advice Cleaning intricate pieces.

[mpc]

So... My kid saw this online and said she wanted one. It took me a while, but I finally was able to make something I didn’t hate. 
 

Question: How would you go about cleaning this thing up? There is weld splatter, forge scale, and all sorts of other “dirty” stuff that probably doesn’t belong in a little girls bedroom or on something kids will handle. 
 

I don’t have a sand blasting cabinet and the idea of hand sanding or going over all of the little parts on this with a dremmel does not sound happy. 
 

Can you sand blast without a cabinet?

[ThomasPowers]

You never seen them sandblasting a bridge understructure before?   Yes you can; but remember the dust is an issue and you really need to recover your media if at all possible.

[LeeJustice]

I have blasted in a box or bucket.  Especially wear a mask, eye protection, face shield and gloves would be good too.

[BillyBones]

Yes you can sandblast with out a cabinet. You can buy a syphon blaster that an air hose pugs into the end and has a syphon hose you just stick in a bag of sand. Keep in mind that sand goes EVERYWHERE. You will find sand in places you never dreamed of for years to come. And definitely wear your PPE.

Many mechanics have a sandblaster. Try calling your mechanic or body shop and ask if they have one and what it would take to blast it for you. 

[ThomasPowers]

(note bottle openers made from non-plated wrenches make for good trading items with mechanics...)

[anvil]

I'd just wire brush it hot

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I'm with anvil. A chisel will knock off the weld splatter and wire brushing it hot will take care of the scale and shine it up. Rub on some bees wax while warm for a nice finish. BTW: I like your use of RR spikes like that.

[Gazz]

Weld spatter can be removed with a cold chisel easy enough.  A cup wire wheel on an angle grinder will work for the rest of it, that is depending on what kind of clean up you are looking for.  If you want a smooth finish with minimal hammer marks, refine your parts before you weld them together.  Do you have an angle grinder?  If not you should buy one.  You can also immerse your piece in a dilute solution of muriatic acid and turn it an even gray but you should neutralize it in baking soda solution when done.  Then warm with a torch and use a rag with linseed oil to get a nice tough black finish.  It should be hot enough that your rag is smoking when you apply the oil.

[Frosty]

On 5/10/2021 at 11:55 AM, mpc said:

going over all of the little parts on this with a Dremel does not sound happy. 

It's for your little girl. Suck it up and get to it Daddy! 

A: sharp chisel, some filing, maybe Bondo a little sanding and a thick coat of Rustoleum / Hammerite should make it into a nice piece for her dresser, desk, etc.

However, So long as there aren't any sharp or pointy bits to draw blood or places that can catch a finger, Rough and gnarly is so much a Daddy Thing I'll bet she'll be bragging to her friends. . . . Who's Fathers will be in touch shortly.  

Personally I like it as is. I'd maybe fill one or two of the welds a bit more and grind / file them smooth-ish. Then again I'd probably end up with it looking different no matter how hard I tried to copy it.

Frosty The Lucky.

[mpc]

Thanks for the replies folks! 
 

For those who commented on the idea for this use of RR spikes, this wasn’t my original idea. My daughter saw it on Pinterest.

I don’t know who came up with the original idea but it’s really clever.