Junksmith Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Morning all! Generally, when I finish a piece that is not going to be painted, I give it a run over a wire wheel to knock the worst of the scale off of it and give it a little shine before I give it an oil finish of some sort. I know that the motorized wire brush wheel is inherently dangerous. I don't mind using it for simple shapes, but more complex ones - particularly ones with hooks - can get caught, flipped and shot out in the blink of an eye. Sure, I always wear eye protection - but that doesn't help when it smashes a finger as it did last night:o Now the question. I have heard people mention pickling before to remove scale. I have a show coming up in September and so there is no time to build a tumbler. Is there a mix that will work relatively fast (a few days)? It doesn't have to do a perfect job. I've heard of using vinegar. Won't that go rancid in pretty short order? Any thoughts appreciated. In the meantime I'll be nursing this finger so it doesn't interfere with production this weekend. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaylan veater Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Junksmith, I don't know the answer about the pickling but I use a heavy wire hand brush and clean things when they are still red hot it cleans really well also Smith Boone shows us once at a demo to clean the metal with heavy emery cloth then heat once more but not to the heat to make it scale again it really makes it looks nice and doesnt take much time. Gaylan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Vinegar works really well. Hot vinegar works even better. It needs a light assist from an abrasive, such as a Scotch Brite pad. It doesn't go "rancid" in the sense of spoiling. It does lose its oomph fairly quickly, but vinegar is cheap. Just replace it and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecelticforge Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Muratic acid works just like vinegar, but faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlarkin Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I pickle my BBQ tools in Vinegar. I have a 3' long piece of 4" abs plugged at the bottom with a cap on top that stands off to the side. Takes about 1 and a half gallons of plain old white vinigar to fill. It will hold 3 3 piece sets. Over night works good, but 2 days usually cleans them off REAL good, then a light hit with the wire wheel shines em up ready for finish. The current batch of vinegar has been in there 8 months and STILL works good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfrick Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 (edited) The only thing that I use to remove scale is vinegar--I just get a plastic container, put my piece in it, fill it up and let it sit for a couple of hours (usually overnight, as I do all this around the end of the day). Of course this only works on pieces that are smaller and will fit in a container--probably won't work well on a hand railing, or something like that! One thing on the vinegar, though--only use WHITE vinegar for this as it's cheap and plentiful. (Use the "apple cider" and balsamic vinegars on a salad or something, not metal.) :) Edited August 26, 2009 by chrisfrick added info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonteCristo Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Does anyone happen to have photos of the before and after on a piece they cleaned with vinegar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 And don't have a piece that's half in half out of vinegar you will get a line at the transition point deeper than where it's immersed! For weird flat shapes a large trash bag or other piece of plastic can be draped over 4x4's to make a "pool" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junksmith Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 (edited) Great ideas guys! I'm going to Lowes tonight to get some pvc pipe & caps. My space is limited so I'm envisioning a setup like rlarkin's with a mesh basket that can be lifted out to retrieve smaller pieces. This will handle most of what I do. Gaylans idea will work well when I'm demoing at the show next month. I also use muratic acid on rare occasion but the fumes can be a killer. This will be a lot safer. Thank you all! Edited August 26, 2009 by Junksmith senior moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Hi, I'm quite fond of the wire brushed look too. I like how it brings out the highlights while leaving the recesses dark, really nice on the flowers I do. I've just had to buy a new bench grinder with wire wheel, I decided to buy cheap this time, bought a Clarke one, it's not very powerful and I've found that compared to the old one I used to use which was a high spec industrial one, this new one being less powerful is so much better to use. When I really put pressure on it slows, and today I caught the edge of a piece I was working, which got caught and it stopped dead. Not sure if this is a new built in safety feature, but I was soooo glad it stopped!! I've also used vinegar, it does work too, and vinegar is so much easier on the environment than other acids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I use diluted phosphoric acid or PH-Low (pool treatment… $9.00 at Walmart) in a saturated solution. Warming always helps. Both clean really well and will even etch if you level stock in them too long. Down side… don’t get them on your clothes. Store in glass only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double_edge2 Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 you learn sumpin every day,i have never used it, till matt said about vinegar for something else, now ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Thompson Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 A plastic water or pop bottle with a lengthways slot makes a good pickling container. They often have ribs which support the work and the cap can be removed to allow liquid to be easily drained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Vinegar works really well. Hot vinegar works even better. It needs a light assist from an abrasive, such as a Scotch Brite pad. It doesn't go "rancid" in the sense of spoiling. It does lose its oomph fairly quickly, but vinegar is cheap. Just replace it and move on. Matt has a good description of cleaning. If as you said you just want to knock the worst of the rust off, a Scotch Bright pad or 3M pad from the paint section of your hardware store will safely clean off the loose rust. If you want all of it off, then extra effort is needed. Try knocking the loose stuff off with a 3M pad and then spraying with Krylon clear epoxy enamel from the MegaMart. Application of clear spray or linseed oil will turn the oxide black. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Oxalic acid, available from house paint stores also removes rust and is very economical. Do not keep muriatic or other strong acids in your metal shop, as the vapors cause everything else to rust. Heres one to remember; " Always do what you oughta, add acid to water". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I had a piece with a hook on it come off my wire wheel, almost lost 3 teeth... the next day I bought a face shield. Wire Wheel= all safety gear : apron, heavy gloves, safety glasses, respirator(long sessions or heavy grinding), face shield. that was 4 months ago... the teeth are still not quite "right". Now I see I can use vinegar to pickle... I'll try that... what is proper disposal on used vinegar? I don't want to have any strong acids around, because of storage and disposal issues... and the danger that goes with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Does anyone happen to have photos of the before and after on a piece they cleaned with vinegar? Here's one with rusted chain, hook soaking in vinegar, and light rust when dried... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonteCristo Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Thanks a ton dsopac! I appreciate it! I am gonna give it a try on some stuff I made recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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