A friend has a Vulcan in his barn.  It's too heavy for the two of us to lift off the stump (and have any hope of getting it back up there).  Here are the dimensions:

 

Face -- 19 1/2" x 5"

Table 3 1/4" x 5"

Horn (including table)  12"

Height 13 1/2"

Overall length 31 1/2"

 

No markings that I could find, other than the Vulcan logo and "30", cast in, near the feet under the horn.

 

Sorry I couldn't get any pictures -- I didn't have a camera, and my phone doesn't have a flash.

 

Any ballpark estimates of the weight of this thing ?

 

Thanks...

Yea, 300 pound. stu's right Id say. that's a big Vulcan, don't see many Vulcans near that size.

Sounds like you've got a doozy of a Vulcan.  They're good anvils even if they get something of a bad rap a lot of the times.  An anvil that size is just like my big Fisher and I'm sure you'll enjoy working on it.  

pictures please

As I wrote earlier, I didn't have a camera, my phone doesn't have a flash, and the light wasn't great where it was.  I'll ask him to take a pic or three, but I don't know if he has a digital camera.

 

He may be interested in selling it at some point, and it's too big for my needs.  Any idea what it may be worth ?

 

Location is New Jersey, and the condition is pretty good... there are a few chips in the far (for a rightie) edge of the face, but more than half the edge is clean, as is the whole near-side edge.  Rings OK, for a Vulcan, with no false notes anwhere on the face.  And the rebound is at least decent (I forgot to bring my ballbearing -- used a carpenter's hammer).  If there's any swayback it isn't much.  It was used in a wheelwright's shop, so it probably didn't get a lot of heavy pounding.

 

More to come, as they say.

Im curious keep us posted..Vulcans that size are very rare indeed..id like to have it myself.

In New Jersey, I wouldn't doubt that you'd get every bit of $2/lb if the condition is solid.  Vulcan's have a bad rep, somewhat deservedly, and a lot of smiths either don't want a large anvil (like you) or don't live near enough to pick it up.  That's going to hurt the resale value of it.  But $2/lb is generally a fair market price for any anvil in decent condition.

 

A lot depends on how you present the anvil, too.  Clean, oiled and well-photographed will command more price than a phone picture of some blurry rusty thing.  

Yes, VaughnT is right..Some Vulcans can be dogs but some can be good anvils..Ive seen both..I did a demo on a Vulcan once that had about 8%-10% rebound, then Ive seen some that would give a Trenton a run for the money..If its got pretty decent rebound its probably a decent using anvil. Also like has been said cleaned up with good pics goes  LONG way in selling an anvil.

I had a small Vulcan -- around 50 lbs -- that was almost as bouncy as my 50-pound Trenton.  Didn't sing like the Trenton, but as we all know, that can be a GOOD thing... I once did an all-day workshop on a German anvil that wasn't tied down and my ears were humming for two days.

 

The chunky Vulcan shape puts a lot of metal right under the working part of the face.  This one isn't as blocky as my 50-pounder, but it's not as "London-y" as my PW.  I'm surprised at how thick the faceplate is -- must be nearly an inch.

 

When I get pictures (IF my friend has a digital camera, it's too far to just drop over), I'll post them.  Same if he decides he wants to sell it (although I'll stick that on the "tailgating" forum).

Followup on earlier post.

 

My friend with the big Vulcan finally took a few photos.  Here are the most relevant.  First is a side-view; second shows the logo; third and fourth the (minimal) damage to the edge.  (Horn facing left, it's the far edge, where I'd expect it to be for a rightie.)

 

He still hasn't indicated whether he wants to sell it.  If he does, I'll post it over in the "Tailgating" section.

Note the "fake" face line.  The real thickness of the face is a small fraction of that.  Sharp practice IMNSHO.

 

I don't like Vulcans---but I do consider them a "real" anvil just low on the quality scale.

 

Shoot I even own *1*, (given to me for my wall of shame collection---it has the horn knocked off showing massive voids in the casting)

 

The 30 is the weight/10  so it was easy for us to tell you when you posted that value.

OK, it's for sale.  I'm waiting for some better photos, and will post the offer over in "Tailgating".

 

MODS -- At this point, you can delete this thread if you like.

Well, it's certainly in very good condition!  The horn hasn't been abused and the edges aren't bad at all, so I think it would fetch $2 a pound if it was cleaned up and made to look good.  As Thomas noted, Vulcans are top-tier anvils, but at the bottom of that tier because of quality issues.  For the general smithing that any hobbyist would do, I'm sure it would last a lifetime.