My first anvil, I NEED HELP!!

I

IRO-bot

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I have a lead on this Vulcan 100#. The asking price is $200, and the sides look pretty rough. I know these are not the the top o the line, but it should serve me well. My question is this: Is the price fair for the condition? The top looks pretty smooth, and it has a decent rebound. The spot right under the steel plate worries me a little.

Thanks in advance!!

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Just an inexprienced anvil owner here but I would personally if I got that try and weld fill in the large space under the top plate on the one side and take a disk to the edges and smooth them up a bit. If its still got good rebound and all then the rest of it should work fine.

Not sure of the price but doesnt seem too bad, still I would maybe point out the parts you need to work on and maybe hagger the price down some.
 
Thanks Quint. That was my thought exactly. Problem is, I don't have welding supplies, and I can get a new 70# NC for 300. Is that spot going to crack if I accidentally hit it?
 
quint said:
Just an inexprienced anvil owner here but I would personally if I got that try and weld fill in the large space under the top plate on the one side and take a disk to the edges and smooth them up a bit. If its still got good rebound and all then the rest of it should work fine.

Not sure of the price but doesnt seem too bad, still I would maybe point out the parts you need to work on and maybe hagger the price down some.
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Exactly what I was thinking.

Use the chip outs as leverage to knock the price down and then I'd fix the edges and corners.
 
IRO-bot said:
Thanks Quint. That was my thought exactly. Problem is, I don't have welding supplies, and I can get a new 70# NC for 300. Is that spot going to crack if I accidentally hit it?
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What is a NC, not sure what those are. Make sure your not thinking of one of the harbor freight or grizzly type anvils. They call those ASO's (anvil shaped objects) and they arent worth (for blacksmithing) close to what you can get out of that one. Not talking money wise, just usability.

Post this over here http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/62-anvils/ those guys will have way more info then I do, many of whom have built or repaired many an anvil. It could be a pretty cheap repair if necessary from a welding shop near you.
 
Nevermind found the NC guys, the 70lb one looks more like a ferriers anvil. Some of the others dont look bad.
 
Thanks again. I will post over there. I'm starting to think this Vulcan is more work than its worth. Even If I could get it for less, I'm still stuck with the issue of getting it fixed. Thanks a lot, guys. What is the down side of using a Farriers anvil for bladesmithing? I'm not looking to make anything huge, just want to dabble for now.
 
Dont think its alot of work, its just a few things. Probably much less work then your first forged knife to be honest. See what the guys say over there but I am pretty sure it would take what half an hour to weld up that one portion, another hour or so maybe dressing the top and sides and you have yourself a good anvil.

A ferriers anvil from what I understand doesnt have the weight under the right parts, much thinner under the heal and they ring like nuts from what Ive heard. Ofcourse I have just recently been researching anvils so bear with me. There are far knowledgable guys and gals here and at the other forum I linked.
 
Thanks so much, quint. I am looking for someone to do the welding now. I don't think I trust my welding skills enough to do it!! If anyone knows someone in Tennessee that could hook me up, I would be grateful!
 
You might check out www.abana.org and look for a chapter in Tennessee. If you can find a local, or close, chapter, they can probably hook you up with someone to do the work. That's the Artist Blacksmith Assn of North America. They also do hammer ins and can give you some really good tips as you join the hammerhead fraternity.

Good luck.

Gene
 
It's little high for a Vulcan. But, Vulcan's vary in quality. I see the casting flaw and it could cause the top plate to crack. But, if you are careful you can work around it.

If you decide to weld it take some time to research the repair. You'd be welding cast iron to tool steel. Tool steel should be warmed to 400+ degrees before welding. The exact temp varies. I'd use the anvil as is until you gain experience and knowledge.

The NC anvils are okay. They have a thin waist and therefore not a lot of mass under the hammer on the sweet spot. I'd hesitate before getting one myself. I bought my 300# Fisher for $360 after serious searching.

I'd join your local blacksmithing group. For example. I went to Dave Lisch's in Seattle today at Studio 4. They were having their annual tailgate and there was 6 or more post vises and ten or so anvils for sale.

Check Craigslist daily. Well. I mean hourly. I've seen anvils show up that were priced cheap here when I was broke sell in hours.

Don't be stuck on a London pattern anvil. You can scrounge up a 4" square chunk of steel or a forklift tine and make a great post anvil that will get the job done too.

I would get the Vulcan. Especially if you can get the price down. You should be able to resell it later if you find a deal on a better anvil.

Have fun!!
 
I'd pass on that anvil.

Go to a blacksmith's hammer-in or other get together and you may find that they often have lots of old anvils at very good prices. Do some searches for things like "Tennessee Blacksmith guild, etc. Don't overlook the surrounding states,too.
 
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