January 30, 200818 yr wassomeoneelse, I would like to assist you in some way, but I feel a hands on approach to reconditioning your "experenced" equipment would be more effective at this time. I would suggest you contact and associate with blacksmiths located in your region. Working with experenced blacksmiths will clear up a lot of questions real quick. I looked for blacksmiths associations located in your area. Here is one. I would bet a phone call will get you going in the right direction! Good Luck to you! Old Rusty Ted GULFCOAST BLACKSMITHS ASSOCIATION Pres: Buddy Leonard 61 Hyacinth Drive Covington, LA 70433 504-892-1137 Ed: Tom Walker 62 Deer Lane Picayune, MS 39466 (228)669-5983[email protected]www.GulfCoastBlacksmith.com
January 30, 200818 yr Vulcans tend to have a soft face in my experience; they are steel faced cast iron anvils; but I much prefer Fishers to Vulcans in that type of anvil. That smallest anvil looks like it has lost it's face and the largest one looks to have a lot of casting porosity in the horn---I have a fisher that the horn broke off due to having about 50% porosity at the horn/body transition. The faceless anvil might make a good hot cutting stand, clean it up and bolt on a replacable soft "face" The cast in weight number on the front is what made me thought they were all three Vulcansm as well as the very low step and the heel shape. Anyway welding on them runs into the cast iron issue and I would NOT try to reheat treat an entire face so welding should be patch rather than continuous. OTOH a quiet anvil is a great one for use in areas with near neighbors and vulcans are quiet.
January 30, 200818 yr One has no markings and the other has what looks like a crescent moon on it, but can not make out the writing on it. I think it may say Sou"""" something. Southern Crescent. I have one. Mine's kinda small at 100 lb but I like it because it doesn't ring at all.
January 31, 200818 yr I was over to the bus garage today and saw these sitting all alone and lonely so I asked what was going to be done with them and was told, thrown in the DUMPSTER! I asked for them and was gladly given them. They will also start saving lawnmower blades for me. I'll use one for mounting my post vise and not sure yet for the other. They are at least 100 lbs. each.
February 1, 200818 yr It followed me home, can I keep it? I'd have to say that half the stuff in my 'collection' was accumulated that way. The leg vise came from a field near the old house in Detroit, [free], and the No.15 Vulcan anvil cost me $50 while looking at used chairs, at the 'new' house. The agreement with the wife is, I can keep it, if it stays in the garage. The trucks stay outside.
February 4, 200818 yr This set of hammers folowed me home ... i payed aroound 2...3USD/ small ones and 10 USD for the sledge...And as far as the lathe parts ...i found a full lathe at the junkyard he guy asked 300USD for all of it so i just took the oil pumps and the knife table for 50USD
February 6, 200818 yr Had to show off the three post vices we cleaned up and got most of the rust off of. We finished it with a little spray bottle of rust converter stuff. Makes it look kinda glazy. I doubt we paint them. From left to right..... First one weights in at 42 lbs Unknown Maker Second weights 80 lbs Unknown maker, has a peg bolt to hold the legs together. From my research, this type is a little older than the ones with a square nut. Enlighten me please. Third one weights 55 lbs (I thought it would be heavier)! It is also a Columbian Hardware model.
February 6, 200818 yr Ok, now I follow up with the three post vice that need work, did I say work? A lot of work as in parts lol. One of them you will notice has a little hole for the screw instead of a large opening that I associate with most post vices. If anyone has ever seen this style, etc please feel free to enlighten me on the maker, where its made, etc. Another one says Pittsburgh and then OHN Wetherell.
February 6, 200818 yr Those vises were made by blacksmiths, ergo it's possible to make new parts for them... just depends how much effort you want to put in! There have been some discussions on making/finding new vise screw parts on here recently, have a search. Here are 2 articles to get you going:Restoration of Leg Vises Part 1 By James R. Melchor and Peter M. Ross [07/01;S;107f2]Leg Vise Rebuild
February 14, 200818 yr JWB You got yourself a BUNCH of good tools! Now you get to try 'em all out......have fun! James
February 14, 200818 yr 20 feet (coiled length) of garage door spring steel followed me home neighbor at the shop got a new door (20'x40' or so) ;)
February 26, 200818 yr I picked this up at the farm auction yard yesterday, it's the piston from a hydraulic lift. Weighs about 105 lbs. I'm planning on using it for the anvil on my treadle when I build it. Actually I'm thinking of cutting off the top 12" to use as the hammer and the rest as the anvil. Just waiting for my welder and other tools to arrive from Harbor Freight!
February 26, 200818 yr A word of warning, it appears rusty but may still have some chrome underthere somewhere, mark where you are gonna cut if using a band saw and grind a groove clear around it at that point, hydraulic rams have hard chrome on them and will destroy the best of band saw blade teeth even bi-metal ones sometimes.
February 26, 200818 yr Along with what Jr. said about the chrome, I would preheat to 350*F and weld with at least E7018. DO NOT TRY WELDING WITH MIG! Good find!
February 26, 200818 yr Also, grind any chrome plating back from the weld effect area as the fumes from burning chrome are quite toxic. Frosty
February 26, 200818 yr Along with what Jr. said about the chrome, I would preheat to 350*F and weld with at least E7018. DO NOT TRY WELDING WITH MIG! Good find! Thomas and Jr. thanks for the info, I didn't know that about chrome. If I grind the chrome off the weld area's will MIG work? I don't have access to a stick welder and wasn't planning on buying one.
February 26, 200818 yr Thanks Frosty, I meant to say that but hit post too quick! Brain doesn't always think as fast as my fingers type....AND THAT'S BAD!!!
February 26, 200818 yr I would never use MIG on anything that heavy much less that type of material. It would be money well spent to rent a good welding machine for 1/2 day to do that part of the welding. Shouldn't be much over $25.00 for the 1/2 day rental. Others may think different I'm sure, but I wouldn't trust the MIG to hold. (and I've been at this welding thing since '73)
February 26, 200818 yr I think the welding thing depends what you are trying to do. If you are butt welding two pieces of that stock together, you'll need a big machine. If you are trying to weld a tab or bracket onto that chunk, you could use a machine that has the capacity that matched the tab or bracket. I think my 210A MIG will weld 3/8" with .035" wire. I would freely weld 3/8" material to that chunk (or 3/4", if I could get to both sides). I think that, to make a treadle hammer out of it, you would only be welding plate, tabs or brackets to the chunk. How big they should be, would depend of the max. cap. of the HF welder. MIKE
February 26, 200818 yr Thanks Frosty, I meant to say that but hit post too quick! Brain doesn't always think as fast as my fingers type....AND THAT'S BAD!!! No sweat. I might not understand if I never forgot anything or hit send before I was finished. Backstopping each other is just one benefit of being here. Frosty
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