roadapples

Watch your heat, it takes a lot to get the face and poll to a working temp, without wearing out your elbow; but the eye can get too hot/ burn/ melt quickly especially if you work it down any before the cutting edge and spike are thinned out.

My guess, being that while in Uncle Sugar's Big Green Machine, I got to see a few anvils that were Army procured your anvil was left there when the US pulled out, or was part of a shop set of tools that was issued to the South Vietnamese Army. Most of the old welding/ machinist shop sets the US Army used had a very similar anvil. (at least from the 80s-90s- those sets really didn't change much from the Viet Nam era until the late 90's)

Try to wire brush with soap and water to get it clean all over. Then cover it with flour or chalk- the flour/ chalk will stick in any depression and when you wipe it off it may show more markings that are not realy visable.

If you can, disconect the heating element - the "cheap" hair dryers have a tendency to overheat and shut down pretty quickly.

What I have used alot, IF you're using a coal forge, get the piece just hot enough so it's not touchable. Figure around 120- 140 degrees and work the hot piece through the coal dust/ slury on the far edge away from your fire. Pull it out, wire brush and then wipe with some beewax, then wire brush again. If you're doing a blade, this step is done right before the hardening and annealing, which would have to be done LAST, other than a final sharpening.Would work best on a primative/ early type/ fur trade or earlier style that has an as forged finish. For durability I did this with alot of hoof picks and some hoof knives I made years ago and the metal is still dark except for where sharpened the grill tools (Meat forks and spatulas) I used this method on are also still holding up even with handwashing- although I do occasionally wipe them down with a beeswaxed rag while still warm from the hot wash/ rinse water.