territorialmillworks Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Seems like everytime I use vinegar for scale removal, I have to first find the right size container to hold the work piece. Then I end up using a lot a vinegar to cover it. Recently I noticed my wife marinating steaks in a plastic bag. Nothing new there until she suspended the open baggie in a larger container of water to displace the air and then 'zipped' the baggie closed. Total immersion....now I use garbage bags and my slack tube to do the same thing. Yep, that woman is not only smart, but a good cook too! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregDP Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Not that vinegar is real expensive but you can concentrate it or just remove all that iron oxide in a simple crock pot still. Cut it on and walk away from it a gallon at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Keith, that just made my forehead flat and sore again. Now, why didn't I ever think of that? Another vinegar tip: After you are thru with the descaleing run the vinegar thru a coffee filter to remove most of the iron oxide will still be brown but it will retain more of the acid properties longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 is it better than diesel ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.w.s. Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Nice! I typically just use a piece of pvc capped on one end with a threaded cap on the other. A 3" pipe doesn't take that much to fill and you can cap it later to store it under a bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Roy Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 If you use too little vinegar you may deplete it before the job is done. The immersion idea is pretty good as long as you don't have sharp points and edges working on the plastic bag. A 3" pipe won't hold some of the items I want to de-scale. I do filter my vinegar as I return it to the jug, I've been using a paper towel. Diesel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 diesel to get rust off stuff ? thats what i been useing , vinegar any better ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Diesel to get scale off a forged piece? Yup way better as diesel won't remove scale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I bought a handful of needle files at a yard sale for fifty cents and I put them in a mayonnaise jar overnight and worked wonders on the rust, then poured the rusty vinegar on my fallow garden to neutralize some of my alkaline soil to get ready for fall planting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 o wow , im way off here..lol, i just use a wire brush to get that off, thought you where calling rust scale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Using vinegar in a plastic bag and sucking the air out is a good idea I hadn't thought of trying and I DO marinate meat that way! <SHEESH> I have been wrapping work in a rag and wetting it with vinegar. Works and makes the shop smell like vinegrette. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I had a plastic drum that needed a new life..put in 9 gallons vinegar and a bunch of water. Long shaft must be turned to comple the cleaning. Little cost...spare time...effective...large stuff fits. I work on a lot of other things than blacksmithing so the slo-go tank is good for me. If I am in a hurry then it is the wire brush and power device. Carry on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junksmith Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I do most of my pickling in a 5 gallon bucket. As a way to speed things up a little, I gorilla-taped a vibrating motor from an old massager to the side. I get the best results when I suspend the bucket and let the vibration shake the scale off a little faster. Kind of like a poor man's ultrasonic cleaner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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