need advice on potential anvil purchase

[Seth miracle]

i have a deal in the works on 2 anvils but i want a 2nd opinion on their quality and condition.they are both supposed to have clean edges other then the chip on the vulcan and the marks on the NC. i can get them for less the $300 each, i may keep both or use one as an investment, we will see how it plays out!

 

the first one is a 100# vulcan, it looks like it has a nice thick top plate.

 

the second is a NC star around 100# also, i dont know much about this brand or its function. it has some serial numbers on it but i dont know what they mean.

 

any and all info will help, as its a 6 hour drive to pick them up!

[ThomasPowers]

Vulcans do not have that thick a face plate they do sometimes have a "false plate thickness" as part of their casting.

 

Unless you are in a terribly "dry" area for anvils $3 a pound would be way high for a Vulcan in my opinion.  OTOH they are a quiet anvil and if you live in an area where blacksmithing must be a *discrete* activity the quietness will play a greater part in the purchase decision.  (Note that a Fisher anvil is also quiet and way up the quality tree from the Vulcans generally)  I've owned and used Vulcans and they are my least favorite of the "real anvils".

 

The NC is designed for farrier work and will not be as suited for heavy smithing; but may be great for ornamental work.  (check out the sweet spot on it---where there is metal all the way down from face to base and compare it to the other one's sweet spot.)  Never owned or used one of these.

[Seth miracle]

sorry about the small pics size here are some biger pics.

 

the vulcan

 

the NC

 

i have been searching hard for any anvil worth having and came up dry on anything in my price range. my local blacksmith group didnt even have a line on one. and i think these will be a huge step up from what i have now  and the old RR track ASO lol. i dont do any real heavy work and i have plans to make a stricking anvil in the future for that kind of stuff. here is what im working with now!

[Judson Yaggy]

For a Vulcan that one is in fairly good condition but like Thomas said the price is a little high.  

 

They are both WAY better than a RR track, I'd go for the Vulcan if I couldn't find anything better, but I bet you can find something better.  The real question is can you afford the $300?  Keep in mind that you probably can sell it for what you paid for it and with a few months or years of steady practice you can forge enough product with it to pay for it many times over.  

[Jim Coke]

Greetings Seth,

 

In my opinion ...  Keep your money for a while...  The right anvil will come along when your least expect it...  Keep that 6 in your wallet for the just right time..

100 pound anvils are still 100 pound anvils no matter how you dress them up...  I think if you bought them you would go back to the old English that you have been working on..   Just my 2c

 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

[Bmt1234]

I also saw these anvils on Craigslist I thought they where kind of pricey. I would just keep looking they come up often enough aroud here that I would save your money. That beig said if you really want an anvil and don't want to wait any longer then by all means get it.

[Bmt1234]

On an unrelated note in the first picture their seems to big a big seem between what I assume is the face plate and the rest of the anvil is that normal.

[njanvilman]

It looks as though there is a major chip developing on the edge of the Vulcan. 

 

I agree with the others:  Go for a better anvil.  The farriers anvil is fine for horseshoes, and light iron work.  Noisy.  The Vulcan at it best is a considered a low ranked anvil in quality. 

[ThomasPowers]

The vulcan is cast to appear as if it has a much thicker faceplate than it does; so they have it standing proud of the side; no seam just a cast iron ridge.

 

Frankly if I was on the east coast doing some historical re-enactment I would trade you a 112# PW for that old colonial anvil!

[Bmt1234]

I'm sure you already know this but anvils do pop up at the local flea markets from time to time. That's where I found my small hay budden.

[Crazy Ivan]

I assume you are willing to travel a little bit and I'm not quite sure exactly where you are in eastern Tennessee but Asheville NC is very anvil rich right now and not too far from Knoxville.  I just spent two minutes on craigslist and there are a lot for sale in that area including a 100 lb (by the look of it) Peter wright for $100 (If 100 lbs is exactly what you are looking for). Try it out and see what you can find. Me being the tool nerd that I am, I was happy to tease myself by looking way out of my area :) Good luck on the hunt and I suggest waiting until you find the right one and not getting anvil fever jumping on the first one that looks decent.

-Crazy Ivan

[macbruce]

The only one I'd spend any money on and travel hours to get is the Colonial.......That one is cool....... B)

[VaughnT]

Of the two that you're looking at, only the vulcan is worth a hoot.  While the farrier anvil might be quality, it's a horrible design for anything other than shoeing horses and you'll soon detest it.  Heck, I detest it and I've only seen a picture of it!!

 

Vulcan anvils aren't the greatest quality, but they are still in the top tier of anvil makers.  And they are quiet like a Fisher anvil is.

 

I don't know what's wrong with using the Colonial that you already have.  It might not be as heavy as you'd like, but it's definitely as good as any vulcan.  The key is tying it solidly to the ground with a heavy stump of some sort. 

[Seth miracle]

Wow I thought I had found something here lol. I has Vulcan confused with something else I though it was a descent anvil. Ok guys thanks for all your help and advice, I've spotted a good looking mouse hole and a small PW so we will see how it goes!