I can get this, a 200lb vulcan for $400. The face looks pretty good. $2/lb sounds great to me, but before I buy it, is there any reason I shouldn't? I don't know much about them, so I need somebody to either talk me into buying it or talk me out of it. :P

 

 

I have a vulcan, but not that big. I have heard a lot of people say they are too soft. I don't find it too bad, but if you do miss, it will put a dent in the face. I think they are all the same, a cast base with a tool steel top. Mine has been good, up until last night, I missed and took a small chip out of the edge of the face. Not a huge deal but it still sucks. I would say, for me, at $2 a pound, if its in good shape, BUY IT!!

I just did, apparently it came off the recently decomissioned uss enterprise. I thought it was hilarous, I'ma name him Spock! :P

LOL!!! Awesome! Great name! Congrats!

If you can get some provenance to show that it came off the USS Enterprise, that would be worth something.  

 

A Vulcan anvil gets a bad rap, but they were still a good anvil for the most part.  Might not be as good as a Fisher, but certainly worth having in the shop if you can get one for a decent price.  $2/lb is a decent price.

I finally got it (took forever) the other day and cleaned it up. I know people say vulcans aren't that great, but I absolutely love this anvil. Now I've just got to find a stump to fit it. I can't wait to beat some metal on it! n_n

 

Looks great!  I'd build a stump out of pressure-treated lumber so you don't have to worry about rot.

Use it wisely and Im sure it will be just find. After all Vulcans were a lower cost anvil for the general public and were used accordingly. I have seen plenty of pictures of higher quality anvils with faceplates missing, badly chipped edges, broken horns and heels.

Nice score, I have 100 pound, and I like mine.

I would've bought it without a second thought! Nice!

That looks considerably older than what the US Navy purchases for ships now or even when the USS Enterprise(CVN-65) was first commissioned in 1961. Perhaps it was from the WWII ship CV-6, that was scrapped in 1958. That looks to an older anvil than the 1960s.

Well I don't really know when it was made. If anybody can date it I'd be interested to know. :)

Telling us how great your anvil is *before* you have done substantial work on it is sort of counting your chickens before they are hatched!

 

I'm not a big fan of vulcans, I've owned a couple---and a friend liked them and had a bunch in his shop.  However I do recommend them for folks in urban or suburban settings that can't find a Fisher as they are "quiet" anvils.  (The faces are thinner than a Fisher and I've seen a number of Vulcans with rather severe casting issues)

 

They are on my bottom tier of "real" anvils---but they are on the list!

Well my other anvil I've been using is cast iron with a steel top also, but the steel plate on this one is twice as thick, so I'm sure it'll be an upgrade to my old one.

Could you tell me about that hammer please, it looks fantastic! I quite like the shape of Vulcans, thin heeled anvils look nice, but I'd be more confident in one that's a bit shorter and thicker, it also tends to make better use of it's weight. I've heard of problems with the face coming off though, and it gets annoying when they question the logic of every forging operation you make :P

Could you tell me about that hammer please, it looks fantastic! I quite like the shape of Vulcans, thin heeled anvils look nice, but I'd be more confident in one that's a bit shorter and thicker, it also tends to make better use of it's weight. I've heard of problems with the face coming off though, and it gets annoying when they question the logic of every forging operation you make :P

 

I got the hammer for $4 at the local flea market. I etched it with saltwater, stained the handle, and rounded one of the faces. :)

Finding even a Vulcan in Fla. is almost as memorable as finding one in Alaska. You might want to consider making an anvil stand such as Brian Brazeal recommends rather than a wood block. I have both and much prefer the steel stand, it's much quieter and lets me work as close as I want.

 

It's quieter because the steel of the stand has a different resonant frequency than the anvil so any ring quickly damps out where wood helps maintain the ring. Steel stands also don't bounce under heavy blows, rock on uneven surfaces or burn, they're easier to load too. I also made hammer and tong racks that do double duty as wedges holding the anvil solidly in the stand.

 

Just my dos centavos. What you like is what's right for you.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

I have a 280 pound Vulcan, repaired the edges about 20 years ago using 7018 rod. Still holding up pretty well, but keep in mind that I'm more a farrier than blacksmith and it doesn't have real heavy steel worked on a regular basis. I was moving not forging when this pic was taken and it shows some rust. Gone now.

I have a 280 pound Vulcan, repaired the edges about 20 years ago using 7018 rod. Still holding up pretty well, but keep in mind that I'm more a farrier than blacksmith and it doesn't have real heavy steel worked on a regular basis. I was moving not forging when this pic was taken and it shows some rust. Gone now.

I'd bet you are Thore after using that hammer all day!

Here's a better picture of my hammer. It's my first attempt at etching ever. :)