Frosty Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 3 hours ago, Steve Sells said: I gotta wonder about people that make such a strange post like this one, then never return to IFI again His dad probably told him he can't use the fence posts around the house. When I was a kid I used to go off in a huff when one of my ideas got met with practical experience. Sometimes I'd sit and think they were going to be really sorry when I didn't speak to them when I was rich and famous from inventing whatever the idea was about. I'll get over it someday. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorō Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 On 04/10/2016 at 1:59 AM, Buzzkill said: Steel exposed to acid in the presence of oxygen will rust FAST. The muriatic or vinegar baths work well to strip zinc coatings or derust items, BUT only if they are submerged so that oxygen can't get to the steel's surface. I've recently used an angle grinder with a flap disc to clean the surface rust on my anvil and then left it there for about a week and a half and there are rust spots on it again. Im thinking maybe I should have applied some grease of oil to prevent the anvil from rusting? How quick would acid strip galvanisation if I left it in an acid bath? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Don't bother with the flap disk again. It is more harmful to your anvil, by far, than a little rust. Every particle of metal you remove from the thin, high carbon surface is irreplaceable. Instead, just coat it with a little automatic transmission fluid if you want to protect it. Then use it. Grease would probably make a mess on your tools, clothes and your work pieces. There is also no need to use acid on your anvil. It is not galvanized and doesn't need to be etched. It would likely just damage the anvil. All you need to do is oil it and then use it. If appearance matters to you hit it with a wire wheel before you oil it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 1 hour ago, Gorō said: How quick would acid strip galvanisation if I left it in an acid bath? There's pretty much no chance at all that your anvil has a zinc coating on it, and Lou already gave you good anvil care tips. If you have to remove the galvanized coating from other objects an acid bath can work, but how fast it will strip depends on several things. The thickness of the coating, the concentration of the acid, the ambient temperature - all these things affect how quickly the coating will be removed. I find that typically one day in 5% vinegar (normal strength from the store) is enough. It also works for loosening/dissolving the scale from forging. If you do that just make sure you use something to neutralize the acid after removing it from the bath or it will rust quickly. Baking soda, an old toothbrush, and some water are all that's really needed. Rinse well and dry after that. Some of the guys on here do use electrolysis to clean up large rusty items such as anvils and get great results. I have not done this yet, so I'll leave those recommendations to someone who has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorō Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I didn't say my anvil was galvanised. I was talking about something else. Yeah I've heard of those methods myself aswell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Like others said, the more you clean it the more you expose the steel to the air. Leave the surface rust and oil it. if you really want you could rub it with wet and dry sandpaper and oil, but the important thing is the oil. You could also rub it with plumbago. Fanciful but will make it look very nice. Your anvil surely has a history. I like it. Is it a Peter Wright? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCrusty Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 As old as this topic is I want to tell you a couple of things about muratic acid. First, muratic acid is the acid used in swimming pools to adjust the pH. Another place it's used in in Murine eye drops. However in both the pool and in Murine the acid is VERY diluted. Just looking into a bottle of swimming pool muratic acid can get some fumes in your eye and damage it. Always use goggles. Anyway disposal isn't really damaging if it's diluted enough, just like if you were to drain a swimming pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 You will need to use the amount of acid needed to remove the amount of zinc, which leaves you with a large amount of hazardous zinc compound material to dispose of properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCrusty Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 True. I was thinking about the acid not the zinc. I'm not sure how to dispose of zinc properly. Of course zinc is in the ground and even ocean water naturally. It's even in vitamin supplements so it must not be too dangerous. Still, I don't know what form the zinc removed from steel is in compared to these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Arsenic is also a necessary nutrient found in sea water but in very small amounts, dont want too much or it causes problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Wow; all the early poisons were found "naturally". For instance Botulism is a naturally occurring thing that makes one of the deadliest poisons out there. Arsenic, mercury, asbestos, cyanide, digitalis, the list goes on and on not to mention all the naturally occurring diseases---want some tetanus?---I don't! Even water will kill you if too much is consumed and it's a necessity to the body. So "naturally occurring" has no bearing on what's actually tolerated by the human body. I had a friend who got metal fume fever that progressed to pneumonia and DIED. Please don't follow in his footsteps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 His death only took a matter of a very few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtG Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Fume fever is nothing to mess with... I made that mistake when I first started working. Splitting headache and dizziness leading up to very vivid, strange dreams and a chest-ache for a couple days. I got lucky. Very. Zinc is necessary, yes, and in the proper doses can do wonders for your health. When consumed properly, NOT inhaled. Once you cross over the healthy limit, zinc toxicity sets in and it can get... ugly. You do raise the point of not knowing the form it takes. Many mundane elements can combine to form powerful toxins, acids, bases, etc. Just as dangerous elements can combine into useful and necessary substances. Try to eat sodium, your mouth may explode. Try to breathe chlorine gas, you are more than likely going to die a horrible death. Sodium-Chloride is quite tasty though. At least you have the thought of what kind of potential toxin COULD be formed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchMan Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Hi, I’ve decided that I want to be a bit of a cheapo recently and try and forge weld a bunch of old barb wire that has been sitting out on out property into somewhat usable(hopefully) billets. The wire has been sitting since before I was born and I have no way of making sure it isn’t galvanized. As such I would like to go through the removal process just in case. What do you guys thing the best way of doing this would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 Welcome aboard Ranchman, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you'll have a much better chance of meeting up with members living within visiting distance. Trust in rust. Galvy is a sacrificial coating it oxidizes so the iron won't. If the wire is rusty the galvy is gone. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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