[TheForge] Searching for an anvil and a kiln

[Peter Hirst]

Anvils scrapped for WWII :

I'm not convinced sure it was even significant.  I have seen it repeated a 
lot, but I have  never seen any authoritative first hand data or even  a 
reliable estimate.on it.  What I have seen sounds more like urban myth and 
assumnption.  Hey maybe that's a new Old Wive's Tale:  "you can't find a 
good anvil today because they were all scrapped for the war effort. 
Everybody knows that".    I suspect even the lower of the estimates.  I 
think the apparent scarcity has more to do with packratting (fueled by the 
assumption that they are rare due to wartime scrap drives!!!) than actual 
scrapping.  Remember, farming was considered a strategiclly vital part of 
the war effort, and I can't believe that many farms would give up an 
essential tool .  It would be like scrapping your wrenches, hoping the local 
mechaic hadn't been drafted yet and wouldn't be.

Nigh and off anvils:

Obviously, the nigh anvil is the one that responds quicker  to "gee!!!"  and 
"haw!" when I need a little  more right or left angle on the horn.   She 
backs and sidesteps, nicely too, so I never have to chase the iron on her. 
The other one just knows "sit" and  "stay".  They weren't broken  together, 
and they're two years apart in age.  They just look alike.

:-)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Spencer" <mspencer at tallships.ca>
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 11:31 AM
Subject: [TheForge] Searching for an anvil and a kiln


>
> "Peter Hirst" <saltydog335 at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Fisher alone sold some 400,000 anvils over its lifetime...
>
> Any guess what percentage of farm anvils went to the scrap yard in WW II?
>
>> ...I have acquired two matched pairs of Fishers...
>
> How do you tell the nigh anvil from the off anvil?  ;-)
>
>
>
> - Mike
>
> -- 
> Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~.
>                                                           /V\
> mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
> http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^
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