Anvil rescued from scrap yard - safe at home with me.

[meteorman]

My buddy owns a scrap yard and I told him to keep an eye out for an anvil for me.

Well, last week he called me out to pick one up.

I think its kinda' beat, but I just dink around beating on small stuff while making flintlock longrifles.

and anyway...   the price was right. Free.

So i spent a few minutes with wire brush and sander.

I can see it's a Vulcan, just barely.

Not sure what it says on bottom of logo.

The face is 13.5" x 4" and it stands about 11" high.

It looks to have a hardened steel plate for the face ?

There's a number on one end a 10 or an 18, can't tell (you can see it in 2nd and 4th pics).

There's a mark on the other end that I can't make out (last pic).

Has one bad break/gouge/rust-out on bottom right side base of beak.

I know next to nothing about anvils - any thoughts on this thing, rescued from the firey XXXX  of a re-melt in an iron furnace......... ?

/mike

 

 

right off the truck:

 

after a few minutes of cleaning off rust:

 

 

 

 

[Steve Sells]

Free is always good, I see nothing wrong with it, in fact that looks like a very usable anvil, what is the weight?

[njanvilman]

Vulcan anvils are low on the ratings for cast iron, steel faced anvils.  But the price was right, and for what you intend to do with it, it will work fine.  The 10 or 18 refer to the size;  10 for 100 lbs, 18 for 180 lbs.  It looks like a 100 lb anvil from your pictures.

[ThomasPowers]

Vulcans are the lowest tier of the "real anvils" IMNSHO; but are usable, especially in areas where a quiet anvil is needed.

 

They have quite thin steel faces so DON'T REMOVE ANY OF IT.  The ones I have seen/owned had a softer face than a Hay Budden or other top tier brand

 

That one looks to have tons of life left in it---use it to make something for your friend---an ornamental beer bottle opener is often well received---and ask him to keep looking for another!

[meteorman]

thanks folks. 

yeah, must be 100 lb-er, I can pick it up with a fair amount of effort.

I wouldnt be picking up a 180 lb-er.

good idea on the beer bottle opener - Lord knows my buddy uses them frequently.

if nothin else, the Hardy option will help me if I can find some Hardy-type swaging tools.

I often need to impart smooth radius's (radii?) on farily thin sheet brass and steel - tryin to figure best way to do that.

/m

[Frosty]

While not top shelf anvils Vulcans are real anvils and that one is in pretty good shape. Make your buddy something NICE!

 

After you read through all the congratulatory replies you deserve how about putting your general location in the header so we'll know which scrap yard to move next to? <wink>

 

In all seriousness Mike, you must be a pretty good guy or folk wouldn't do stuff like this for you. Congratulation on keeping your karma good!

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[windancer]

That is a great looking anvil, regardless of the brand and/or other people's opinions.

Easily worth much more than an opener. Take care of your friend and enjoy the anvil!

Dave

[VaughnT]

Very nice anvil, and sure to last another century or two!

 

Now you have to post pics of these flintlock longrifles you make.  I've dearly love to have another flintlock in my arsenal; something from the Pennsylvania style since that's where my people have their history.  One of these days.........

[meteorman]

Now you have to post pics of these flintlock longrifles you make.  I've dearly love to have another flintlock in my arsenal; something from the Pennsylvania style since that's where my people have their history.  One of these days.........

 

Oh man, don't get me started !  I'm afraid it would be off topic for this forum.

 

A recent build is at this link:  http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2012/10/appalachian-style-gun-by-mike-millard.html

Others can be seen on my website: http://mikemeteor.wix.com/mikemillard.

 

For all you folks who like to make period pieces with your hands, that Contemporary Makers site should be a frequent stop.

Cruise the archives, there's some impressive forging work there: knives, hawks, etc.

 

As for the longrifles, the hardware, particularly the triggerguard and buttplate, are the  tricky parts.

You can buy cast ones all day long, but I'd love to forge my own.

Some folks do - I don't know how yet.

Heck, a few folks even forge weld their own barrel around a mandrel, and hand-rifle it, but it's a labor of love.

Not for many, and dangerous if you dont get it right.

99.8% of blackpowder barrels are drilled from solid stock and bought by makers like me.

I may start a new thread over in the general blacksmithing forum for hints on forging triggerguards/buttplates.

There's a market for that stuff if you have the passion.

 

/m

[VaughnT]

That is a mighty fine rifle gun you got there, M!  I have a commercially-made .50cal "Hawken" that I got as a kid (going through my Jeremiah Johnson phase!) and I have always planned to rework the wood and metal to give it something of an older look.  As it is now, waaaay too modern for my tastes.

 

Forging your own hardware would have to be tough.  I've seen a few videos on youtube that show snippets of the smiths in Colonial Williamsburg doing it, but I wouldn't know where to start.  I'd definitely like to have iron hardware on my rifle, though.

[metal99]

Meteorman, that's some stunning work! Thanks for posting the links :)