Something to help clean anvil??

[Drako11]

Hey everyone! So I got an old anvil from my grandfather that I have been using, it is in pretty good condition, but like all old metal things it has a rusty tinge. I have been working on it with a drill powered wire brush, but it is taking a long time to get it all off. Is there something I can use or put on the anvil to help shine it up and get the rust off??

[ThomasPowers]

The normal state of iron is rust. You can use various things to remove what's there---like soaking it totally submerged in vinegar and then scrubbing it down with a hose and wire brush. Which will leave it nice and silver coloured for a few seconds before it starts rusting again. (note won't work well if it's been oiled sometime previously)

But if you don't coat it with something it will rust again.

Most folks that do anything just take off any loose rust and then paint or oil it. It turns out that, save for the face which will keep clean with regular application of hot steel to it, a non-shiny anvil will work as well as a shiny one and the time spend making it shiny could be used making things with it!

A nice dark patina of oiled "moderate clean-up" works well and looks good.

Edited June 3, 2009 by ThomasPowers

[Quenchcrack]

Drako11, my old Champion forge was a solid red/brown rust color when I got it. I used a wire wheel to knock all the loose stuff off then wiped it down with a moist rag. I let it dry. I then painted it with boiled linseed oil. When it dried, it had a beautiful plum brown finish that is fairly well protected from further rust. Your anvil earned it's patina; let it keep it.

[philip in china]

I know just how you feel. You want to clean up your anvil- you want to spend time with her. I would have been the same as a youngster. Here I have to keep my anvils clkean as rust is a MAJOR problem. So I just clean up an anvil- wire brush on a grinder, hand wire brush etc. and then once I have got off all the loose rust I paint with whatever comes to hand- I have a blue anvil, a green anvil and a silver anvil. The paint doesn't go on the face or the top of thehorn but does go everywhere else. That will take care of the sides. The face is kepot bright by using the anvil but if I am going to be away from the forge for quite a while (like going back to europe on vacation) I grease the face so it doesn't rust whilst I am away. I do this with most of my other tools as well.

[Frosty]

Wire brush and elbow grease works if you don't have a right angle grinder and a cup brush. Naval Jelly works too but you have to coat or paint it immediately after rinsing it of or it'll rust again.

When I got my Soderfors I wire brushed it to knock the loose rust and dirt off. It was pretty clean as I bought it from a working farrier who's knees were retiring him. Anyway, after a long day of use it was really warm so I melted some of the wax, turpentine and soot mixture I use to finish ironwork and wiped a thin coat on it. It's been a nice rust free black ever since.

So far I've left my Trenton with it's coat of rust, though I may wax it some day, I don't have the romantic notions I had a few decades ago.

Of course I have new romantic notions as you'll see when I post pics of my cleaned, painted and detailed Little Giant soon as I'm finished messing with it.

Frosty

[Charlotte]

Drako11, my old Champion forge was a solid red/brown rust color when I got it. I used a wire wheel to knock all the loose stuff off then wiped it down with a moist rag. I let it dry. I then painted it with boiled linseed oil. When it dried, it had a beautiful plum brown finish that is fairly well protected from further rust. Your anvil earned it's patina; let it keep it.

Please note that the beautiful plum brown finish was THE finish for fire arms and other steel items until chemical hot blue became popular.

Linseed oil and superficial rust together make a varnish finish that is very resistive to further corrosion and is easily repaired. My good friend that is 76+ years old and has farm implements from "back then" is relegious about wire brush and linseed oil application. Works for handles and Iron.
Actually, there are several formula around that will help promote the formation of a tight rust film suitable for the development of a "plum Brown" coating with Linseed oil. In this application "boiled" linseed is normally used.

[Dragons lair]

After trying oils and waxes I went to stove black. I liked the way the woodstove looks.
Rub on buff off. But thats just me.
Ken

[Jaret]

High grit flap disks for the 4.5 grinder. i did it to mine the other day. I just like my things looking new. its just me. every year i take the wire cup brush to all my tools like my pipe wrenches and so one, buff em, clear coat them, and oil them down. i have had the same pipe wrenches for 10 years and heavy use in them. just how i like my things.

Ps. my anvil looks pretty now.

[Rob Browne]

If you can be bothered a coat of paint on the base and the top will look after itself with use. I figure its more how it works than what it looks like :)

Edited June 4, 2009 by rmcpb

[blindviper]

I used this to clean up a 75 lb columbian vise.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/

[Avadon]

There are sprays that will disintegrate rust and break its adhesion to the iron. Eastwood tools has some, but so do virtually most companies. There are also dips which you can dip tools into and then pull them out totally free of rust. Of course you won't be dipping your anvil, so just use the spray type. You spray then you literally wipe off the rust and it's like beautiful clean matte steel underneath. Really nice stuff.