I'm not talking about the actual anvil condition itself, like dings/pits/marks, but more of the exterior finish.

All the listings look so similar and clean.
Wondering what they do to get the surfaces like that.
Acid bath of each anvil?

He wire brushes it with a cup brush on an angle grinder then wipes it down with linseed oil.

Wonder how course that wire brush is...
I've wired brushed 4 anvils so far, and they don't look like that!
Maybe a twisted wire cup?

That's what I use. I usually wipe it down with a rag dampened with thinner to remove the dust generated by the wire brush before wiping it with the boiled linseed oil.

I was wondering if they are bead blasted?

I asked him that and he said that he did not like the flat 'battleship grey' look that blasting gave the anvils.

Just looked it up, they are really very clean! He must spend some time on them.

I always wipe the face of my anvils with an oily rag after use, this seems too keep them a bit cleaner and helps stave off rust. But then it's often weeks between times when they get used because of my job.


Cheers

There's a trick to getting the most out of a powered wire brush, wheel, cup or . . . Do NOT put pressure on it let the wire tips do their thing. Pressure bends the wires and leaves you rubbing the work with the flats of the wire. Just letting the ends ride on the work lets the sharp ends flick off paint, rust, dirt, plating, surface steel, etc. leaving a nice finish.

Easy does it gets you more results though it's counter intuitive.

Frosty The Lucky.

i use soda electrolytic rust removal. I cant post a link at the moment though. So you will have to google it.

Ditto for the wire cup brush. I brush mine and then spray a product made by CRC Industry for rust prevention. Makes the anvil look good and prevents rust.

They are boiled in a large tank of costic soda. It will remove paint, rust, and old grime. Then power wash and wiped down with oil or Carnuba wax like Johnson and Johnson. Just my guess.
HH
CH

Always amuses me to read 'experts' making guesses. No caustic soda, no bead blasting, no power washing, just a lot of hours with wire brushes by some young fellas making wages. He has a seperate room for the clean-up work, with good ventilation, and his guys wear the proper protective gear.
Anyone coming anywhere near SW Michigan should give him a call and stop by his shop. Stewart, you are correct, he is a pro, and most definitely a good guy.

And he uses twisted wire brushes by the case. He sells the "used" ones cheap. To most of us, his used ones are still very usable. He is constantly switching out to new wheels and their sharp ends. No blasting, no baths. I have been there. Not a guess.

no guess from me, just a suggestion of how i like to clean rusty tools.

Always amuses me to read 'experts' making guesses. No caustic soda, no bead blasting, no power washing, just a lot of hours with wire brushes by some young fellas making wages. He has a seperate room for the clean-up work, with good ventilation, and his guys wear the proper protective gear.
Anyone coming anywhere near SW Michigan should give him a call and stop by his shop. Stewart, you are correct, he is a pro, and most definitely a good guy.

No one claimed to be an expert here. Seems like most of the responses were just examples telling how they have done it.