cleaning off rust????

melsdad

melsdad

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I am getting a Troyke U-15 H/V rotary table. It has been sitting indoors in a corner of the shop for 20+ years with no use. It is covered in dust and has a dark rust patina. What is a good chemical method to remove this rust.....if that is the best route to take?

I will also be looking for suggestions on the best path to take to do a full restoration on this fine tool. Pictures coming stay tuned.
 
Unfortunately you have missed some threads that discuss this very thing. But, here is one way you can get it done:

The Rust Store

The Evapo-Rust is a very good product and yes, I have used it. Some times just a light abraisive and some hard work will clean things off also.
 
Thanks Randy! I did some searches and came up empty. I will look into those products.

So I guess this is the direction to head then?
 
I hesitate to give you the green light. Are you going to tear down the unit and completely restore? Or are you just going to freshen it up a bit? A lot can be done with WD40 or a good degreaser and steel wool or scrub pad. Just depends how far you are going to get into it and what results you are shooting for.
 
I guess for now a good cleaning will do. I do want to go over the whole thing and repaint in the very near future though.
 
my understanding is that for rust there's no simple answer and everyone has their own method. Most professionals suggest using the mildest rust removal solution possible and if that doesn't work, use something stronger, with an abrasive one being last. Also, some of the stronger chemicals out there might impact the underlying steel itself. I'm not a pro, but that's my understanding.

I'd be happy to hear what others have to say about the matter, but if something can remove rust, you've certainly got to ask yourself what else it can remove.

Also, once the rust is removed, you then have to think about how quickly the rust will re-form and how soon and what to put on to prevent that (e.g. paint, some type of oil or lubricant and so on)

I don't think anyone has simple answers

I took apart entirely my 9A SB lathe and scrubbed every part in kerosene with a brass wire brush then dried it and wiped a thin coat of oil over that (forget which type) and put it all together without painting anything, b/c I bought it to use the heck out of it, not for some display model
 
What are your thoughts on using white vinegar to remove the rust? A coworker suggested it.

sent from my hand held hickymajig
 
melsdad said:
What are your thoughts on using white vinegar to remove the rust? A coworker suggested it.

sent from my hand held hickymajig
Click to expand...

I've had better results with phosphoric acid. It does not attack the steel.
 
FWIW, I found the gallon jugs of Evapo-Rust at my local Harbor Freight.
 
I use electrolysis to clean the rust no metal removal and depending on the part it removes the Paint as well. I have a a 15 as well but horizontal so you will a plastic container big enough to submerge it. The lathe I did this fall I used a thirty gallon drum with sheets of ducting around the in side, filled it with warm water this seems to work best to remove the paint, added Arm & Hammer Heavy duty washing soap stirred. I hung the lathe from my chain hoist so it didn't rest on the bottom and was covered with water, my 2-10-50 battery charger was hooked Positive to the sheet metal and Negative to the part. You can keep an eye on it but if I started first thing in the morning it was done by the end of the day or you can leave it over night. If you a better dc power source try it the charger put out about 10-15 amps which works well. When you take out part either pressure wash it or scrub it down to remove loose rust and paint. Be sure to dry as best you can and spray or coat it with oil it will rust fast. From there you can make repairs or paint it or what ever you'd like but now it's clean.
The pdfs may help a little one for cleaning the other is my table and the paper work for it. Remember acids eat metal as well!

ToddView attachment Rust removal by electrolysis.pdfView attachment Troyke.pdf
 
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