A couple of time saving tricks I came up with , or i think i did

[hunter townsen]

Where I live its 40 mins each way for decent hardware , auto parts etc, so I have learned to collect.... some may call it horde. I just had a trick I wanted to mention. I tend to save every nut and bolt I find, and more than once I have boughten 5 gallon buckets of mixed nuts and bolts. A lot of times they are rusty. I came up with a solution to the rust, this works for nuts and bolts and a lot of other small items u need to clean. I put them in a cement mixer (it also cleans the barrel of the mixer nicely) with a bucket of regular old sand , let them spin for a couple of hours and they come out just like u had sand blasted them. I also like to clean and paint things as I assemble them, motors, trans and so on. so it also works well for removing loose paint , as well as prep parts for painting. Now its not always efficient to fire up the cement mixer so for small batches I use a rock tumbler, I have a few different sized ones I have picked up for next to nothing at garage sales. The other trick I think I came up with is for high speed die grinder bits when grinding on aluminum. They always gall up on me , even when I use wax, i have found that if i soak them in muriatic acid for a few mins, the galling is gone and im good to go. Now i do have a pile of bits lol, so i just change them when galled and keep going. I then clean them when im done. I haven't had any issues with dulling of the bits either. OF course use all safety precautions. I hope these tips come in handy

Rob

 

[davesl708]

Good solutions.

 

[Timm250]

If you are using high speed or carbide bits on the die grinder give them a little spray of WD40 while you're using them and the aluminum won't stick to them.

 

[pmsmechanic]

One easy way to take the rust off of metal is to mix some molasses with water. One part molasses to eight to ten parts water. Just submerge the parts for about a week and they come out clean.

I just buy liquid molasses at the feed mill.

 

[tjcarguy]

Thanks for another excuse to buy a cement mixer. Passed on one at an auction that I shoulda bought cause I thought people would expect me to make concrete. We also live a good distance from decent stores and I know that sinking feeling of a two hour round trip to finish a repair. ---Trevor

 

[texasjohn]

great ideas...I need a rock tumbler!!

 

[hunter townsen]

Molasses, good trick and the wd 40, how long does it prevent galling? I will try both, nice thing about the mixer in just a few hours you are done. if I plan on storing the bolts etc. I put them in front of my space heater for about 10 mins to remove surface moisture,(if you don't , the moisture is trapped between the metal and oil and they rust even faster than as if there was no oil on them, this goes with any metal items I store, from my firearms to engine blocks) then I mix used motor oil and a little thinner and spray them down, this prevents them from rusting again for a long time. The molasses reminds me of a trick I saw on a hotrod show. I will have to look up the exact way its done, but basically u use a household material(cant remember right now , it was vinegar or something like that , I will try to find the solution tonight) and a battery charger, let it sit overnight and you are rust free. The nice thing about the tumbler / mixer is that what ever you spin, is slightly roughed up and just needs to be wiped down, then its ready for paint, you get great adhesion.

thanks for the tips
rob

 

[hunter townsen]

Thanks for another excuse to buy a cement mixer. Passed on one at an auction that I shoulda bought cause I thought people would expect me to make concrete. We also live a good distance from decent stores and I know that sinking feeling of a two hour round trip to finish a repair. ---Trevor

That is the reason I keep my mixer hidden lol
rob

 

[sixdogs]

I have tumbled parts in various medias before but never with sand in a cement mixer. What a great idea. Do you suppose it would "unbalance" like a washing machine when you have only a few larger parts in it?

 

[SPYDERLK]

Good ideas. Try also, dips in kroil to prevent galling. Chain Wax spray to protect against rust in storage, or to seal against water incursion in an assembled joint.