Is flux bad for old anvil faces?

B

bjalongi

Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
640
So, I finally found a turn of the century Hay Budden and started using it daily. My first forge welding session worried me a little. I hadn't dressed the face, so it still had a patina. However, the flux really cleaned up the face where I was working and now there are very tiny pits. I'm not sure if the pits were there and the flux just exposed them, or if the borax was corrosive and caused it.

I'll try to get a photo up.
 
The pits were most likely there, borax can probably be corrosive but it will not really harm an anvil face.
 
Hot borax will eat the lining from the forge floor, but cold borax on the anvil won't do much. It is hygroscopic, so it will draw water from the air if left on the anvil, and cause rusting. Just wire brush off the anvil when done for the day. A quick spray of light oil and a wipe off never hurts ,either.
Stacy
 
I don't think hot borax is going to cause pitting on your anvil, otherwise it would mess up your welds as well. It will wreck everything else it touches though.
 
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