My uncle swore by using motor oil on anvils and I nearly ruined mine
So my uncle Bob, who's been forging since the 70s, told me to slather my anvil in used motor oil to keep it from rusting. He said it's what all the old-timers did back in his shop outside Pittsburgh. I figured he knew what he was talking about, so I took the oil from my truck and coated the whole face. Man, that thing stank like a gas station and after a week the oil had gummed up with dust and made the surface slick as ice. I tried hammering on it and my stock slid sideways on the first hit, almost caught me in the shin. Had to spend three hours scrubbing it down with acetone and then repolish the face. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a family member that almost got them hurt?