steelwhisperer Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Hey everyone, first time poster here. I am a budding blacksmith and have decided to make the jump and get my first anvil. Here is a picture of the piece, it is a #100 Vulcan, looks a little rusty but I'm picking it up for $75 bucks. Any thoughts or advice for a newby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 DON'T GRIND ON THE FACE! Vulcans tend to have quite thin face plates so don't thin it any more than necessary! Mark the sweet spot and concentrate your hammering there and not at the ends. Vulcan's are a quiet anvil---no ring and so good for in the city or suburbia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Lake Forge Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 and dont try welding the edges, if you need good edges make a edge tool for th hardy hole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwhisperer Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 Hey thanks guys for the quick responses! This is a big help. I'm going to check the anvil out this evening. anything I should keep in mind while testing it out? Again, does the rust look like anything to worry about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 There are folks that will say that a Vulcan is junk. But I used two different Vulcans, before I got my two Trentons, for a lot of years and made some good money with them. They are quiet and not a top grade anvil. But they aren't bad to work on. My 2cents. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I see what you mean the rust is fairly light on that anvil; probably just didn't spend much time under poor storage conditions. (I once bought an HB that had spent 50 years in an unheated building next to a creek---quite marshy! It had condensation pitting on the face that I am polishing out by *using* *it*---the sweet spot is nearly smooth again and no face was lost *before* hot steel actually was worked on it.) The Vulcan's I have owned or used tended to be a bit soft on the face so more hammer dings can be expected---plannish them out as best you can and go on. Check for signs of porosity where the cast iron meets the steel face of the horn. The Vulcan on my wall of shame had massive porosity in one location and the horn broke off there. Check for cracks around the hardy/heel. Definitely don't sledge on one! Vulcans are on the bottommost quality tier for real anvils but they are real anvils! You can do a lot of good work on one while waiting for another better anvil to be lured in by your Vulcan! If you get used to having a quiet anvil then keep your eye open for a Fisher, same type of construction but much thicker face and higher quality! (My main shop anvil is a Fisher even though I own a Trenton that's over 400 pounds too!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.