Sandblasting/painting anvils

[ichudov]

Would you say that sandblasting and painting anvils with rustproofing
paint, such as cold galvanizing, would increase the value of an anvil?

The anvil in question is a regular Columbian, nothing very
collectible, just a nice usable anvil.

i

[pkrankow]

Paint will protect an anvil, but so will oil or stove blacking. Most of us consider paint on an anvil we are trying to purchase a loss of value since it may hide a defect. Collectors are interested in the original patina.

Phil

[ThomasPowers]

I generally drop my "willing to pay" price by a third if an anvil has been recently painted as it can hide possible defects such as cracks or welding. I would also prefer it to not be sandblasted as I want to see that there has been no welding on the face. Wirebrush off any loose rust and I'm happy!

I actually will pay more for an anvil with chipped edges than for the same anvil with the edges welded up and ground smooth; as I can't tell if they were done *RIGHT* (preheat, post heat, correct rod, etc). Of course I'm buying anvils to use as a tool and not as a decoration.

Would you raise your price for a diamond that was painted over?

[ichudov]

Would you raise your price for a diamond that was painted over?

ROTFLMAO, great explanation!

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I would have no problem painting an anvil that I will be using. Why worry about value, unless you are getting ready to sell it? If you do sell it, you can strip the paint then. It is a tool, and if paint helps keep it from rusting badly, with less maintenance, than paint it.

[AndrewOC]

Hi all.
I wholeheartedly agree with all the above points. My 3 small anvils have each had a different treatment. The 1 cwt wrought iron was buffed up with a cup wire wheel basically to de-rust & clean it, de-burr the numerous punch and chisel graffiti on the sides. It is experimentally coated with 'G15' (local name for a US product) that claims to be an anti-corrosion concoction for metal parts. Second is a 1/4 cwt wrought anvil that i blasted with garnet. It was painted and had some kind of hard glue in the underside handling hole. This i have also test sprayed with G15. Interestingly the grit blasting clearly brought out the forge weld lines and other manufacturing marks.

before blasting
For my third small anvil, a 1/2 cwt cast iron number, i only cup wheeled the working surface; the old red lead on the sides may be original and looks quite resonable.
...another 2 cents worth, well maybe 3.
AndrewOC

[Richard Schmid]

I’m not a blacksmith. I love smaller anvils. I’m looking for a smaller beautiful anvil with patina. I don’t know what to buy! Please help me!

[ThomasPowers]

So out of the over 100 different countries that participate on IFI; which one are you in and are you willing to travel say 12000 miles to buy or do you want to stay "local"?     I recently sold an intermediate sized anvil; it was 248# and went for US$1000; how small is small to you?  60 pounds?  Less?  There was a Craigslist in Arkansas a few months back where a fellow had a bunch of less than 100# anvils for sale; all old, many battered/abused.

[FlatLiner]

I don't see an anvil as a diamond but as a tool. Nobody would paint a diamond but they would paint a tool. I don't care if an anvil is painted or not. I don't care if it has patina or not. I don't pay extra for paint and I don't pay extra for patina. I also don't pay extra if the face has the edges welded or if it has been recently ground and polished. Its pretty easy to spot imperfections under patina or paint when you know what your looking for unless it has lots of layers of paint, which I have never seen on an anvil in my limited experience. Since both of my anvils came off ranches both had edge damage, both had patina and paint. Both you could see where just fine for the price.

[JHCC]

The only problem with paint is how it smells when the hot metal hits it.

Now, finish is an entirely different thing for collectors. IFI member njanvilman has spoken on a number of occasions about Fisher anvils he has acquired with intact factory finishes, including some wartime models in olive drab rather than the usual black.