Anvil advise requested

[Latticino]

Just got lucky and picked up my second anvil off a Craig's List add.  It is 165# with a 5" wide face, relatively small horn, no Pritchet hole and a 3/4" hardy hole.  The face is flat and the edges just lightly radiused.  Rebound, as checked with a 3/4" bearing is at around 85%.  Needless to say I'm thrilled.

Did a quick clean up with a wire wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder and removed the coating of rust.  There are no discernible manufacturer's marks, but I'm wondering if anyone can help me with the manufacturer from the photos below.  My current theory, from what little I know of anvil types, is that it may be an early Mousehole, but I'm really guessing there.

Also there is some degree of rust pitting on the surface.  I know enough not to go get it ground, or to try to "flatten the top" with any kind of grinder myself (it is plenty flat right now), but other than just using it and slowly burnishing the surface by working on the anvil, is there anything that can be done to safely accelerate the cleanup?  Some light duty hand sanding just to remove the peak layer of rusted metal for example?

Thanks for any assistance.

 

 

[EJRailRoadTrack]

I ran across a Mousehole the other day, exact same shape. I would say it's a Mousehole Nice find!

 

[Latticino]

Thanks, I'm pretty excited to put it to use and get forging.  The small horn means that a lot of the anvil mass is under the sweet spot, so I expect to get a bunch of efficiency increase from my current 125# Peter Wright that has a relatively large horn.  Not that I had difficulties moving metal on the PW, just that I've had some projects recently that used larger stock and always worried about striking with a 15 # sledge on the smaller anvil.  Probably didn't need another anvil, but I just could leave this one to rust away where it was being kept, or get grabbed up by an interior designer.

[ThomasPowers]

Of course most of the 250+ anvil manufactures documented to the UK made anvils that look like either Peter Wrights or Mouseholes as many of them got their training in those factories and went with what they knew when they opened their own...  So if no markings, no way to tell; but who cares!  If it works well it's a good anvil no matter who made it and if it doesn't then it's not!

If you must; going over the top with a belt sander or fine grit sanding disk can help shine up the top a bit. 

[arftist]

* Lightly* 

If you actually get it shining you will have lost some of the very hardest part of the plate, the work hardened, "packed" surface. This affects rebound. 

I wouldn't do it unless I was doing a bunch of nonferrous. 

[Fatfudd]

That anvil was made prior to 1835 since it doesn't have a pritchel hole. It is a very nice old anvil and one that I wouldn't use a 15lb sledge hammer on. If I needed to use a hammer that large I'd try to fine a big thick piece of any kind of steel because rebound won't be a big necessity, You might want to do a search for striking anvils, which is what you need. However since its your anvil you are free to do whatever you want to it. 

[Glenn]

The easiest way to shine up the anvil face is to hammer on HOT iron for 10 hours or so. That is not 10 hours one day but hammer on HOT iron several hours EVERY  day. No loss of metal AND you two get to know each other and learn to work together.

[Frosty]

If you're dead set on getting rid of the rust and pitting on the face get a plastic tub some washing soda and a trickle charger that won't automatically shut itself off and old electric train transformer works nicely. Give it some electrolysis time to convert rust flakes back to steel.

When it rusts steel or iron expands the pits just might, MIGHT be the original surface and the high spots are high because they're rust. Converting the extra thick rust back into steel will bring them back down. What makes permanent divots is scraping or brushing the high spots off before putting an object into the tub. Once steel is gone it's gone for good.

Just a thought.

Frosty The Lucky.

[SLAG]

There is no need to obsess or aggravate ourselves over the details and fine points of electrolysis rust removal of old tools. The newsletter of the Florida Artist Blacksmith Association's (F.A.B.A.), publication "Clinker Breaker"  August 2.000 issue pages 10-13, has an in depth description of the process, the set-up, and also the chemistry of it.

Look it up and start de-rusting

Enjoy,

SLAG.

Edited June 18, 2016 by SLAG
for fun

[Latticino]

Thanks to all for the assistance.  Will likely take Glenn's recommendation and just work on it as is, after  I get back from Peters Valley and have time to build a stand.  

Actually I have the parts for a striking anvil and the hardy hole started in same. Still need to try to drift it to size  (or do a lot of chisel and filing) and fab up the stand. Heating up 75 # of steel and moving it around is a bit daunting though.  Fortunately both this mousehole like anvil and the Wright both have 3/4 hardy holes.  Still want to make a larger hole to make it easier to drift hammer eyes and the like. May try to just drill that one.