| Keith S. Rucker - Fisher Anvil Works | ||||
Of all of the American anvil
manufactures, perhaps the one with the most history attached to it is that of
the Fisher and Norris Eagle Anvil Works. This
is for good reason. Not only was
this company the first successful anvil manufacturer in the U.S., but they also
managed to last longer than any of their competition - they were the last of the major manufactures to stop producing anvils.
The Fisher and Norris Eagle Anvil was founded in 1843 and produced anvils through December 14 1979 – a total of 136 years. It is estimated that during their long history that they produced over 400,000 anvils – more than any other American anvil maker.
A clear difference between anvils made by Fisher was in the basic construction. Most conventional anvils are made of a wrought-iron body and a steel face. Anvils made by Fisher were different in that they were made with a body of cast iron with a welded steel face. By and large, most smiths prefer the wrought iron bodied anvils for the simple reason that they have the characteristic “ring” when working on them. Fisher anvil, by comparison, have more of a “thunk” sound when struck. On a wrought bodied anvil, a “thunk” sound is an indication that the anvil is “dead” or in other words, the weld between the face and the body has broken. For this reason, many people, even to this day, mistake Fisher anvils as being inferior in quality and are often passed over.
One advantage the Fisher anvils had over their counterparts is that they did not settle in the face or belly like all wrought-iron anvils would do over time when put to heavy use. Regardless of the “ring” issue, there is no mistake to the fact that Fisher anvils were preferred by many blacksmiths, industries, and even the United States Government, which is evident by the fact that they continued to buy and depend on the anvil that became to be know as “Old Reliable.”
1843 – Mark Fisher founds The Fisher Anvil Works in Newport Maine.
1847 – William Martin, Jr. and Mark Fisher receive a patent for “Improvements in Welding Cast Iron to Malleable Iron or Steel.”
By 1853 – The company had moved to Trenton, New Jersey and acquired a new partner and backer, Mr. John H. Norris. Thereafter the company was know as “Fisher & Norris, “Eagle” Anvil Works”.
1853 – Mark Fisher and John Norris receive a patent titled “Apparatus for Polishing Anvils”
1871 – Mark Fisher dies.
1872 – John Norris dies. Clark Fisher, Mark’s son, becomes manager of the Eagle Anvil Works.
1876 – The Fisher and Norris company displayed the “largest anvil in the world” at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was written in many accounts that the anvil weighed 1600 lbs, however photographs of the display at the exposition clearly show the anvil weighing 1400 lbs.
1884 – Clark Fisher receives patent for improvements to his Anvils.
1887 – Clark Fisher receives a second patent for improvements in anvils.
1900 – Clark Fisher dies leaving Harriet Fisher, Mark’s daughter manager and owner of the company.
1909 – The company advertises that it had 300,000 anvils in use.
1961 – The company was sold to Crossley Machine Company.
1979 – The company ceases operations. A final order for 100 anvils for the U.S. Government was the last anvils made.
The source of information for much of the above article came from the book Anvils in America by Richard A Postman. This excellent resource is a must for anybody interested in anvils.
From the beginning of the companies
existence, the trade mark for Fisher and Norris was an Eagle holding an Anchor.
There were several variations of this trademark over the years but the
basic design was always the same. Fisher
and Norris was proud of their trademark and stated in many advertisements that
the Eagle had to be there if it was a genuine Fisher anvil.
There have been, however, several documented example of Fisher and Norris
anvils that were missing the trademark.
The weight of the anvil was generally cast in relief on Fisher anvils made after about 1880 on the top of the foot, away from the body and next to the horn. Anvils were sold in 10-pound increments under 200 pounds, 25 pound increments up to 300 pounds, 50 pound increments up to 500 pounds and 100 pound increments over 500 pounds. For the most part, the last digit of the weight was left off of many anvils. Hence, and anvil marked 20 would actually weigh 200 lbs.
Many of the fisher anvils were also dated with the year they were cast under the heel of the anvil. Not all anvils have this feature (my 400 pounder does not) but it sure comes in real handy when trying to date an anvil.
Photos of the Fisher & Norris display at the 1876 Centennial Exposition
How Anvils Are Made - an article dated 1890 from the book Practical Blacksmithing which talks about how Fisher Anvils were made.
e-mail: krucker@friendlycity.net