Anyone use a PTO cemenet mixer to tumble rocks or clean metal parts?

[sixdogs]

Does anyone use a PTO cement mixer to tumble stone or clean metal parts? I've read snippets on here before but looking to put it all together now. My thought is to use a sandblast type grit to tumble clean metal farm parts and clean rocks for my wife's garden. Cleaning old hardware is so tedious when the end result doesn't have to be that good. I just want to get the crud and old grease off for new paint. I'm thinking low buck Harbor Freight?

On the rocks, the wife like's garden rocks done a certain way so I think that would help her and get me some brownie points.

Any thoughts or experience on this?

 

[breadtrk]

Make sure you get a concrete mixer and not a mortar mixer, the blades in them are very different. Rocks or parts would demolish the blades in a mortar mixer.

 

[sixdogs]

Will do. Good info. Thank you.

 

[4570Man]

It would work, but a small electric driven one would work better. It will take hours maybe days to complete the job, and I wouldn't want to run a tractor that long.

 

[DJ54]

I have a small electric one I used to try and clean up some rusty horse shoes for making some horse shoe art. Left the shoes in there for a couple of hours, and the results were so-so, using concrete sand for media. It got the worst of the rust off, but still had to polish them with a knotted cup brush on my angle grinder. Hearing the shoes bang around for a couple of hours, in another part of the building kinda' got on my nanny, LOL... Not sure how it would do on rocks.

Now, for rust removal, I use the electrolysis process. A 10 amp or less battery charger, water, washing soda, and a piece of scrap metal for an anode is all it takes. Does a great job of actually killing rust. The electro-chemical reaction turns rust into a black oxide finish. I let it dry, then buff off with the cup brush/angle grinder.

Here's a picture of some light tubing I cleaned up to make a mini greenhouse a few weeks back. On the left is what I started with, in the center after about 8-10 hours in the tank, and on the right, after buffing the oxide off. You definitely want a good dust mask when doing though. The down side is, it has to be done outside, as the process puts off hydrogen gas. And it can't be done when it's cold enough for water to freeze. In fact, I think I read where it's best if water is up to a minimum of 50ｺF.

And here is a video I took of the tubes cooking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-sY-FYIea0 I used my cheapie AC/DC welder on these set at the lowest setting of 20 amps/DC direct. I'd rather sacrifice the welder, than my good battery charger.

 

[Baby Grand]

Does anyone use a PTO cement mixer to tumble stone or clean metal parts? I've read snippets on here before but looking to put it all together now. My thought is to use a sandblast type grit to tumble clean metal farm parts and clean rocks for my wife's garden. Cleaning old hardware is so tedious when the end result doesn't have to be that good. I just want to get the crud and old grease off for new paint. I'm thinking low buck Harbor Freight?

On the rocks, the wife like's garden rocks done a certain way so I think that would help her and get me some brownie points.

Any thoughts or experience on this?

I remember Crash325 posted about doing this:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/233030-build-giant-parts-tumbler.html?highlight=mixer#post2695855

 

[BigRol]

I used a small electric as stated above, it worked great but does take a while, situate it as far away as possible or the noise will drive you whacky

 

[zing]

I wonder if a throwaway dryer from Craigslist would do the same thing but cheaper than the mixer? Could probably find one free to pickup if you posted that you were looking a beater and the heating element didn't have to work.

 

[Mace Canute]

I have a small electric one I used to try and clean up some rusty horse shoes for making some horse shoe art. Left the shoes in there for a couple of hours, and the results were so-so, using concrete sand for media. It got the worst of the rust off, but still had to polish them with a knotted cup brush on my angle grinder. Hearing the shoes bang around for a couple of hours, in another part of the building kinda' got on my nanny, LOL... Not sure how it would do on rocks.

Now, for rust removal, I use the electrolysis process. A 10 amp or less battery charger, water, washing soda, and a piece of scrap metal for an anode is all it takes. Does a great job of actually killing rust. The electro-chemical reaction turns rust into a black oxide finish. I let it dry, then buff off with the cup brush/angle grinder.

Here's a picture of some light tubing I cleaned up to make a mini greenhouse a few weeks back. On the left is what I started with, in the center after about 8-10 hours in the tank, and on the right, after buffing the oxide off. You definitely want a good dust mask when doing though. The down side is, it has to be done outside, as the process puts off hydrogen gas. And it can't be done when it's cold enough for water to freeze. In fact, I think I read where it's best if water is up to a minimum of 50ｺF.

And here is a video I took of the tubes cooking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-sY-FYIea0 I used my cheapie AC/DC welder on these set at the lowest setting of 20 amps/DC direct. I'd rather sacrifice the welder, than my good battery charger.

I got this from After-Electrolysis Artifact Cleaning

The cathodic precipitation of insoluble black substance onto iron artifacts that are being electrolytically de-rusted is the major problem encountered with sodium carbonate electrolytes. This black coating is a Sodium Carbonate compound precipitating directly from electrolyte.

This precipitation is more likely to occur at high electric currents, and when tap water containing high levels of carbonate is used to prepare the electrolyte (another good reason for using de-ionized water in the electrolyte!). Black carbonate precipitation is very rare in sodium hydroxide electrolytes.

Maybe a change from sodium carbonate (washing soda) to sodium hydroxide (caustic soda aka lye) would eliminate a lot of work.

 

[DJ54]

The knotted cup brush on my angle grinder knocks the black carbonate off very easy. Hardly any pressure at all on the grinder, just enough to keep it from kicking off the work piece, and about as fast as you can move over the piece you're working on.

And not real sure how environmentally safe the lye is in large quantities. And, as clumsy as I am at times, would hate to get splashed with the Lye water. IIRC, it will burn.

But, who knows, may try it someday, just to see. Thanks..!!