First attempt at citric acid bath cleaning.

[Ross365]

I was told phosphoric acid blackens the steel, and gives it an etch surface for paint.

Linseed oil, boiled? Eh? What kind of finish does it give @Screwdriver ?

Yes, it's pretty much the case that citric acid really just helps to dissolve rust and won't do much with the metal. Phosphoric will react with the metal forming a layer of metal phosphate.

This business of putting oil or was on a slightly rusty metal surface is something that comes up on programmers like "Salvage Hunters" where they like to find bits of old industrial kit which then gets to be "decor" in some posh pub or restaurant. They don't want to restore it and give it a new coat of paint - it would loose its "charm", but they want a bit of rust, or "patina" as they like to say .

 

[Barking Mat]

Before and after for comparison. This was derusted in a (large!) electrolysis tank and the plain surfaces are wire wheeled and treated with blo,

Wow, beautiful and lovely finish.

 

[MattF]

This vice had linseed oil on both the exposed surfaces, & under the paint.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Oiled then waxed? Or waxed then oiled?


This is my concern, I've cleaned stuff up before, wiped with oil, then a month or so later, it's rusting.
Yep, I need advice on rust proofing metal, I like paint, but sometime raw metal looks best, without the rust.

A mix of linseed oil and bee's wax then rubbed in with the metal warm.

 

[Barking Mat]

A mix of linseed oil and bee's wax then rubbed in with the metal warm.

Got any pictures of the finish, please, kind Aardvark. Or similar to the others or does wax make it shinier?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Got any pictures of the finish, please, kind Aardvark. Or similar to the others or does wax make it shinier?

 

[Barking Mat]

View attachment 272987View attachment 272988 View attachment 272990

So the top vice has a blackened look.

Second down looks shinier.

Third one, ooh, nice vice...

Different approaches, or is that different metals?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

So the top vice has a blackened look.

Second down looks shinier.

Third one, ooh, nice vice...

Different approaches, or is that different metals?

Top one is my early go at using the black oxide, dried after the citric acid. Then a hard wax applied. Not brilliant, but it was a learning curve.

Second one is Citric acid bath, dried with a blow torch. Then linseed oil and honey bee's wax applied.

Bottom one, Record 23 with lavender oil and furniture Bee's wax applied.

 

[Barking Mat]

Top one is my early go at using the black oxide, dried after the citric acid. Then a hard wax applied. Not brilliant, but it was a learning curve.

Second one is Citric acid bath, dried with a blow torch. Then linseed oil and honey bee's wax applied.

Bottom one, Record 23 with lavender oil and furniture Bee's wax applied.

Ok then, idiots guide to black oxide please, just searched the term and seems a variety of methods. Heat treatment of chemical ?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Ok then, idiots guide to black oxide please, just searched the term and seems a variety of methods. Heat treatment of chemical ?

The black oxide I use comes from 2 supplies.
One the grey to black left on the metal after de rusting.
Dried on, not washed off or wire brushed off. But it does mean the letal has to be oil and grease free.

The other supply is a black oxide powder I "borrow" from a fire place restoration place.

 

[Kram]

I did an old eclipse V block last week, it had heavy rust from being in the garage. An hour in citric got it back to clean bright metal slightly grey finish. Sprayed wd40 and put it in a draw. Thick rust has returned on the V faces, but the other 5 are fine

 

[Seadog]

Sprayed wd40 and put it in a draw.

 

[MattF]

There's just so much wrong with that sentence, that I'm resisting.

 

[Mick Annick]

View attachment 272987

View attachment 272988

View attachment 272990

Are those leather washers Mr Vark? My vice doesn’t have them, never seen them before on a blacksmith’s vice

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Are those leather washers Mr Vark? My vice doesn’t have them, never seen them before on a blacksmith’s vice

Yes they are.
From new they are meant to be fitted. They are meant to hold oil and allow slow release of lubricant.

They did not work.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

There's just so much wrong with that sentence, that I'm resisting.

 

[Barking Mat]

Evening all, here's where I'm up to.

Pulled it out mid day, high pressure hosed it down, blew it down with a compressor, sat it outside on a mdf ? pallet to dry.

Initial thoughts were I was expecting better, I don't know what I was expecting.

As an experiment, I chucked another vice in which I hadn't prepped with a wire brush, to compare.

Here's what I found....

I was quite surprised how well the unprepped vice came out.

So this evening I spent 20 minutes with the bench grinder, well the wire wheel and well, was very impressed.

Unfortunately, the bench wire wheel was a bit small, and I didn't take the guards off, as it's at work.

I will attack some more tomorrow, where at home I don't have a guard on the wire wheel.

Tried to buy linseed oil and wax in the village and failed. So that'll be tomorrow.

Chuffed with results, thanks for everyone's help, more tomorrow.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@barking mat

Save the brown stuff, dry it out.
Mix with linseed oil, meths and a bit of wax.
Makes a great wood stain.

 

[Barking Mat]

Well I couldn't resist putting it together to see how it looks.

Is the screw steel and the rest cast iron? I thought it was all steel. Or is it just the screw and handle is machined? Now unsure whether to paint the main body, and keep the shiny bits shiny with linseed oil or similar? (Wax)?

I'll see how giving the duller bits ago on my wire wheel tomorrow, don't think I want it all shiny.

 

[Ross365]

I think that in the past you'd have just painted it, but perhaps now we see beauty (nostalgia) in such vintage kit when it's just waxed or oiled? You think about the men and the place where it was made (long gone) and all the many people who have used it over its long life. I think I'm changing my mind to this approach - not that I am taking my lead from the "antique dealers", but may be because there have been a few Fred Dibnah progs on TV recently and that's made me do a re-think. Why isn't Fred on the TV every day!!!