IRTim Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 I'm looking for tips or any type of do's & don't's advice I can get on restoring a Peter Wright anvil. The other day I was playing with my brake drum forge. I live on the corner so people are always driving by. I had a man offer to sell me a anvil. He was a older guy real nice. Told me he bought it at a estate sale 5 years ago but can no longer be around coal so had no use for it. Right now I'm in the middle of replacing my vans head gaskets so I couldn't go see it and knew he likely couldn't text me or email pictures. I asked him everything I could about it and he felt it was in good shape and flat. He then told me all he wanted was to see it be used and only wanted me to pay him what he had in it. Said he knows they're going for a good bit now but he said he paid $85 and only wants the $85 he put in it. So I was all over it like xxxx even though I only had $90 to my name and bought it sight unseen! After 15 hours of electrolysis removing tons of paint grease and rust I can see it's been road hard. It's got marks all over the face and someone has welded it before on the edges poorly. Marks from a stick welder tapping on it. Clearly was used to cut on.. What's the best way I can rebuild it? It's a 137lb (1-0-25) Peter Wright. Has (2) 4's on the front feet. I'm not sure what they mean. I'm not sure how the Peter Wright anvil was faced and don't want to hurt it more than it is. The guy who sold it to me never got to use it. I don't think he knew it was poorly welded. It had to much paint and rust to see it. I also feel he was honest because he showed of with the paper from when he bought it and tried to lower the price to $75. I gave him the $85 and he said he was going to give the other $10 to feed homeless kids. I must of had some good karma coming. Even had a nice big hot cut hardie! How can I bring this back to life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Use it for a year before making any decisions. Hot iron will do wonders for the face. As to the edges, learn to use them also. I would suggest that you protect the surface of the anvil that is not the face from rust etc. There are many ways to do this, some take constant attention and constant application such as oils, others a bit less such as waxes, and others are a more permant solution such as primer and paint. What ever you do, make the seller hand forges items often so he knows you appreciate his gift, and he can see that it is being used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRTim Posted May 21, 2016 Author Share Posted May 21, 2016 Thanks Glenn, i hope to finish cleaning up the body of it from rust today. I wire wheeled the paint and rust off the hardie and gave it a coat of beeswax mixed with turpentine and linseed oil. Not sure if I'm going to coat the anvil that way or not. If it were in better shape that would be my first choice but since it's a little rough I also thought about using some tractor paint with a hardener I bought to use on my van. If I do paint it I'm guessing I shouldn't coat the horn with it. There are cracks in the weld on the corner and it's fish lipped over the edge with a hollow space that looks like goes back under the face a good ways. I'm not sure it'll stay on long if it starts getting a beating as I use it. Thin and cracked is what worries me. Not supported and just a poor weld adds to it but might beat flat over time removing the hollow space.. If I'm lucky. Here's the part I'm worried about most. I outlined where it's cracking off from not being supported. I think it's all weld steel there and not the real face metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 DO NOT beat on the cracks in the weld on the corner. There is plenty of other anvil surface that can be used. 12 minutes ago, IRTim said: I wire wheeled the paint and rust off the hardie and gave it a coat of beeswax mixed with turpentine and linseed oil. Not sure if I'm going to coat the anvil that way or not. Sounds like you already did coat the anvil (grin). Like I said use the anvil for a year and then decide what the anvil could not do that you wanted done. There are folks in 3 rd world countries that only have a sledge hammer head for an anvil and get alone quite well. YOU have a wonderful anvil to start with, so learn what you can do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRTim Posted May 21, 2016 Author Share Posted May 21, 2016 I am vary happy to have it and thankful I could afford it. I know living in York Pa I'm lucky because this area has a lot to pick from. There's old anvils every week at auctions, on craigslist. I've meet 3-4 people at auctions who have pointless numbers of anvils like 20+. I even sold a bench vise to a kid who lives 30min SW of me and works at a scrap yard who said he got 6 last year from work for $8-$15 a pop.. (He won't sell any of them) haha. I'm moving to San Diego soon and they sell or at least list 3ft pieces of RR track for $300-$400 on craigslist there. (As if tracks don't run up the coast?) There's nothing like here in Pa though! I've gotta get while the gettings good. Oh and Glenn thanks for the tip saying to make the guy who I got it from something. That's a awesome idea thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Nothing wrong with the anvil. Its a tool, and it can hold more tools (hardy hole). Make a block with clean, rounded corners and use that in place of the jagged bit you highlighted. That PW is in fine condition. I work regularly on a 75lb anvil with edges like your PW; don't think that by mashing hot steel against the face you will somehow damagae it- that PW probably saw much heavier stock than you will be working for a while, so treat her nice and she'll treat you nice. And, with nearly all anvils, NO grinding or welding! Just pure and simple forging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 7 hours ago, IRTim said: I'm looking for tips or any type of do's & don't's advice I can get on restoring a Peter Wright anvil. How can I bring this back to life? Just use it. Don't paint it unless... Practically...you like to breathe burning paint fumes...use vegetable oil or wax at most. Aesthetically/philosophically...you prefer to look at a coat of plastic veneer instead of looking at a hundred years of history recorded in the surface? Alan Actually Zebrite or graphite and wax looks great and protects and enhances the surface texture well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRTim Posted May 21, 2016 Author Share Posted May 21, 2016 I just got done coating it with beeswax. Figured I started by stripping the paint off it so no point in putting back on. That and buddy I'm staying with right is married to a girl who's parents are bee keepers so her mother likes that I get a use out of it. I found out her mother keeps honey bees after coming home and complaining that I spent $10 riding the bus all over town to find and buy a $20 block of wax. I still get laughed at and made fun of for it.. (As if bee keepers are a dime a dozen) haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 You can just go over it with a bit of black shoe polish or mix in some graphite with the wax and burnish it up for a good "irony" finish. Are you applying the bees wax hot or are you thinning it down with White Spirit or similar? Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 if you really must have it worked on I suggest you find an ABANA Affiliate having an anvil repair day and have it worked on there. I've participated in 2 so far one in Ohio and one in New Mexico so they do seem to happen places. They did a great job using the methods suggested by Robb Gunter. However that anvil can be used as it stands and please note that a swale (dip) in the face can be an actual feature and not a flaw! And finally what I was told when moving from Ohio to New Mexico---bring all the smithing stuff you can and then sell off the extra to pay for the move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRTim Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 Alan, I have a beeswax, turpentine and linseed oil mix that I used to put a vary thick coat all over the anvil. I applied it while vary soft by warming the wax mix in the oven till it all but melted than rubbed it on the anvil with a rag. Thomas, I'm sure Ohio has a lot of blacksmith stuff. Someone told me the American Pickers show said the best place to find and pick stuff is Pa. Living in between towns called Steelton and Iron City theres a lot of cool stuff to pick from. Prices are hit or miss. Blacksmith is almost sways over priced unless you get lucky or hit the right auction from what I've seen so far anyway. Some things are cheaper. Like blacksmith vise. People here do ask high like $250 down to $150 but for every 2-3 people shooting for that number you can find normally find 1-2 even nicer leg vise for $40-$50. Xxxx the York craigslist right now if you search vise has (3) Reed 106-s bench vise! What's even crazier than that is they're all in good shape and priced at $180, $425?, $1250. All the same vise! And hard to find vises at that. Everything you can think of was made in York at one point so if you look you can normally find it. Total crap shoot on what you'll pay for it though!! Rust, paint, more rust and even some kinda green stuff that had grown on the anvil before it was painted the first time is fully off. Looks good. Does anyone know what the (2) 4's on the front feet of the anvil mean? I can't find anything on what the numbers are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 She's pretty . Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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