Leo the welder Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 I’m looking to by my first anvil. I found this ad for a 50lb Vulcan #5. The guy is asking $250 which I know is too much thanks to some of the comments on a previous topic I posted before (thank you guys) I was told $2-$5 per lb. for for a Vulcan possibly more like $2 p/lb. I’m thinking of offering the guy $150, given that a good deal is when both parties feel like they got screwed,lol. I’m posting some pictures so that you guys can critizice on the condition please. Any help will be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 What do you want to do with it? 50 pounds is VERY SMALL for a blacksmithing anvil, you could pretty much do everything on a 50# chunk of steel, (US$10 at my local scrapyard) as on a 50# Vulcan. OTOH it would make a decent anvil for copper or silversmithing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo the welder Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 Thank you for your feedback. This is exactly the kind of comment I need to hear, because I really not know much about anything that when it comes to anvils. I do artistic welding and metal forming, basically I do sculptures. I started doing this at school using their tools and of course anvil. And not that recall it was a pretty hefty one. I figured 40lb would be enough, but I don’t know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 More detail please; we don't know your specifics, like your sculptures; are they 3 pounds or 30000 pounds? (Or more, I don't know how heavy Paley's zoo gates are; AHA! "Weighing in at over 107 tons" ) Anyway before spending a lot of money; look over the "Improvised Anvils" thread or even this one: http://www.marco-borromei.com/fork.html I thing that one would make an excellent ornamental anvil and be twice as heavy and cost $25 when they made it... Also for ornamental work you may want to look at farrier's anvils with lots of horn and turning cams. Good for manipulating small cross sectional area steel; not too great for using sledge hammers on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo the welder Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 Lol, sorry yeah nothing extremely large. The tallest I’ve made is 4 ft tall but not really interested in getting any bigger than that and yes I think ornamental work is more like it and a farrier’s anvil would be excellent. I have considered the alternative improvised anvils but, I do need that horn though. Thomas, thank you very much for all the this great suggestions. You have certainly given me much to think about. I’m looking into visiting the local scrap yards I search of something usable, though I have in the past and purchased materials there before and honestly, I feel I got screwed. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 I will admit that my local scrapyard is on the cheap side; perhaps because they get to save all the transportation costs of shipping the steel they buy to a larger place. We also get a lot of old farm and OLD mine stuff and sometimes the very weird stuff from the local university, (load of jet engine parts, load of steel shot with various military munitions, large load of rather shredded steel from the explosives research department,...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
671jungle Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 50 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: my local scrapyard said it before. I REALLY NEED A SCRAPYARD LIKE YOURS AROUND. One of the volunteer junkyard dogs at the recycle center yelled at me for pulling scrap out of their dumpster even though it was ok'd by the management. The yard dog has been volunteering for many years but is the type that likes to point a finger. I've talked him to a heel since, but rather not have the interaction. Besides it was mostly small stuff. Your yard seems to have the improvised anvil sizes of heavy equipment and the likes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo the welder Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: I will admit that my local scrapyard is on the cheap side; perhaps because they get to save all the transportation costs of shipping the steel they buy to a larger place. We also get a lot of old farm and OLD mine stuff and sometimes the very weird stuff from the local university, (load of jet engine parts, load of steel shot with various military munitions, large load of rather shredded steel from the explosives research department,...) Thomas, dude that’s xxxxxxI wish I had a scrapyard like that here. Can’t wait to retire and get the xxxx out of California, it xxxxx here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 How long you got? Socorro is a small University town, around 10K people when the University is in session. Socorro county is about 6,649 sq miles and a population density of 2.7 per square mile. Now the next county over, Catron has 6929 sq miles and a population density of 0.5 per sq mile...So room for a few more people out here. We're about 1 hour south of Albuquerque NM which is the "big city" to us. We like the climate so much we will be retiring out here in a couple of years and the family land in Arkansas will be handed down to the next generation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo the welder Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 (edited) xxxx, that’s the life brother. Congrats. I got about 9-14 years to go. I’m hoping to “retire” by 55 but I may have to wait a couple of years for the wife to retire. I own a 5 acre lot in south Colorado. Close to Alamosa. Is not too far from Albuquerque. I fell in love with that town when we visited. I’m sure I won’t have any trouble finding a decent anvil around there. I was born Costa Rica, so we may spend some time here and there. Edited November 11, 2019 by Mod30 inappropiate language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 I would say for a general shop anvil 125# - #200. JHM makes a nice affordable anvil , anvil brand .com has several makes on their site. I have a 125# JHM Journeyman that I got from a retired farrier, along with a gas forge and other tools. I own a 150# Vulcan and would not go over $2 a pound for one. It is an OK anvil, but there are better options out there at the current market prices. Personally I would be exploring improvised anvils. Hydraulic breaker bits would be an excellent choice, and are usually have a tapered end. I wanted to retire at 58, which would be in 4 years, but 2008 messed that up plan. My retirement accounts are slowly coming back up. Right now, retirement is just a dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo the welder Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 Thank you Biggindoctor. I’m sorry to hear about your retiment fund...many people got messed up. Apparently I have to watch my language here I’m been censored a couple of times, lol. Thank you for the recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanglediver Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Improvised anvils have a lot going for them, mainly cost. I grew up using the back of bench vises to cold work things, and I've broken a few bench vises that way. Breaking down some rollers, probably from a plant closure. They would make nice chunks for something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo the welder Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 Hi Tanglediver, thank you for the advise. All these are great ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 I'd be retired right now after my last job laid me off due to border issues; but as an insulin dependent diabetic I need the medical insurance until medicare kicks in at 65. My local scrapyard has a large naval gun that would make dandy anvils if you have the lance to cut it with, it's in 2 sections right now and one of them weighs 40000 pounds IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 I just want the breech off of a 16" gun for a unique safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Let me get a picture of what's at the breech end; probably be around Turkeyday weekend though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Thomas: Any idea of the caliber of the naval rifle? It seems to be an odd thing to show up in NM unless it was used for some sort of testing work at one of the NM labs or bases. I know that some places have used redundant naval armor for radiation shielding. Nickle steel is not as good at that as lead but can be a lot cheaper. Also, when you look at the breech (which may or may not have the breech block attached) see if there are any markings. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 OK, you might be able to find a picture of it already posted on this site with a coke can in the bore for scale. Otherwise I'll need to go and measure it, probably around turkeyday weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Dear Leo, I hope your 5 acre lot is not one of the infamous ones out in the middle of the San Luis Valley. There has been an ongoing scandal over the years about "developers" cutting dirt "roads" (no road base, no grading) into the desert floor, doing no development of utilities to the lots, and selling them off to unsuspecting easterners using a telephoto shot of Blanca Peak to make it look like a mountain scene. This has driven a lot of statutory changes in Colorado's subdivision laws. The San Luis Valley tends to be very cold in the winter and pretty hot in the summer and the ground water can either be of sketchy quality or expensive to develop. That said, there is some beautiful country around there and some folk are very happy to live in a mobile home on a desert patch. My suggestion is not to commit to anything irrevocable until you have visited the site both during the winter and the middle of summer. You may have to either live off the grid or have to pay a significant amount to bring in electricity. Do what you think best for you and yours but make sure your decisions are informed ones. I have done legal work for several counties in that part of Colorado and have seen some sad situations. It's the poorest part of the state but there are some great people and great places not far away. By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo the welder Posted November 13, 2019 Author Share Posted November 13, 2019 Hi George NM, lol. I have not heard about that. That is quite interesting, I’m going to have to look into it. I believe all that was probably triggered by the wave of buyers that came along when I did. My property is east of San Luis valley, And is part of Costilla county. I knew what i was buying, maybe some people did not, lol. I paid for that lot over 15 years ago, and received my title and pay taxes. It was one of the Rio Grande Ranches subdivisions (or something like that, can’t remember) it was so cheap I could not resist. I’m also aware of the difficulty of obtaining services, and I’m hoping there is enough people living there by then, where it will make it much easier to get services. When I visited So. Colorado in the summer I was actually very impressed with the weather. When So. Cal was in the high 90s, there were enjoying mid 70s. Don’t know how cold winter gets, I was told by the realtor, who was so kind to actually ride with me to physically show me where my lot was, that they get about 4” of snow, which I don’t think is bad. Honestly, I’m went in not expecting much for what I paid. But I suspect something is happening or about to happen. I’ve been getting mail form several different real estate companies and developers with offers to buy my lot. Well George, this is a small world indeed, and the internet mas made it even smaller. At least I know who to call when I get in trouble in that part of the country. Thank you for taking the time to share all that information. May I also add, that you are absolutely correct about the beautiful country around there. When we visited, we stayed in Alamosa, and completely fell in love with that place. The people are so kind and respectful. Not like the A-holes ( I have to PG it, lol) you run into here in LA. I loved it!! And the alligator farm!!! Insane!! The wife and I were acually day dreaming on our way back about moving there to raise our kids, lol...too late the kids are grown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 I've used a train axle as an anvil for a while; and I still use it for my treadle hammer, and for beating things into round shapes :-) I've used a steel forming press-block as an anvil - it's a solid 200 pounds piece of D2 hardened to low 60'ies HRC .... My current anvils were cast along side naval guns from the same steel, I can tell ya, it's very good (and hard) steel. If you can cut a section off, you'd also have a decent anvil , as these tend to have very heavy wall thickness. I also used a tank barrel - from a scrapped leopard 1 tank, the 105 mm cannon - as source of steel for knives and for damascus ... very good steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 On 11/11/2019 at 9:34 PM, tanglediver said: Breaking down some rollers, probably from a plant closure. They would make nice chunks for something! Those look like the mill rollers that were used at the rubber refinery I used to work at. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.