surface rust

[Munroast]

Pick up a second hand lathe that has stood for many years unloved in a garage, quite a bit of surface rust in places (not deep at all) what is the best way of tidying it up. Bright wool and a light oil/water dispersant does a reasonable job, but is their better stuff to use ?

 

[JohnD]

yes

Washing Soda Crystals (sold near the washing powder in large supermarkets) and a battery charger
AKA Sodium Carbonate if you buy it from a chemical vendor

being non-abrasive you will not lose any metal, finish or detail, only the rust.

you need to immerse the parts, so anything you can dismantlle and put in a plastic bucket, trough or tub.

some american sites will call it baking soda, but that is not the same thing.

 

[Burnerman]

Just a very fine grit wet or dry paper with some oil? Probably the best for cast iron.
I guess it’s the bed that has suffered worst?
John

 

[JohnD]

billions of examples

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Just a very fine grit wet or dry paper with some oil?

Whilst not that commonly used these days, garnet sanding paper is better than either wet and dry (silicon carbide) or aluminium oxide papers on account of garnet being harder than rust, but softer than most steels and iron, and so being less likely to lose stamped or engraved markings, etc

 

[Burnerman]

I guess Mun will just polish to a shine where possible, and hopefully any pits won’t be deep.
Great to be able to adjust the saddles with gib strips too - takes me well back!
John

 

[Munroast]

I have one of those multisatge battery chargers, (think they reduce to a trickle charge when battery nearly charged) How would that work with Electrolysis ? Heading off to get some sodium carbonate now.

 

[JohnD]

if it's a Smart charger, it might disike the current draw. I suppose if you have a 6v battery you could put it in parallel with the electrodes.

I've been looking for washing soda for a few weeks and not found any on the shelves (hard water area). Mottie will deny that there is a shortage in shops.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have one of those multisatge battery chargers, (think they reduce to a trickle charge when battery nearly charged) How would that work with Electrolysis ? Heading off to get some sodium carbonate now.

No, you could though - attach the charger to a battery and use the voltage across the battery for electrolysis. Note the polarity of the connection to the item being cleaned of rust, is crucial. It only works to remove rust on external faces/ works best on faces exposed to the external electrode.

 

[Munroast]

I guess Mun will just polish to a shine where possible, and hopefully any pits won’t be deep.
Great to be able to adjust the saddles with gib strips too - takes me well back!
John

the lathe bed is good, must have been left with oil on it, the cross slides are going to need a fair bit of work, loads of stuff with it in all manner of condition, from a wonderful set of centre drills mostly beynd recovery, to a good set of carbide tool cutters hardly used,

here is some stuff I was going to try and clean up, the live centre is looking poor but I think it will be fine (needs a new bearing) and not really sure what the bits are for, not sure if they are for the milling head or the lathe, some have mortise tapers others round - exciting days ahead

 

[Munroast]

No, you could though - attach the charger to a battery and use the voltage across the battery for electrolysis. Note the polarity of the connection to the item being cleaned of rust, is crucial. It only works to remove rust on external faces/ works best on faces exposed to the external electrode.

so I could just attach t to a 12v car battery ? don't want to blow the garage of the side of the house, that's the type of stuff the wife gets her knickers in a knot over.

 

[Munroast]

if it's a Smart charger, it might disike the current draw. I suppose if you have a 6v battery you could put it in parallel with the electrodes.

I've been looking for washing soda for a few weeks and not found any on the shelves (hard water area). Mottie will deny that there is a shortage in shops.

got some soda crystals ?
contains Sodium Carbonate & Decahydrate

 

[JohnD]

yes, same thing, not in the shops.

 

[JohnD]

so I could just attach t to a 12v car battery ? don't want to blow the garage of the side of the house, that's the type of stuff the wife gets her knickers in a knot over.

you ought to do it outdoors, the bubbles are hydrogen and oxygen, you don't want that collecting in an enclosed space.

 

[Munroast]

you ought to do it outdoors, the bubbles are hydrogen and oxygen, you don't want that collecting in an enclosed space.

rocket fuel