That rusty anchor I pulled from a lake cleaned up better than expected

Honestly, last month I dragged a crusty old anchor out of a shallow spot near Lake Erie, figured it was beyond saving. Took it back to my shop, hit it with a wire brush for two hours, then spent a full day in the forge reheating and straightening the flukes. The rust flaked off in big chunks and underneath the steel was actually pretty solid, no deep pitting. Has anyone else tried restoring salvage pieces like this, or do you usually just scrap them for material?

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ninab9521d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree with you there... two hours of wire brushing and a full day in the forge sounds like a labor of love, not a smart use of time. I pulled a boat cleat out of a muddy riverbed last spring, spent almost as long cleaning it, and the metal was so riddled with deep pits it just crumbled when I tried to weld on it. Salvage pieces are a gamble, and honestly, I'd rather scrap them for fresh stock than lose a weekend on something that might snap the first time it sees real stress. That anchor might look pretty now, but you never know what hidden weak spots are lurking under that shiny surface...