SRM Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I believe this is a Vulcan. I don't know the exact weight...seller said about 240lbs. It took too of us to load in the truck. It has an arm and hammer stamp on the side, but no other markings that I can see. It seems in pretty good shape. I also think it is cast with steel face. If you look close you can see one side of the face is rolled over the side. Any chance of fixing this? Otherwise how did I do? Paid about .92cents a pound if the actual weight is correct. (Do you believe I don't even own a bathroom scale). I am excited no matter if it is a piece of junk. I have something to pound on...now I have to get a forge to make it easier. I also picked up a champion forge and blower wall mount drill press for $20.00. It is frozen up a bit, but I think I can get it loosened up...it has the number 102 on it. Do all you long time blacksmiths remember when you got your first piece of equipment? I'm older, but I feel like a kid at Christmas right now. Can't wait for the forge, maybe I'll dig a hole in the ground and start a fire there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Olivo Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 arm and hammer brand anvil. logo is inset or stamped in as opposed to the cast proud vulcan arm and hammer logo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Don't try to fix that edge that's mushroomed a bit. That little feature will come in extremely handy for a thousand tasks. Just as a scroll-starter, it would be a dandy thing to have. Overall, a great piece of equipment from a reliable maker. You'll have decades of good times on her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Olivo Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Oh and you will want to radius i.e. grind those corners anyways into different sizes of round to make dies for forging as well as protecting the pieces you forge on it. The main time spent on most anvils is near the step over the body of the anvil in a 4x4 inch square with the corners near the step radiuses the most and stepping back from there in increments until you finally have sharp edges near the heal of the anvil. Looks like a good find. Plenty of smiths spent their whole careers working out of a pit fire. Get her hot and beat her. I look forward to seeing what you make. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRM Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks Stephen, I see what you mean by the stamp. I did the rebound test and it has a nice ring to it. Does that mean it may not be cast? By the looks it is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 If you look close you can see one side of the face is rolled over the side. Any chance of fixing this? Don't try to fix that edge that's mushroomed a bit. That little feature will come in extremely handy for a thousand tasks. Just as a scroll-starter, it would be a dandy thing to have. Overall, a great piece of equipment from a reliable maker. You'll have decades of good times on her! Older anvils had a radiused edge on the off side. It was meant primarily for working wrought iron. A sharp corner was liable to weaken or break the fibers. Thus, anvils were made that way in order to start a gentler curve. Is nothing to be "fixed", was made as intended. Good anvil. Nice score. ;) George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Arm and Hammer anvils are considered to be some of the best wrought anvils ever made. They were purposely made very utilitarian and not prettied up. Your anvil is fine the way it is. I have several and wouldn't part with any. Use it the way it is and be thankful it isn't a vulcan anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I must respectfully disagree on the mushroomed edge being factory original or a desireable feature. All of the mint condition antique anvils I've ever seen have had fairly crisp corners. Dressing edges to the proper radius so as not to damage the stock worked upon them AND to reduce chances of chipping were done by the smith. Lots of threads here on IFI concerning best practice. Here is a thread showing other Arm and Hammer anvils without mushrooming. Mushrooming of struck tool faces is the precursor to chipping and spalling. It might not happen today or next week, but it will eventually. This will lead to further anvil damage and potentially small sharp pieces of the edge pinging off and VERY high speeds. Dangerous to smiths and spectators. There have been a few articles in the Hammer's Blow over the years about the dangers of mushroomed tools, some of them with x-rays of body parts with embedded shards. If it were mine I'd grind off the mushroomed portion and then dress the remainder to a gentle radius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenforge Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 What he means by stamp is that the arm and hammer logo is stamped into the anvil vs on a cast anvil the logo would stick out. There is probably a serial number on the edge of one of the feet as well. Less than $1 per lb is one heck of a deal no matter your location. Enjoy and have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenforge Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Oops, double tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I think the mushroomed edge is a good chip waiting to happen. We are advised to grind back chisels, top tools ,etc- anything being struck with a hammer. Even tho the edge of the anvil will not (theoretically) be struck, it is an unsupported piece of hard tool steel. You would be better served by grinding the mushroom back to the body of the anvil, then putting in the appropriate radius on the edge. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Oh, and by the way- good score- a good anvil at a great price. Borrow a scale from a neighboe so you can see how good youe deal is. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I can't really see the extent of the "mushrooming" on the pics even when i blow them way up. Here is my concern, A&H anvils most often show a big gap between the body and the face. Without being able to really see the amount of over hang or "mushrooming" you are telling someone seeking advice to go after the edge with an angle grinder. I would suggest caution. If I take pics of my A&H anvils they look like the have been abused but in reality that's just not the case.I would suggest letting this new smith find his way. As Postman said in his book he has found fewer of the A&H anvils with bad face plates than any other's he has inspected. I doubt that modern smith's especially new ones are gonna whack on the edge of "new" old anvil in such a fashion as to chip an edge. They tend to err on the side of caution and are very careful about what they are doing until they learn more of the art. As I said SRM, use the anvil and learn the trade. Grow with the anvil and you'll know what to do with it as you mature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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