Vulcan Anvil

[Mr. Wonderful]

I just wanted to share that I just found out I have become the owner of my first anvil! I havent got to see it in person yet but I have a picture. My father got it for me at an estate sale. Its a Vulcan somewhere around 60lbs. I am going to get it cleaned up and probably do a BLO finish. I dont know if I will need to address that chipped corner on the face. I am not a blacksmith nor to I have intention of becoming one. I have just wanted an anvil as long as I can remember.

I'd like to come up with a nice stand. Right now I dont think I want the traditional log round stand. Something metal and sturdy is more my taste. If anyone has any input on the stand or info on this anvil I'd welcome it.

Thanks

 

[marinusdees]

Where I grew up--farm country in Michigan--there was a blacksmith in town. My uncle, who finished high school in 1941, served and completed an apprenticeship with him, paid for by the government as part of the national defense effort I believe, I'm not sure. I was born in 1938 and remember my uncle built his own forge from a discarded Maytag washing machine. He used my grandpa's large two car garage. He also built a line shaft shop. I got to turn the bellows for the forge more than once. He had a huge anvil, and it was mounted on a section of an oak tree trunk. All the anvils I saw, and it was more than one, were mounted on large chunks of wood. I think the wood gives a better rebound effect, but I'm not sure. My own anvil, a much larger version of yours, is mounted on a large piece of bridging timber secured for me by a buddy who was working in a shipyard in Tacoma. Personally, I would mount it on wood, one large chunk or several pieces fastened together to provide mass. I have seen photos of elegant metal supports of varying designs, but wood was the traditional mount, at least where I grew up.

 

[KRB52]

The "log" is cheap, easy to obtain (usually) and holds up well. If you are just planning on displaying it, talk to a welder/fabricator about a stand. You may find the log is the better bet.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I just happened to watch a Jimmy Diresta video the other night where he built an anvil stand. He cut out the parts with a plasma cutter, but you could use a saw or cutting torch as well.

 

[ndnchf]

You'll be amazed how well that anvil will clean up, despite its bumps and bruises. I have this Fisher anvil from the early 1870s. It was rusty, crusty and nasty. But it cleaned up surprisingly well.

 

[MayerMR]

I just recently was gifted an anvil that looked really rough, but as ndnchf stated above, they really do clean up well. Here was what I did to clean mine up:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392809

I also just finished my stand. I had build this stand for a smaller, cheap cast Chinese anvil, but with this one being a bit heavier I decided to broaden the base some as well as raise it a little.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I just recently was gifted an anvil that looked really rough, but as ndnchf stated above, they really do clean up well. Here was what I did to clean mine up:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392809

I also just finished my stand. I had build this stand for a smaller, cheap cast Chinese anvil, but with this one being a bit heavier I decided to broaden the base some as well as raise it a little.

Thanks everyone, I think I will go with wood after all. I thought it might be difficult to get two square cuts on a log with a chainsaw. I will either laminate something with 2x12s like the one in the picture or hold out for a piece of beam. I love the metal straps around the wood. Is that base stained or burned? Great job by the way I remember seeing that thread when you posted it. That is pretty much the direction I am looking to go. I'll post a few pics here when I get started!

 

[MayerMR]

Thanks everyone, I think I will go with wood after all. I thought it might be difficult to get two square cuts on a log with a chainsaw. I will either laminate something with 2x12s like the one in the picture or hold out for a piece of beam. I love the metal straps around the wood. Is that base stained or burned? Great job by the way I remember seeing that thread when you posted it. That is pretty much the direction I am looking to go. I'll post a few pics here when I get started!

Thank you. It's stained with with "Kona" stain. I can't recall the brand off the top of my head, but it's in the white can, not the yellow at Home Depot.

The metal straps are just the zinc plated brackets that you find in the hardware aisle by the L-brackets for the fence hardware, painted semi-gloss black.

Couple of tips; get yourself some of the cheap Harbor Freight wood clamps to hold everything together tightly before tapping your screws into the brackets. Also, stain your wood before attaching the metal brackets as the stain will ruin the paint.