vanhammer Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Hey guys, this is my first post. Unfortunately it has to do with what seems to be the dreaded "to paint or not to paint" question, but I didnt see my exact question on any of the topics I searched through first. Anyway, here is the scenario... I am not a blacksmith and am only intending to dabble in it very slightly at this time. I am however interested in fabricating some parts for some old cars I am restoring and I also am finding myself becoming interested in knifemaking. Anyway, I found an article about making an anvil out of a piece of railroad track and it just so happened that my Dad had a piece that someone had already cut to shape (how lucky can ya get right?). This piece of train track is very rusty however, so I was going to glass bead it and paint it with some high heat primer and paint OR oil it with some marval mystery oil after blasting. Keep in mind, that I dont really care about any sort of "value" of this particular anvil and I highly doubt it would be worth anything anyway. The value thing seems to be what is popping up in the forums about whether to paint one or not, but I am just concerned about the usefulness of the anvil. My questions are this: If I paint this anvil, is there any sort of the possibility of the paint "impregnating" the mild sheet steel that I will be hammering on it and affect any sort of paint job I plan to do to the sheet steel? And the same question as far as oiling it? If I am using any sort of 300 series stainless, would paint or oil be better for not hammering in some of the deposits of the steel of the train track anvil? And on another note and I didnt search for this in the forums yet because I just thought of it... Does anyone have any good tips on making a railroad track anvil? I havent finished the article yet either to see if this question is in it, but should any part of this anvil be hardened or tempered (I assume not but it seems like it could be useful)? Obviously I know just enough about this stuff to make a mess ha ha. Any advice is appreciated and thanks in advance for the help. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nghtmrknife Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 if your worried about paint on the work, paint the sides and leave the top bare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel.85 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) Dont paint the part you will be hammering on. Here are some ideas for Rail anvils, you want as much steel under your hammer as possible. ############## Edited May 24, 2012 by Glenn External link was removed by the administrator of the linked site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Don't paint/oil/wax any surface that will come in contact with the metal you are working even if you are cold working it. Alexander Weygers has an entire chapter on making a bang-up anvil from RR Rail in "The Complete Modern Blacksmith" including how to heat treat it! If you live in the United States of America you should be able to ILL a copy at your local public library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 just so happened that my Dad had a piece (of RR track) that someone had already cut to shape (how lucky can ya get right?). This piece of train track is very rusty however, so I was going to glass bead (blast it to clean it up) First off we are talking about a piece of rr track that the rail road sees fit to leave out in all types of weather with no coating at all. You want to repurpose a small section of RR track to beat on. You have already suggested you want to glass bead blasting the RR track to remove the rust and corrosion of years of being out in all kinks of weather, and are now looking for a protective coating for the raw metal. Oil must be continuously applied on a regular basis to protect any raw metal surface. The oil functions as a barrier to keep out moisture, chemicals, etc that can attack or oxidize the metal. It is easily reapplied, just a wipe with a oil soaked rag. Primer and Paint is designed to protect the metal. You expect it to last several years in most applications. Automobile paint you would expect to last 10 years or more. when applied to your automobile. Thank back as to when the last time you had YOUR automobile painted. And how old is that paint job again? As mentioned above, do not apply material to the work surface as the hot metal will destroy the coating anyway. When you finish the days hammering, wipe the bare metal with light weight oil to protect it for a short while. Oil is used as it will burn off easily, or will burn off the work piece the next time you reheat it in the forge. We should remember that this is a short section of Rail Road Track. May I suggest paint, such as a solid color and pinstripes, or if you do not like a solid color, a nice plaid or the family tartan. Either way expect the paint to be destroyed where it comes in contact with the hot metal. . I would caution you to think twice about anything that would harm the patina of a REAL ANVIL. That patina could be over one hundred years old and COULD NOT be replaced in YOUR lifetime. It is the choice of the owner of that anvil as to what he wants to do and how to protect the surface of the metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I think that if you are making an anvil from RR track that if you wish to paint the non working surfaces then go for it. I have made, in the deep dark past, some stakes out of track and painted the non working surfaces so it no big deal. I agree with Glenn though about older full sized anvils that some feel it is necessary to bring up to a Mr. Clean appearance, it just ain't necessary and doesn't add to the working ability of the anvil and after that patina is gone it takes a century or more for it to form again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanhammer Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Thanks a lot guys! I left the top bare but will coat it with oil. The sides are all black now. I do like the pinstriping idea ha ha. Anyway, the other question I havent seen a repsponse to yet... Will working a piece of 300 series stainless steel on a (i assume) high carbon steel anvil cause the 300 stainless to get rust spots over time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 The general rule is only stainless on stainless. Are you in a high rust area? I never coat any of my anvils with oil and don't have any problems here in NM. Back in Ohio I'd get flash rust but that didn't hurt anything and was easily removed the next time I used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Seems you're already bead blasted it so I won't say anything about impregnating the surface with bits of glass, silica, etc. Don't paint the working surface, check. Working SS on steel can be problematic but it's not hard to passivate and get rid of any steel residue so don't worry about it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigred1o1 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 oddly i have quite a bit of trouble with rust in Vermont i don't know if its just that the fields around the shop are so wet or what but i know a lot of my heavy metal equipment gets covered in condensation and i have to dump the water traps in my air lines anytime i run them so as a result any surface that is not in use i tend to coat with a lite coat of linseed oil and this has fixed the problem if i am not using my anvils for any length of time i tend to hit them with a light coat of wd40 and call it good i don't know if i really need to do that or not but it dose not seem to hurt anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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