Above is something you don't see much of any more: a hand-drawn artist's conception of a building that has yet to be built. In this case it's Vulcan's last all-new building: the Special Products Division at 2625 Electronics Way, West Palm Beach, FL, which was completed and opened in 1967. Afterwards some things changed along … Continue reading Those Aspirational Small Businesses
Although Vulcan would experience more than forty more years of life after it was over, Vulcan's Centennial Celebration in 1952 was both a milestone and a high point in its history. The "capstone" of the ceremonies was the keynote speech by Vulcan's President, Chester H. "Chet" Warrington, my grandfather. He put a wrap on the … Continue reading Liberty, Prosperity and Life
During Vulcan's first visit to Beijing in 1981, we saw many vehicles on the road we had never seen before. One of them was the Hongqi (Red Flag) limousine. The one above was parked in front of the Beijing Hotel, where we were staying. Jay Leno's Garage featured one back in 2016; here's the video … Continue reading Riding High in Beijing
Some of you may wonder what it was (and is) like to machine parts for Vulcan hammers, most of which are iron or steel castings. Some feel for it (and the decisions a machinist must make in the process) can be seen in the video below. https://youtu.be/L5yVpvCav_U Some comments: Although he doesn't say so, my … Continue reading Machining a Cast Iron Bearing
An ad in Engineering News-Record, 8 October 1931, for the Vulcan Pile Extractor. It was used to extract arch web Lackawanna sheeting by the P.J. Kennedy & Co. of Holyoke, MA. Vulcan touted the advantages of a "single purpose machine" (as opposed to MKT's multipurpose hammer/extractors. MKT must have gotten the message, they developed the … Continue reading “Much Favorable Comment” for the Vulcan Extractor
Another of Vulcan's long time employees has passed away: Curtis Harmon, age 83, of Wellington, FL, passed away on February 26, 2020. Curtis was born in Chattanooga, TN on May 22, 1936. Curtis is survived by his wife of 40 years, Cynthia C. Harmon; his children, Mel Harmon, Terri (Sam) Alavi and Robert (Julie) North. … Continue reading RIP E. Curtis Harmon
This site, as it says in the masthead, is to chronicle "Vulcan Iron Works Inc. and the pile hammers it made." Every now and then, we feature new things about this old product line from Vulcan Foundation Equipment, which currently supports the line with new and used hammers, service and parts. The Vulcan 5150, first … Continue reading Vulcan 5150, Now With a Revised Design
It's a little late, but this, the 1971 Christmas card from Vulcan Iron Works. Above shows the Australian Avenue office; below is the greeting:
When Vulcan opened it's Australian Avenue office in West Palm Beach in 1966, it wasn't long after that Vulcan acquired one of those continuous loop background music tape players (as depicted below) that graced many offices, department stores and malls of the era. https://youtu.be/d2tx5NHDcHA Background "easy listening" music was pretty much a fixture at the … Continue reading Christmas Music at the Australian Avenue Office (Maybe)
Above is a job comparison from 1926, put together by the firm Proctor and Cleghorn of Santa Rosa, CA, showing the Vulcan #2--to say nothing of the #1 also--significantly outperforming the MKT 9B2 (which they superseded with the 9B3) driving concrete piles. Vulcan obtained this data from Harron, Rickard & McCone, Vulcan's dealer in California. … Continue reading When the Vulcan #2 Beat the MKT 9B2
