colafran Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 (edited) Hi all. I picked up a very old leg vise, in great condition, the screw is perfect just needs cleaned up and a spring put in. I need to get the rust off, it’s very very rusted. I already ran a wire wheel over the whole thing, still deep rust. I could use advice on rust removal, I have two ideas but am open to others. 1. Sand blasting 2. Electrolysis Sand blasting seems the easier, but not sure if it could damage things though. Electrolysis could work, but I’d have to find a big xxx plastic tub to fit the entire vise. Also any thoughts on painting or sealing after it’s cleaned would be great. Thanks! Tony Edited April 27, 2021 by Mod30 Language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 colafran ......Do they have 55gal. drums in California ? Just sayin' Life is Good Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colafran Posted April 27, 2021 Author Share Posted April 27, 2021 You gave me a good idea, I could get a really large plastic trash can, run some steel plates on both sides of the vise, that would work using electrolysis. Thanks man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 Take it apart before cleaning each part individually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 Sweet...just keep in mind electrolysis is a pretty much line of sight action. And, surface area of your sacrificial electrodes to part determines duration and how often the sacrificial will need cleaned. Life is Good Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul TIKI Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 OSPHO might be another option. Phosphoric Acid solution that turns Iron Oxide (rust) into Iron Phosphate, which can act as a protective coating. You do need to get it all the way down so surface rust though. I know the stuff works and is cheap on lawn furniture and a bunch of other applications, and a gallon of the stuff is cheap and goes a long way. anyone else know how it would hold up in this application? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caotropheus Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 I would go for electrolysis. Well I restored a German wrought iron blacksmith vise using electrolysis. Take a look at my videos on Youtube. Electrolysis allows you to get a nice finish on metal surface. I did not have a long enough tub for the leg/fixed arm, so I built a wood frame, and used 4 layers of plastic sheet to improvise a tub. It worked perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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