Cleaning rusty stuff

   / Cleaning rusty stuff #1  

Scrounger

Platinum Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Messages
809
Location
Bethlehem (Lower Nazareth) PA
Tractor
Kubota BX2230
I have a bunch of rusty railroad stuff I want to clean up for the garage. I have to do a bit of decorating. :)

What is the best thing to use to clean rust of stakes and other items before you paint them.

Thanks.
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #3  
why take the rust off?
why not give a quick wire brushing to knock off loose stuff then give it a coat of "rust converter" to use as your primer?
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #4  
I use a 6" wire wheel on my bench grinder for rust removal on anything of a size and shape that makes the wire wheel use possible. I used to have a glass bead blasting cabinet (like a sandblast cabinet) that worked very well, also.
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #5  
I've been using the electrolysis method for a few years now, it really works great. I have the battery tray from my 4200 in there right now.:D

M.D.
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #6  
I agree with all the other posters. But it also depends on what kind of rust - surface or deep, and what kind of finish you want to have on the stuff when your done.

When I gutted and remodeled my old farm house, all the door hinges were rusty. I had to sand blast them all to get the rust out prior to repainting them. When I redid some of the old door knobs, which were porcelain with the metal bar, I just lightly scuffed them with some fine sandpapper and resprayed them.

When I put up some old (1902) PA license plates in my garage, I didn't want to do much to them. I sprayed the backs with rustx, then sealed the whole thing with a clear shellac with about 3 coats. Not enough to make it appear shiny, but enough to seal it completely.

Good luck. You can also buy biscuits for use on an die grinder in very fine or very coarse grits. I found that they work well in some tight spaces. Sometimes wire wheels work best on a bench grinder or on a cordless drill, depending on how big the item is. Oh, and be careful. Some of that old stuff has lead base paint. Lead is cumulative over the course of your life.
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #7  
POR-15 (Google it!) has a 'paint' that works well with rust, as it uses it as some sort of bonding agent. I think the only pre-requisite is that you wire brush it first to knock off all the really loose stuff.

Normally this stuff is UV sensitive, so if it was exposed you'd add another layer of paint of your choice. Given that this is going to be indoors, this might work very well for you.
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #8  
Nice dog ya got there...what's the pedigree? One of Ginny's dogs?
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #9  
Mighty Dodge said:
I've been using the electrolysis method for a few years now, it really works great. I have the battery tray from my 4200 in there right now.:D

M.D.

Let me guess...your original battery ate the battery tray, oil cooler and anything else that got in its way like it did mine.
 
   / Cleaning rusty stuff #10  
I noticed in the link to electrolysis cleaning they used sodium carbonate, sold as washing soda to mix up the electrolyte. If one can't find "washing soda" it can also be bought as Ph Adder in pool supply departments. I discovered this because we buy Brew-Rite coffee pot cleaner and found it is also sodium carbonate...one can buy pounds of it as pool Ph Adder for the same price as ounces of Brew-Rite ;)
 

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