Anvil Serial Numbers

A good friend gave me this Anvil.We laughed because we couldn't understand how anyone could break an anvil.I figured I could use it for what I do.I googled TREXTON and discovered Trenton then found they were a welded assembly to begin with.But this weld on this anvil is so ROUGH.I wonder if it HAD been broken and rewelded. What do you think? Original construction? There are a few deposits from an arc welder on the anvil face.Could all this nasty on the anvil waist be from striking a stinger? Also what do the numbers indicate?

• Mouse Hole Anvil Serial Numbers
• Trenton Anvils

Weight and serial #? Anvils with welds at the 'waist' of the body were forge welded.

The forge weld was made under steam hammers. I am unfamiliar with Trenton anvils, however, a lot of older anvils (Hay Budden, Peter Wright coming to mind) were made with wrought iron bodies. The wrought iron was cut into short bars and forge welded to form two large lumps. These were forged the approximate shape of the top and bottom of the anvil body and horn. Once these pieces were rough-forged, they were forge welded at the waist. The anvil was then forged to nearly final shape, and the steel face plate was forge welded on.

This face plate was then quenched to harden it.I admit to not knowing how Trenton anvils were made. A common method was to pour the body of the anvil with something like malleable iron or semi steel, incorporating a tool steel face plate in the casting. The face plate had 'lugs' to 'key' the face plate mechanically to the anvil body.Looking at the weld in the photos, I do not think the weld was run when the anvil was originally made. It has a typical weld bead with a wide weave, and there are 'dingleberries' as would come from a poorly run stick weld or MIG weld. My belief is the anvil had been broken at the waist and re-welded. I wonder as to the material of the anvil body.

A weld on cast iron or semi steel would be run with a nickel-based repair rod, and would appear brighter than the base metal and not so neat of a bead. The weld was run using a mild steel filler rod.

This would point to the body of the anvil being a mild steel or semi-steel casting.Wrought iron is not the easiest material to weld using welding processes such as stick or MIG. It has a stringy kind of structure with slag laying in the laminations. Forge welding is the best process for welding wrought iron. Stick welding with a small diameter electrodes using low heat will work, but some of the entrained slag in the wrought iron will often float up into the weld pool. Oxyacetylene welding is a process which can give a good weld on wrought iron as the welder can work the puddle to fuse in the wrought iron and float up the slag. Either way, welding wrought iron by processes other than forge welding is a somewhat difficult proposition.Whoever welded this anvil at the waist seems to have gotten a good weld, with good fusion and no undercut.

As I said, I plead ignorance as to the material the body of a Trenton anvil would be made from, but the appearance of the anvil (parting line on the beak or horn of the anvil seems to point to some kind of casting. Possibly, the body was cast from a mild steel or semi-steel to 'take weld' as it did. Interesting bit of detective work to determine how the anvil was made. I have seen numerous Trenton anvils arc welded at the waist, a big wide weld because they probably started in the center. Often the weld isn't ground down at all and the round grinder marks here suggest.

This weld may have been dressed by a previous owner, since the rest of the anvil has straight grinding marks. I'm pretty sure they come from the factory this way, I've only ever seen one anvil broken at the waist and don't really have any idea how that would have happened.Numbers on the feet of the anvil, like this one, are usually serial numbers or other identifiers. It may contain the weight information as well, since it's not marked anywhere. Have you weighed the anvil and, if so, does it correspond with the hundred on the foot?Trentons are good anvils, one of my favorites.

I'd run a wire brush over it and get to work. Hi Lester,According to Anvils in America, it's a Trenton anvil, made by Columbus Forge & Iron, Columbus OH.The 'Trexton' bit was from a screwed up punch that they ran with for a number of years.The weld is original. The Trentons were a two piece design, electro-welded together at the waist.

Top is tool steel, bottom is cast (something). Top was done in loose drop hammer dies, so it'll have 'parting lines' but they may shimmy around a bit.

Look at the bottom of the horn, that area was left unground from the factory. Your serial # of 212804 puts you solidly in the middle of WW2: 285= 1943-April of 1945.They're good anvils, so refinish the table if you feel the need and go to town. The waist weld has held for 70+ years, so I wouldn't worry about it.Congratulations, you've got a keeper.Regards,Brian. The 'Trexton' bit was from a screwed up punch that they ran with for a number of years.The weld is original.Trenton used several different logo styles through their manufacturing history.

Going beyond what A.I.A. Has for Trenton information, the last few years I have been putting together a logo stamp database for Trenton anvils (as well as lots of other anvil history uncovering). I'm assigning the serial number ranges for each style of stamp. It has been a fun project! The bit in A.I.A. About the Trexton X stamp being a worn out replaced stamp is false.Once you see all the different Trenton logo stamps styles in order of manufacturing use, you can easily see the evolution and transformation to the last style of stamp that closely resembles an X for the middle N character. The style previous to the one shown here also has a stylized middle N character, but not as drastic as this version.

That anvil was repaired. Trenton anvils are Forge welded assemblies using steam hammers, no cast iron.

Mouse Hole Anvil Serial Numbers

Carl & Sy Wright started the company (great grand cousins or grand cousins of Peter Wright). If you look at the cover of Anvils in America, by Postman, that is a painting of Carl & Sy making an anvil (I forget the name of the 3rd person).That weld is definitely one done by a big welder, over 300 amps, by the width of the bead and the size of the snot under the horn. Probably still usable, but can almost guarantee they lost the temper of the work surface (that would explain the marked up surface).I have a 158# Trenton that was built in 1926, and she is a great anvil. Great rebound with the piercing ring that some have (strong but mellow, unlike some I have seen where you feel it in your bones). The Trentons tend to have better proportions (IMHO) than most, they tend have longer horns and tails, than others of the same weight.

Wish mine had such a clear maker stamp.Rich C. Thanks for posting the pics of the logo stamp and serial number!Trenton used several different logo styles through their manufacturing history. Going beyond what A.I.A. Has for Trenton information, the last few years I have been putting together a logo stamp database for Trenton anvils (as well as lots of other anvil history uncovering). I'm assigning the serial number ranges for each style of stamp. It has been a fun project!

Revisions (posted Aug–2008) A-C D-N O-S T-Z Commentary (amended Dec–2008). First Supplement. Revisions (posted Dec–2008) A-C D-N O-S T-Z. Usp 32 pharmacopoeia. General Notices 1. General Notices. Applying to Standards, Tests. Pharmacopeia (USP) and the National Formulary (NF).

The bit in A.I.A. About the Trexton X stamp being a worn out replaced stamp is false.Once you see all the different Trenton logo stamps styles in order of manufacturing use, you can easily see the evolution and transformation to the last style of stamp that closely resembles an X for the middle N character. The style previous to the one shown here also has a stylized middle N character, but not as drastic as this version.Yeah, I never quite bought the 'screwed up stamp' theory. For a week, while you get a new stamp made, maybe. No.And the 'X' isn't the kind of thing that a damaged stamp, or fouled up stamp would produce. Too crisp, and negative lines in areas where they wouldn't have been in an 'N' stamp. So the 'X' is deliberate.

But I've always wondered why.The only thing that comes to mind is that the 'Trenton' mark was actually an idea based on their NYC distributor owning the 'Trenton' brand name from a previous company that went under c. 1900, and wanting to capitalize on that when CF&I started making anvils, rather than CF&I inventing a new name. OK, playing forward from there, there was already an anvil company.in. Trenton, and they started pitching a fit about 'fake' Trenton anvils that weren't made in Trenton. So maybe CF&I frankensteined the mark to 'Trexton' to get away from the food fight with the other Trenton guys? They could always claim it was still 'Trenton' but nobody would read it that way unless their lawyers told them to.Anybody have any better ideas or info? I have always wondered.Regards,Brian.

That is a very nice anvil. It shows almost no usage, just misuse from the arc burns on the top.

The corners are pretty full, along with the portion that was factory radiused for drawing out. The horn and table (or step) are not hard. These two surfaces are still in near original condition.That is the cleanest Trenton logo I have seen in an anvil. If you look closely at the center N, you can see an intentional mismatch between the lower left leg and upper right leg.

Those would not be there if it was to be an X. Yes, its stylized, and it matches the curve of the E and T on either side.I also agree the weld is factory. The weld in my Trenton looks very similar, just no spatter.A little polish on the top and its ready for work!

The only thing that comes to mind is that the 'Trenton' mark was actually an idea based on their NYC distributor owning the 'Trenton' brand name from a previous company that went under c. 1900, and wanting to capitalize on that when CF&I started making anvils, rather than CF&I inventing a new name. OK, playing forward from there, there was already an anvil company.in. Trenton, and they started pitching a fit about 'fake' Trenton anvils that weren't made in Trenton.The X-looking stamp was just that, a stamp on an anvil. All of their advertising at the time was still very clearly 'TRENTON'.

The early Trenton anvils were forged for many years in Germany before eventual U.S. Manufacturing began in Columbus OH. Fisher & Norris Eagle anvils were made in Trenton NJ since the mid-1800's, a well-known brand. Early Trenton anvils may have 'borrowed' more than one type of well-known advertising aspect besides the name. Early Trentons forged in Germany (and some of the early U.S.-made) featured flats on the feet of the anvil, a characteristic of the biggest name in anvils at that time- Peter Wright.Peter Wright anvils also had a circular 'SOLID WROUGHT' stamp on them. You find that same type of circular stamp on the early Trentons as well.

Trenton Anvils

Interesting historical aspects to look back upon.Trenton anvils were forged welded at the waist for some time before changing over to arc welding the two halves together at the waist. Arm & Hammer went through the same transition. That weld is original from the factory, it is not a repair. I have seen many, many late model Trentons (which yours is, from 1943 ballpark) and A&H's that are the same.It is a great anvil in very nice shape!