I have been looking on the internet about how to protect the sides of my anvil because it is outside 24/7 it is a 186lb pw and is my first anvil so i want to take good care of it, i dont like the idea of painting the sides so what could i do

Well some of the elders say use it. I know how mine was protected while laying in the woods for no telling how long. It was painted with some serious paint, I have been trying to wire wheel it off and have decided to to just leave it. It is hard as xxxx. Some kind of enamel or ceramic type.

Regular coatings of oil.

BTW, What is wrong with paint?

i dont know, i just dont like the idea of painting the sides
What type of oil? used motor oil work? or do i need somthing spetialized

Used motor oil works fine josh.

Find the oldest metal still around and in good condition. You will find it was NOT allowed to rust, and was always painted, usually by brush. Think military ships at sea always in salt water, or factory motors, stands, etc

Frequent coats of oil, are labor intensive and short (relatively) lived.

i dont know, i just dont like the idea of painting the sides

Only the face needs to be bare metal, or will be in short order from hitting hot iron. (grin) Paint the rest black, flat black or paisley print, your choice. You paint a car and expect the paint to protect the metal for how long? 5, 10, 20 years? Do you paint the doors and finders of the car (sides) or just the hood and top?


paisley: a pattern of small curving shapes with intricate detailing, usually printed in bright colours

Yes the Navy used some serious xxxxxxx paint. I call it deck paint I'm sure there is another name for it.

Is that the paint they use on the frigates? :lol:

:huh: LOL :lol:

Sea services are serious about paint. First there is a primer that we used to call blue death. It was a two part epoxy that worked really good. Then there was a primer on top of that called red lead. Then the top coat, two of them at least. I've painted boats and ships in the Coast Guard on and off for 20+ years.

Having said that and being fairly knowledgeable about painting ships, I would strongly recommend just getting some Rustoleum or similar type of spray paint in whatever color floats your boat . If you like your anvil, treat it right.

The bottom line is protection for your anvil.

Mark<><

Best method, Powder Coat it.

Just be careful of the type of paint you use.
The most bullet proof paint I ever saw was coal tar epoxy,they used to paint fish holds with it.One of the few things that`d stand up to that kind of abuse long term.
Put heat to it and it became the most vile stuff on the planet.I tried welding in a fish hold painted with it after the grunts had needle gunned the stuff off and then ground it back.With a supplied air respirator I lasted about 10 minutes.The smoke made my skin feel like it was on fire.Like swimming in creosote.
Check the MSDS for the fumes the paint you plan on using puts out when it burns.Some of the powder coat stuff is right up there.Touch it with red hot iron and it WILL give off smoke.Nice to know what`s in it before it hits your lungs and drops you.Who knows where that hot iron will land once it`s released from the tongs you used to be holding.You may be too busy gagging,coughing and staggering around blindly to track it properly.

If you do paint it remember to start with the bottom.Paint just the sides and place it on a wood stand out in the weather and it`ll rust from the bottom up and peel the paint away as it does.
I`d look at a product by Loctite called Extend.It`s water based and brushes on white then it and the surface rust turns black and the rust stops dead.
There`s a guy that makes yard art up here that uses it and his stuff has that nice satin black look going on 7 years for the pieces I`ve seen.That`s sayin` somethin for being outdoors 24/7 here on the coast of Maine.

Best method, Powder Coat it.

Powder coat would be fine if you kept the anvil indoors (heated, humidity controlled) and used it as a door stop not an anvil. Powder coat is the most oversold underperforming crap to ever hit the market.

Don't paint it. Some times I do use the sides of my anvil and under the horn, and every time weather on purpose or by mistake hot iron touches the paint it will give off fumes. My recommendation is to take a oily rag wrap the anvil in this. Then cover it with a strong high quality plastic bag and tie it around the anvil with a small piece of cord. It works because My friend did that with his anvil and it did not rust at all. It was outside for years.

I painted mine and reckon it looks ok!?

It's "Garden Shades Graphite Grey" or something like it!




Vic.

Best method, Powder Coat it.

I did that on several outdoor signs. If the stuff is compromised by chipping, having something hit it, or abrasion, it lets water under the powdercoat and starts rust. No way to fix it other than to remove the old powercoat and apply a new finish.

What about the paint that is used on BBQ grills. I have been keeping mine oiled so far and it works good. Hopefully someday mine will be in a shop and then it will be a moot point.

Mark<><

A heavy coat of wax for cars works well. Easily applied to all surfaces. Easily removed.
Keeps my anvils and other equipment from rusting, and does not smell like other stuff does.

A little unfair to just say "powder coating", sorta like saying "brush painting" or "spray painting". Powder coating is just a means of applying the finish. Some are just thermo-setting others are polymers that form long-chain molecules. There are acrylics, polyesters, epoxys and polyurethanes. Some are hard, some are tough. Depend on the application.

The powdercoater in this area promoted it as the best finish you could have, would withstand bla bla bla and so on. In application it fell short for me.

The power was electrostatically applied to the metal (in my case) was then baked at something like 400*F for a period of time until the powder turned into a uniform "plastic type" coating. Lots of colors to choose from.

I painted mine and reckon it looks ok!? It's "Garden Shades Graphite Grey" or something like it! Vic.

Nice anvil and stand

I forge outside and both of my anvils are always in the weather. I spray the tops with wd40 and leave a soaked rag covering them and then slip a large heavy duty garbage bag over each of them them. Both are always pristine with no rust and they have been out there for couple of years now. Hope to get a shed roof off the side of my shop this summer to give more protection.

Jerry Fisher

make a wood box to cover it ,lift it of and use it to lay your tools on when you work ,we did this at quarry where we sharpend there picks and dressed the hammers

Bruce; a variation of that I've seen was a dog house on wheels used to protect the anvil---and discourage folks who might wander by as it seemed to indicate that a dog was around.

a dog house ,good idea ,i like it.