Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/11/19/man-restores-rusted-cast-iron.html
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I’m always looking for ways to start with something new and age it.
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Or: How to restore a $20 pile of rust to its original $100 condition using $10,000 worth of shop gear.
I love watching the “projects” segments on “Ask This Old House”, but giggle uncontrollably every time Tom Silva pulls out another $1,500 single purpose tool to make, like, a coffee table.
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Stuff like this is more of a hobby to prove it can be done and impress the audience than any practical solution. If you have something half as rusty in your cellar and is satisfied with making it good enough to be useful some of the ideas may come in handy, though.
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whether or not that project was necessary, i am always impressed watching someone who knows what they are doing do what they do.
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Here ya go, @frauenfelder! Enjoy in good health.
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I wonder how well electrolysis would work?
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Dang, she’s a beauty!
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Regardless of whether you are talking, galvanic, thermolysis or blend, that vise just doesn’t have any follicles.
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Too much work. Put it in a citric acid bath in a bucket. Rust problem solved.
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Electrolytic rust removal isn’t a great choice for seized parts. It could bond the pieces together even more firmly in theory, but more importantly, in practice you need a clear line of sight (through the solution) between the electrode and the area to be derusted, so it works poorly inside things like jammed up linkages.
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Love this stuff. I think WD-40 has its uses, but is maybe not the best for this. Kroil and other purpose-made penetrants work better, having gotten a few bike seatposts and stems out with it.
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“Now this table needs a right-angle spiral cutout in order to accept the leg however that will expose the champfer, but thankfully I have a defilade right-angle spiral cutout cutter jig which will take care of that”
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Which was why I always preferred The Woodright’s Shop over The New Yankee Workshop. Simple tools and a history lesson were more interesting to me than a parade of expensive power tools.
Edited to add. Kind of the video equivalent of an Eric Sloan book rather than a Popular Mechanics book of “projects.”
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I have a vice from my grandpa that is in nice shape. Its name is The Colombian.
It’s still at my ex-wifes house, but I expect to get it back next time I move.
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I’m not entirely sure I want to know why a vise is named “The Columbian”.
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The best part is they always finish with, “Gosh Tommy, that’s a beautiful table for only $5 in lumber!”
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Keep your schtick in a vice?
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Apparently, that’s the only vice he has.
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That’s hugely satisfying, but my gods, that took even more work than I expected. I mean, sweet baby Thor - the scrubbing, scraping, sanding, grinding and then sandblasting? Creating new parts and re-threading all the holes?
I knew it wouldn’t make financial sense, but I’m curious about how completely-not-cost-effective it is; it seems like there was about 100 hours of labor to restore a $100 item.
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