What to do with a rusty anvil

[HomeSkillet]

Hello all. I have about a 200 lb anvil. It looks forged with no casting marks. Don't know if there are markings will look tomorrow. But It has about 3yrs of rust / exposed to the outside. Its not too bad. Clean sides and horn. Will take a picture tomorrow too. But How do I clean it up.

I don't use it but got it from my grandfather's death. And you never know Might start pounding metal myself one day. If Anyone could help it would be a great help. And how do I put a Anvil in mothballs?

[unkle spike]

Tractor supply has a spray called "Rust Cutter" that works pretty well, followed by a coat of oil should keep it looking good. Or just wire brush by hand and oil.

[HWooldridge]

Rust is actually a good protectant so you may simply want to brush off the loose dirt and oil it. If you are not going to use it for a while, it can also be waxed just like an automobile.

[welder19]

See if you can get any kind of name/numbers off of the side, that will tell you who made it and how much it weighs.
If the face, horn, and edges are all in good shape then takea wire brush or scotch bright to it or if the rust is real heavy (hopefully no pitting) you can take a wire wheel in a drill to it, after you get it all cleaned up you could paint the sides if you want but personally if it can be kept inside I would just oil it up real good or if it is going to be stored in a damp area or out side you may just want to paint the whole thing, or you can give the whole thing a coat of grease and cover it up.
One of the best preservative's I have found is called Corrosion X, made by Corrosion Technologies Corp. in Dallas Texas , it's not real cheap but well worth it's money and can be used as a corrosion/rust preventor, penetrant or lubricant. I always give my anvil a light coat when I'm done.....great stuff!!
I get it at work but I'm sure if you go on their web site you can probably find out where to buy it, Caterpillar actually uses it to coat all of their engines before delivery which is how we found it and we order it in bulk, so I can't tell you for sure where to get it but I did hear once that True Value and I think Ace hardware stores, (some at least) carry it.

welder19

[welder19]

Originally Posted by HWooldridge

Rust is actually a good protectant so you may simply want to brush off the loose dirt and oil it. If you are not going to use it for a while, it can also be waxed just like an automobile.

This is also true, you can just brush off the loose stuff and oil it up, that will keep it from getting any worse or pitting.

welder19

[markh]

I watched a Josh Greenwood demo one time and said that the rust actually helps hold the work still as you hit it. He said that he never removes light rust for that reason. So I would, as someone else wrote, brush off the thick, heavy stuff and try out the anvil before polishing to a nice clean finish.

[jimbob]

sand blast it, then oil it...take about 15-20 minutes

[HomeSkillet]

I took some pics . Here is what I made out . wilkson's solid anvil then in the middle says Patent with crossed shoves? Decent pic of on pic 6.


Anything anyone can tell me would be awesome

[GOATMAN]

I personaly love the color and texture of old rust oiled. It has a certain appeal of honesty.

Brush off the loose scale and paint w/ Boiled Linseed Oil IMHO

[civilwarblacksmith]

I think it looks in good usable shape, as is.

A few nicks along the edge can be taken care of with a grinder. If the are deep, get a welder with some hard rod and then grind them flat.