Mason Simonet 54 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 (edited) hey y'all, i found this 80 pound chipped up vulcan anvil and I'm thinking of bidding on it. what do y'all think my highest bid for this anvil should be? my mentor has a pretty chipped up anvil and i don't mind having no sharp edges but could this chipping continue? to a point that its unusable. heres the pic and theres 85 dollar shipping Edited February 24, 2017 by Simonet Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Hertzson 53 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Depends on how desperate you are for an anvil, how flush you are with cash, and what the local prices run that question can be answered a bunch of different ways. Personally I wouldn't pay more than $1/lb. for a Vulcan in that condition, including shipping. They aren't exactly know as being top quality anvils, and that one is in rough/uncertain condition. Honestly I don't think I would pay more than $2/lb. for any used anvil that I couldn't inspect myself or was vouched for by someone I trusted, but that is just me and I already have a decent Peter Wright, and I'm cheap. Link to post Share on other sites
Mason Simonet 54 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Share Posted February 24, 2017 I'm pretty desperate for an anvil and i barley see anvils locally and when i do they are way overpriced, i just saw a 50 pound anvil on craigslist for 275! Link to post Share on other sites
Wesley Alberson 151 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 19 minutes ago, Simonet said: I'm pretty desperate for an anvil and i barley see anvils locally and when i do they are way overpriced, i just saw a 50 pound anvil on craigslist for 275! Yeah, and they are usually in horrible shape, too! "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man" -The Dude, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rougemont_forge/ Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 3,773 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 With $85 dollars shipping I'd offer $20 and consider it generous. Just because it used to be an anvil doesn't mean it's still worth the usual anvil prices. Yes, it is usable, but it's not very heavy. That's one reason the edges are gone, someone used too big a hammer on it. The other reason the edges are gone is that it's a Vulcan. The steel top plate is very thin, like 3/8" or so. That's compared to the fully one-inch thick plate on a Fisher, the other, better, cast iron steel-faced anvil. You rarely see a chipped Fisher, you almost never see a Vulcan that has any edges left at all. In other words, I'd steer clear. I know it's sooooooo tempting to jump on any anvil that appears, but really all you need is a block of steel. Easy for me to say since I have a nice anvil, I know, but it remains true! As for Craigslist prices, there was a guy not far from me who listed a 75lb Hay-Budden last year. It was in okay shape from what I could tell by the pictures. He wanted $1,500 for it. I don't know what he would have thrown in to make up the extra 1300 dollars the anvil was not worth... Link to post Share on other sites
Doug Lester 404 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Just to chime in on what Alan said, my favorite anvil is an 87 lb block of steel. It ran me $140 including shipping from St Louis to central Illinois. Doug HELP...I'm a twenty year old trapped in the body of an old man!!! Link to post Share on other sites
Mason Simonet 54 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Share Posted February 24, 2017 where do y'all find these blocks of steel? ive looked in junkyards and don't seem to have any luck Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff Keyes 672 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 If you must have an "anvil", keep looking. For the money, this is the way to go. http://oldworldanvils.com/anvils/4x4-stake-anvil.html. It will serve you pretty well until you can find something better, and probably be a valuable tool even after you find your "dream anvil". Geoff "The worst day smithing is better than the best day working for someone else." I said that. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. - - -G. K. Chesterton So, just for the record: the fact that it does work still should not be taken as definitive proof that you are not crazy. Grant Sarver Link to post Share on other sites
Mason Simonet 54 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Share Posted February 24, 2017 (edited) Just now, Geoff Keyes said: If you must have an "anvil", keep looking. For the money, this is the way to go. http://oldworldanvils.com/anvils/4x4-stake-anvil.html. It will serve you pretty well until you can find something better, and probably be a valuable tool even after you find your "dream anvil". Geoff oh haha i already have one of those but mines from ebay Edited February 24, 2017 by Simonet Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Hertzson 53 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 5 hours ago, Simonet said: where do y'all find these blocks of steel? ive looked in junkyards and don't seem to have any luck I get my blocks of steel, and the bulk of my fabricating and mild steel smithing materials from a local discount/surplus steel supplier. They have a nice tidy little business selling their overruns and cutoffs to the general public (they have an alternate location that sells in bulk). Much of it is architectural shapes in odd sizes, but I can usually get decent stock at prices around 0.40/lb. I would expect there is something similar in most metropolitan areas. Here is an example of what their place look like: http://www.kleinsteeldirect.com/ Got a great piece of mystery steel for my striking anvil there (120#, approximately 5" x 3" x 20") as well as material to fabricate up a stand. Link to post Share on other sites
Jerrod Miller 595 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 (edited) Don't use I-beam. You want mass under the work area. You'd be much better off with a couple feet of their 3" square. Or these guys right down the road may have some good options. Odd, when I went to post this there was a post from Simonet asking about I-beam, then I post it and his post is gone. Edited February 24, 2017 by Jerrod Miller Link to post Share on other sites
Mason Simonet 54 Posted February 24, 2017 Author Share Posted February 24, 2017 Just now, Jerrod Miller said: Don't use I-beam. You want mass under the work area. You'd be much better off with a couple feet of their 3" square. Or these guys right down the road may have some good options. Odd, when I went to post this there was a post from Simonet asking about I-beam, then I post it and his post is gone. oh thats because i realized the place i saw the heavy i beam was to far of a drive! haha Link to post Share on other sites
Jerrod Miller 595 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 2 minutes ago, Simonet said: oh thats because i realized the place i saw the heavy i beam was to far of a drive! haha I see. If you update your location we can probably help you find something close by that may be useful. Link to post Share on other sites
Doug Lester 404 Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 I found the steel block on Ebay. The company that sold it is a steel supplier that sells cut off's. Crags list might be a source too. It's easier to find round cut offs that square ones but if you keep looking you will find them. It took me a couple of months of checking every week or so. Doug HELP...I'm a twenty year old trapped in the body of an old man!!! Link to post Share on other sites
Mason Simonet 54 Posted February 25, 2017 Author Share Posted February 25, 2017 i found one, not as heavy as i wanted but if i go any heavier it goes from 13 dollar shipping to $100. does this look good? http://www.ebay.com/itm/401228194787?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff Keyes 672 Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 It won't be particularly hard, but it should serve. The block I posted above is hardened 4140, with the right block under it, it would probably out perform the ebay one. Geoff "The worst day smithing is better than the best day working for someone else." I said that. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. - - -G. K. Chesterton So, just for the record: the fact that it does work still should not be taken as definitive proof that you are not crazy. Grant Sarver Link to post Share on other sites
Clifford Brewer 384 Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 I personally have a 75 lb Vulcan that I've been using for years now and it serves me well. I have used other anvils and suffered from a bit of jealousy and given a chance would upgrade. That bein said use what you can afford, and upgrade when you can, ya gotta beat on sumthin to learn........My $ .02 If ya can't be good don't git caught !! People who say stuff can't be done need to git the hell outta the way of people who do stuff !!! Show me a man who is called an expert by his peers And I will show you a good man to listen to ...... Show me a man who calls himself an expert and I will show you an egotistical asshole...............!! Link to post Share on other sites
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