I got my hands on this old anvil and was looking for some tips on how to clean it up as well as protect it, I live in a very humid place.

 

I was thinking of going at it with a wire brush and some sand paper to knock off most of the rust, then I was planing on heating the anvil with a torch to burn off the rust and then coat in burnt Motor Oil to protect it from humidity.

 

Is my plan going to have any negative repercussions? if so why? and what other route should I take? Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

P.S. any idea what kind of anvil this may be?

Rub it down with linseed oil, put it to use and no more!  If you put a torch to it to burn off the rust you will without a doubt soften the face and ruin the rebound.  Spend some time reading the suggestions given in this forum before possibly doing irrepairable damage.  Could be a Trenton.

It depends on how you are going to use your anvil.

 

Daily use

Hot metal will clean the face better than anything else you can use. It also gets you and your anvil working together. It results in a clean face and finished projects.  For the body, wire brush and coat with BOILED linseed oil. It will dry and give a little protection. Over time many coats will build up and protect better.

 

Occasional use: See above. When finished wipe the face a light coating of ATF (auto transmission fluid). For the body of the anvil, clean and prime and paint. Do not paint where you will use the hot iron. Black seems so common so I suggest you paint using the family tartan, plaid, or at least pin stripping. (grin) After all it is your anvil.

Thanks for the info... So just hit it with a wire brush and oil?

Yes, that will make a big difference.  I did use a wire brush to clean the wording on the sides while trying to figure out the type and some tarlike substance on the sides.  The rest of mine was just rubbing boiled linseed oil and using it.  On occasion I still wipe the face down.

Electrolysis works best for me, no wire wheeling, brushing etc. All the rust comes off, and no fuss.

I would try electrolysis as well. Lots of information on the net and on Youtube.

Just for future reference when I do get a real anvil, should it be rusty, wouldn't sandblasting the non-working surfaces be a complete no-no?

I wouldn't sand blast it unless you're just going to paint it and use it for a decoration. Wire brush and put it to work works really well.

 

After a long day's work, when the anvil is almost too hot to touch bare handed is a good time to rub it down with a bar of paraffin wax. the hot iron/steel will soak it up and when cool it hardens and makes a good tough finish. that's how I coated my Soderfors. When I redo it I'm using Tree Wax, it's Carnuba wax, the stuff they armor bowling alleys with.

 

A coat of LPS3 is good, it has rust inhibitors and leaves a coat of really tough wax once the deep penetrating volatiles evaporate. I'm  HUGE fan of LPS3, fast, easy and good.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Linseed oil, wax , or motor oil.
Wire brush
Do not sandblast or electro chem dip, paint
The anvil took all that time to patina, don't ruin it with paint and sandblast
Oiled rust looks black after a food wire brushing. Let the slag clean the working surface.

After you have removed the soft, powdery surface rust, the remaining deep rust is in itself a protective layer.  Sandblasting, acid, or any other harsh removal technique will not do it any good.  Electrolysis...maybe OK, but you still have to protect the fresh metal.

 

Recalling that old muzzleloader rifle barrels weren't "blued", they were "browned".  The process consisted of a controlled, accelerated rusting action using acids that built up a very tough, corrosion resistant layer on the barrel.  When I built a couple of them, I had to draw-file the barrel flats down to fresh metal, then apply the browning solution and keep the humidity high for several days.  Afterwards, the barrels were "carded" with steel wool to remove surface rust and the resulting finish was hard and rust/corrosion resistant.

 

Like others have said, brush it, put some linseed or other protectant on it and enjoy.

I just did my first electrolysis at the house and it was a wonderful experience.  Very easy, no real work, and there was no brushing or whatnot to deal with.  The parts were taken down to bare metal without an ounce of work on my part!

 

Admittedly, I did have to hose the metal off, and a bit of a scrub brush was needed to knock the stuff loose after the soak.  But, it was literally like washing much off the truck after a bog run!

 

Well worth the effort, and I highly recommend it for lazy folks like me!

i periodicly give mine a light brushing with a flapper disc and then wash down with diesel fuel. cleans up pretty nice

i periodicly give mine a light brushing with a flapper disc and then wash down with diesel fuel. cleans up pretty nice