18 hours ago, Frosty said:

Don't believe Lou, he's a trickster! Anvil love is NOT an illness, it's a goodness!

If you wire brush the rust off and get that fine old lady shined up my favorite finish is carnuba paste wax. It's the stuff they use on bowling alleys, you know the stuff they need to sand off to strip. Yes? Apply to an anvil about fresh cup of coffee warm and it'll penetrate any nooks and crannies and set hard and tough when it cools. The brand I like is "Trewax" but I hear good things about "Bowling Alley Wax." The stuff is also great finish for iron work.

Frosty The Lucky.

  I haven't met a fetishist yet who didn't believe their passion was a problem

 

I'll have to try the Trewax or whatever variant some time.  Does it withstand forging heats when you use the side of the anvil?

I don't wax the face unless I'm storing it for a while then I just use Johnson's paste wax as it's not being rubbed. I don't know of any wax you could lay hot steel on without it burning off. . . Manly man ear wax maybe? 

Frosty The Lucky.

Just now, Frosty said:

Manly man ear wax maybe? 

No, that doesn't work either. 

Greetings I. F. I. Denizens,

Burned ear wax has a vile odor. Ear wax is not only made of wax. There all manner of other organic compounds including proteins in it. Some of these proteins have sulfur containing amino acids, such as methionine, cysteine, cystine, etc. Those compounds add to the pong.

There are even anti-bodies in the mix. (those are immune cell products).

Therefor I suggest sticking with the commercial stuff and foregoing the use of ear wax.

SLAG.

Umm interesting  .

I wasn't suggesting ear wax as a preservative just as something that might not burn off under hot iron. IF it was manly enough that is. I don't think toe jam is really jam either though belly button lint might be real lint. 

HEY! I just thought of a proper use for ear wax incense! Anybody who uses an anvil as a table to torch cut stuff on should be locked in a small dark cell and made to burn ear wax incense to do penance!

You guys are such an inspiration, thank you! 

Frosty The Lucky.

14 hours ago, SLAG said:

 Those compounds add to the pong.

I actually laughed and don't even know what it means.  Genius!

I think it would still be okay to apply ATF to an anvil with Q-tips...tedious....but okay.

OOPS!!,

Pong is an accepted English word. It means a strong, unpleasant smell  (Oxford Dictionary).

But it is more commonly used in England.

Sorry about that folks.

I do try to stay with American words and spelling, since I relocated here.

SLAG.

(Former Canadian resident.), (love it here but I miss the cold winters).

 

Burning ear wax does sound a lot like frying bacon. For bacon lovers, that is a bonus.

How did you find that out lol.

55 minutes ago, Dylan Sawicki said:

How did you find that out lol.

Blacksmith's inquisitiveness?

2 hours ago, Dylan Sawicki said:

How did you find that out lol.

Any welder who's done overhead can tell you what burning ear wax sounds like  and WHY you should wear ear plugs.

I only own one welding shield, helmet actually that will accept muffs. The helmet is a 3M Whitecap, supplied air welding helmet, with air conditioning, heat or cool. It's just heavy and cumbersome but it keeps the fumes out of your lungs. I've used it more painting than welding since I stopped welding the really toxic stuff.

Frosty The Lucky.

Overhead welding indeed.  I hate putting in ear plugs for any reason, except over head welding.

For the OP; Vincent, I think you have a Peter Wright there. 

Congratulations!

Thanks again to everybody who has replied on this thread and to all the questions I asked here. I greatly appreciate all of your help and suggestions. I do believe in this anvil love y'all are talking about because ive already fallen for mine. 

Theophilus mentions using ear wax when polishing niello

9 hours ago, Frosty said:

Any welder who's done overhead can tell you what burning ear wax sounds like  and WHY you should wear ear plugs.

I only own one welding shield, helmet actually that will accept muffs. The helmet is a 3M Whitecap, supplied air welding helmet, with air conditioning, heat or cool. It's just heavy and cumbersome but it keeps the fumes out of your lungs. I've used it more painting than welding since I stopped welding the really toxic stuff.

Yes burning ear wax does sizzle and the worst burning smell is burning flesh especailly if its your own, My clothes that I usually wear I look like the rag man its a combination of being economical (read tight) and not liking spending money on work clothes and the holes in my skin heal up where clothes dont. I have the joys of having to resit my welding tickets this week two over heads one Flux cored and one Low hydrogen stick and a solid wire Verticle Cheers Beaver

T. P.,

Were the niello craftsmen heating the ear wax when using it?

In the spirit of one for one:

Jewelers that engrave jewelry (rings etc.), lubricate the piece with saliva as they work.

SLAG.

No it was the last step after the fine abrasive work, (crushed roman tile is one source for abrasives he mentioned IIRC), putting a bit of ear wax on it and buffing it shiny!

My boss in the violin repair shop taught me to touch the freshly sanded tip of an ebony tuning peg into the skin crease next to the nostril, to pick up a bit of skin oil as a polish.

4 hours ago, JHCC said:

My boss in the violin repair shop taught me to touch the freshly sanded tip of an ebony tuning peg into the skin crease next to the nostril, to pick up a bit of skin oil as a polish.

That works quite well on door striker plates that are dry and the door doesn't close easily. Rub a finger there then apply the skin oil to the striker plate.