butter pot at a yard sale for $10. Still
need to do some work on the rim, but I've already gotten the three little
holes in the bottom brazed shut ;-) Both of these are 32" + in diameter-
they're quite appropriate for our Household, the Soup Pot Cook's
Assiciation.

But as I said, Shannell, it's a gig where people with too much money and not
enough sense are trying to be elegant- piss elegant, my mother calls it.

Phlip