This was my great grandfather's anvil. It's a 154 pound Hay Budden anvil that was cast in Brooklyn, NY in 1908. It hasn't been used in decades, but after some wire brushing and grinding the striking surface flat, she'll be a fantastic anvil. I went back and forth with my dad over it, but in my mind the best way to honor the legacy of the anvil is to continue using it for its intended purpose

Damn thats nice.

You might look at rust removal uinsg electrolysis. Seems like the easiest way to go with what you got there.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

---

Damn thats nice.

You might look at rust removal uinsg electrolysis. Seems like the easiest way to go with what you got there.

---

I'll see how it looks after the wire wheel might give that a try! My only hesitation is I don't want to pick it up more than I have to lol

Username checks out

Maybe another great way to honor a legacy is to not drive around in a pickup that would glow in the dark.

txag2008 said:

---

Maybe another great way to honor a legacy is to not drive around in a pickup that would glow in the dark.

---

I never have trouble finding it in parking lots

E-tank or spraying it with a yellow top of easyoff oven cleaner will do the job. Just soak it real good and put it in a garbage bag out in the sun. That should knock off all the surface rust and get it down to bare metal.

Good luck, wish I could have acquired my grandpa's anvil when he passed.

I didn't get the anvil but I did get a few tools used by my Grandfather and Uncle. I look at these and think of the song, "I got the milk cow blues!"

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

---

Damn thats nice.

You might look at rust removal uinsg electrolysis. Seems like the easiest way to go with what you got there.

---

I'm not sure lifting a 154 lb anvil into a tub and using about 10 gallons of fluid to remove rust over a period of a couple of days is easiest when a good soft wire wheel will do the same job, require no lifting and get it done in about an hour.

But that's me.

This board's obsession with chemically removing rust in every situation is really kind of fascinating to me. Not sure why, but it is.

That is awesome, and HB made some good anvils that were on par with some of the European manufactures.

Clean that bad boy up. What is the rebound like on it?

Because chemically removing rust is awesome.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

---

Because chemically removing rust is awesome.

---

Ehh.

Doing it mechanically is faster in almost every case. Chemical removal has it's place, especially on smaller or more delicate items or items that would not handle sugar blasting well.

With a medium sized anvil like that, hit it with either a brass wheel or a sugar blast. Then cold black it, polish the face of the anvil and put a light coat of oil or dry film on it. After that, get red hot iron and a hammer.

Genuinely curious what the debate with your dad was about? What the hell else you going to do with an Anvil besides use it as an Anvil? Was he looking for an elaborate way to kill a fast moving ground based bird? That never seems to work out

FIDO*98* said:

---

Genuinely curious what the debate with your dad was about? What the hell else you going to do with an Anvil besides use it as an Anvil? Was he looking for an elaborate way to kill a fast moving ground based bird? That never seems to work out

---

It has a lot of sentimental value and he was worried that it wouldn't hold up to every day use

Is it common for anvils to wear out? I always thought a good one would last an eternity.

This thread reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from my dad when I was growing up.

Dad walks around the corner and sees me in the middle of some epic juvenile screw up, probably just broke the lawn mower and had it in pieces trying to figure it out, or had caught the back yard on fire and he caught me w the hose, or hit a baseball through a window and I was cleaning up glass….

"I swear son, you could tear up an anvil".

It wasn't till later, after hearing it a few times, that I realized that the comment wasn't a compliment.

This one was closely associated with the other comment….

"Son, nothing good is going to come from what you're doing there…."

schmellba99 said:

---

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

---

Damn thats nice.

You might look at rust removal uinsg electrolysis. Seems like the easiest way to go with what you got there.

---

I'm not sure lifting a 154 lb anvil into a tub and using about 10 gallons of fluid to remove rust over a period of a couple of days is easiest when a good soft wire wheel will do the same job, require no lifting and get it done in about an hour.

But that's me.

This board's obsession with chemically removing rust in every situation is really kind of fascinating to me. Not sure why, but it is.

---

Save the elbow grease and just spray it with ospho.

Or just leave it rusty. It's an anvil, for crying out loud. It's not like the quarter panel on a '67 Chevelle.

DatTallArchitect said:

---

Is it common for anvils to wear out? I always thought a good one would last an eternity.

---

They will wear out over time, but it takes a long time before that happens. Chipping of the tool steel face happens with use, but usually it is because it is being used for something you shouldnt be doing.

A higher end production like this one, especially at that weight and mass, has little probability of anything bad happening with even every day use in a forge, much less weekend warrior use in a garage. My much lower quality Southern Crescent holds up to weekend warrior use without issue.

Leaving it rusty wouldnt fly with me. Rust is bad, clean and protected is good. Shows care and attention to detail.

Plus, there is something deeply satisfying with taking something old and breathing life back into it IMO, especially tools that have a history.

You also dont want to put red hot iron on a rusty face and shape it. You get inclusions that way and contaminate your steel.

I used to get the "you could tear up a crowbar in a sandbox" from the Olde Man.

Nm

Appreciate the information. There are so many skill sets being lost and it makes me want to learn more about blacksmithing so I can hopefully help pass it on to a future generation

DatTallArchitect said:

---

Appreciate the information. There are so many skill sets being lost and it makes me want to learn more about blacksmithing so I can hopefully help pass it on to a future generation

---

As a full time blacksmith, I can safely say it's the best job I've ever had (although it's really hot this time of year). Taking a piece of iron and turning into something functional is extremely rewarding

CrawfordAg said:

---

E-tank or spraying it with a yellow top of easyoff oven cleaner will do the job. Just soak it real good and put it in a garbage bag out in the sun. That should knock off all the surface rust and get it down to bare metal.

Good luck, wish I could have acquired my grandpa's anvil when he passed.

---

Hey buddy! Remember working on your grandpa's shotgun in my dad's shop and it springing apart in about 20 pieces?

I finished cleaning it up. It took a lot of wire wheeling, grinding, and welding but she's in great shape. Her (re)inaugural project will be finishing up a Damascus kitchen knife I've been working in

schmellba99 said:

---

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

---

Damn thats nice.

You might look at rust removal uinsg electrolysis. Seems like the easiest way to go with what you got there.

---

I'm not sure lifting a 154 lb anvil into a tub and using about 10 gallons of fluid to remove rust over a period of a couple of days is easiest when a good soft wire wheel will do the same job, require no lifting and get it done in about an hour.

But that's me.

This board's obsession with chemically removing rust in every situation is really kind of fascinating to me. Not sure why, but it is.

---

The board always comes up with the wildest ways to do some things. Never fails.

Haha, thought my dad was going to kill me when I got home...luckily, we figured it out.