LordVen Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 ive decided that its high time to start on family Christmas presents. I got laid of from work and have been useing old bailing wire to make braclets, chains chainmail and a chainmail bible cover for my Pa. the problem is that i want to paint a number of the rings to create a cross on the front. of course being on a budget and all i want to use either high grade spray paint(maybe) or go to my uncle and see if he has some old car paint lying around. anyways the problem is that most of the galvanization has worn off and most of what is left comes off when i coil the wires. in the galvanizations place a natural dark patina, rust, and oil has spread to the areas not galvanized anymore. though i have been picking out the rusty rings. does anyone have any ideas on an easy idea for making it shiny and get rid of the oil. i made a small bit of chainmail 4 in 1 last night and dropped it in viniger. the rust seems to have gone away but the patina has not. im thinking WD-40 is my next option. Quote
Fosterob Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 Use different metal for that instead of paint. Copper is easy to get as scrap electrical wire. Stainless would be my choice, always shiny. Rob Quote
MattBower Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 Vibratory tumbler. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1S2q_MuixI&NR=1 I'd stay away from oils. Quote
Michael Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 I seem to recall a tale of cleaning chainmail that involved putting the finished mail item into a small barrel with measure of sand and water, then sealing up the barrel and having a serf roll it around the courtyard of the castle to derust the mail. Modern equivalent might be a 5 gallon bucket with lid rolling around in the back of a pickup truck. YMMV Quote
MattBower Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 lolhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvGYfmbBYyg&feature=related Quote
MattBower Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 I seem to recall a tale of cleaning chainmail that involved putting the finished mail item into a small barrel with measure of sand and water, then sealing up the barrel and having a serf roll it around the courtyard of the castle to derust the mail. Modern equivalent might be a 5 gallon bucket with lid rolling around in the back of a pickup truck. YMMV Or a vibratory tumbler. :) Quote
Steven Fabrizio Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 Electrolytic Rust Removal I'm don't saying this is what your looking for but it might. http://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/ Quote
LordVen Posted August 28, 2011 Author Posted August 28, 2011 lol i like the idea of a 5 gallon bucket in the back of my pickup truck...now i just have to clean out all the tires and junk out...well i dont have any spare money so the vibrator tumbler is out of the question, though i might have an old washing machine motor out in the garage that would work. or maybe the other electic motor (cant remember what i got it off of). or maybe make a spit of sorts. ive got some old bed frame rails ive been saving. if i make it right it could be used for a foticery bbq on an open fire. ive been keeping a weather eye out for electical wire, no luck so far. in the mean time i can learn a lesson or two about what works and what doesn't. i was thinking car paint because it dries hard once cured. if i had it my way the wire never would have been more or less ruined. we had a flood a few years back and that accounts for the rust. then someone left it in a pile of oil and only oiled part of it. well thanks for all the tips guys. not only did you give me some helpful tips you got the old noodle working again lol. I think im going to go for the rotisery if i cant find a working motor. thanks again. Quote
LordVen Posted August 28, 2011 Author Posted August 28, 2011 now if i only had a tread mill..... Quote
Arbalist Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 Electrolytic Rust Removal I'm don't saying this is what your looking for but it might.http://www.instructa...oval-aka-Magic/ That's what I was going to suggest. Worked great for me on some old rebar. Vic. Quote
MattBower Posted August 28, 2011 Posted August 28, 2011 If you've got a motor and some scrap metal, I bet you could piece something together. The motor could take the place of a treadmill. You said you've got tires in the truck. Think about it a little. Electrolytic rust removal works great, but it leaves the parts covered with loose crud that'll need to be removed before painting. Abrasive will leave you with a bright, ready-to-paint surface. I'm also not sure how any remaining galvy will affect the electrolysis. Quote
ThomasPowers Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 I used the copper clad telephone lead in wire for rural areas. IIRC it's actually a spring steel. Had to cut it with dremel cutting disks. Traditional cleaning was the "barrel and squire" method though vinegar has been mentioned as the liquid. Just working the rings against each other will do quite a lot. I know of a fellow who picks up old driers where the heating elemets are toasted and tumbles mail shirts in them and lets the rings clean themselves. I don't recall ever seeing galvanized bailing wire seems like a lot of extra cost for something meant to be discarded within a year. Quote
Drewed Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 Drop it in a bucket of CLR or simaler type stuff. Let it sit for a while, then wash off. Quote
Bentiron1946 Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 If you access to a small home use concrete mixer try using clean sand and plain white vinegar for an hour or two. This is supposed to mimic a knight's page cleaning chain maille the traditional way with vinegar and sand. Quote
LordVen Posted August 29, 2011 Author Posted August 29, 2011 well ive got some old electric motors that could replace the treadmill. i was thinking along the lines of a BBQ spit out of some old scrap metal(bed frames missing their other half) to make an X with a nut and bolt.maybe cross bars to keep the bar from popping off. pop holes in the top and bottom of a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, slip the poll through the bucket holes and onto the top of the X. connect the motor to the pole and turn her on. its portable for an open pit fire. great for camping or in my back yard. that or make a hand crank for now. would love to have a little horizonal shaft motor lol. my neigboor might have some CLR. he just shut his plumbing business down to retire. on the note of the bailing wire i have no idea why it is galvanized. my uncle bought it something like 20 years ago and used it for a variety of uses. I was thinking about the Electrolytic process a couple weeks ago. ive got an old battery the i dont use anymore that might do the trick. or just use the battery charger. though i think that i will use that one for my larger projects. the book cover is only 7" by 9 1/2" for each cover with a 2 inch spine. i might just replace the 5 gallon bucket with an old coffee can lol. well thanks again guys. im about to get to work on it. ill let you guys know how it turns out. Quote
LordVen Posted September 7, 2011 Author Posted September 7, 2011 thanks alot guys. sorry i havent been on to reply. been busy latly. i made a small hand crank tumbler for now. could find a working motor. its a little slow going and ugly as sin but it does the job. lets me know if i have any weak links too. already replaced a few lol. and thanks for the link mailmaker. Quote
dog footrot Posted November 13, 2011 Posted November 13, 2011 when i was originally interested in making maille armour, i had once read that an original method of cleaning was to place the item in a barrel half filled with sawdust, and then roll it around for a while; the motion of the rings rubbing against one another was supposed to clean the rust off, i don't know how successful this method would be, but if you're building a tumbler, this might be another method to try. Quote
ThomasPowers Posted November 14, 2011 Posted November 14, 2011 Ahhh sawdust was a fairly rare commodity back when most woodwork was done with axes, chisels, planes. Much more likely they would have used bran instead. Quote
Jason @ MacTalis Ironworks Posted November 22, 2011 Posted November 22, 2011 Laundry dryer in a few sacks is what I always used back in the day. Then I discovered stainless steel rings... Terribly noisy though... Failing that, stick it in a bucket with a little sand and roll it down a hill a few dozen times. Quote
Steve Sells Posted November 27, 2011 Posted November 27, 2011 I had a coif made from stainless rings, and used copper for the design, this worked well and the color contrast was nice also Quote
famuel Posted December 18, 2011 Posted December 18, 2011 Traditional way to clean chainmail is to put in a half filled barrel of sand and kick it around the yard for a day!! :rolleyes: Quote
Glenn Posted December 18, 2011 Posted December 18, 2011 Put the material in a bucket with a lid, add some sand and a bit of boiled linseed oil. As you sit you can roll the bucket around with your feet and clean the metal inside at the same time. They make motors for a reason. (grin) Quote
Bibbs Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 if you want to spend loads and loads of time. . . (should I even bother finishing this statement?) (ehhh, why not) wire brush would probably work Quote
quick60 Posted February 8, 2012 Posted February 8, 2012 Apple cider vinegar for an hour or two then brush it off, roll it in sand, tumbler etc. But the vinegar should be enough to do the job. If using galvanized then this will be a recurring problem throughout the life of whatever you make. Might want to try a different wire. I like the idea of a stainless and copper wire combination for the color. Quote
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