I'm happy to see that my last post was received. There have been more than
twenty responses so far, and I expect I'll get more next week.
So I'd like to thank everyone who responded. In this message I'll try to
summarize the responses and suggestions I've received.
I'll start with a general precautionary note. When you start dealing with
chemicals to treat metal, you get into some pretty dangerous stuff. Do your
research before starting any of this, and take appropriate precautions, or
don't use the chemicals at all. Also, there are commercial, off-the-shelf
solutions for most problems at your local hardware store or paint store.
Products from the hardware or paint store that are sold specifically for the
purpose for which you intend to use them will be labeled with appropriate
safety precautions and instructions for safe use. I also recommend getting
the Material Safety Data Sheet for any chemical you plan to work with.
Further, don't use those ridiculous little paper masks. They aren't
effective. Get a good respirator; one that's designed for the types of
fumes you'll encounter. Realize that in some cases even a good respirator
won't help. In those cases you might want to find a safer way to accomplish
what you want to do.
Ben Hughes says he does hot dip galvanizing, and they use 5% sulfuric acid
to pickle the metal beforehand. Before that, they use a caustic solution to
degrease the parts.
I remember a while back there was a caustic discussion (heh), okay, it was a
discussion ABOUT caustics. It was said that crystal drain openers could be
mixed with water and used for paint remover. It's also been said that
liquid drain openers don't work. (Of course, if you can find something else
that works as well or better and is intended for (and labeled for) the job,
that's the safer approach.)
Alan Bowes says surface rust and some flakes are not worthy of such effort
as I was planning. He also mentioned that radial grooves inside the axle
tubes could lead to structural failure. Good point, Alan. It would be
better to use a straight reciprocating motion with anything that might
groove the walls of the tube, but of course, better not to groove the tube
at all if it's avoidable.
Alan also suggested Glyptol. He said it was intended to be used inside
engines. I asked my father-in-law about this. I had heard of the stuff,
but wanted more info. My father-in-law says it was also used on electric
motor windings, and that they used a lot of it at the pump manufacturing
facility he worked at before retiring. I guess electric motor windings is
the only place I've seen it.
Alan said pickling was only good for short term rust protection, and to
improve paint adhesion.
Alan also suggested synthetic lubricants since they offered better
protection by adhering better and providing a longer lasting film.
Alan recommends pressure washing followed by solvent rinsing for general
parts cleanup before painting. I've had problems with this in the past when
using mineral spirits before painting. I had paint adhesion problems. So,
I tend to shy away from mineral spirits, and look for other solvents less
likely to leave oily residue behind.
Alan also located a web site where they used electrolysis for rust removal
on a cannon:
http://www.pch.gc.ca/cci-icc/english/treatmen/cannon.htm
Pat Jorden says ferric chloride (the printed circuit board etchant), and
phosphoric acid in jell form work well for rust removal, and oven cleaner
works well on engine grease, but also removes paint. (Use ferric chloride
and phosphoric acid separately. Neither he nor I suggested combining them.)
Pat also suggested that using an engine dip tank might be a good way to
clean the housing, if one could be found that was large enough to
accommodate it. That would also resolve the chemical disposal issue.
Rob Wierenga says he had a frame dipped in acid by a commercial shop he
located by contacting a body shop, and that it came out clean and shiny.
Matt Kreutzmann says it might be worthwhile to contact the "Paul E. Garber
Restoration
Facility in Maryland. I believe the address is available from the National
Aero-Space Museum web site. Garber is where they store and restore all of
the aircraft in the Smithsonian's collection. It's absolutely unbelievable
what they have there."
And, finally, lots of others offered encouragement, etc.
Thanks for all the help. I'll try to organize this information later and
repost a generalized document on rust removal, cleanup, and paint
preparation after I've learned more.
Lee Ethridge
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