cleaning metal

[freakboy]

Still just dont do it.. not a smart idea..

 

[fowler]

ok ill pass that on

 

[Bill CNC]

Ok, ... here is were the confusion is, ...

The article said he had POOLS of brake cleaner, and he welded over it. First off if he saw the POOLS, ... why did he weld over them, ... Also this guy is short of a few marbles as he was trying to dry a flammable liquid with a torch. Something tells me Darwin has had this guy on his list for some time now.

The way I use it is not by spraying it directly on the the steel, ... You spray it into a rag and then you rub the rag on the steel. The stuff evaporates so fast, ... you have to keep respraying your rag every 10 seconds on average. I have done this for over 30 years WITHOUT one incident of any kind. I prefer Acetone, ... but if I'm in a pinch, ... out comes the brakleen.

As with any product such as the example already given, A knife, ... yes you can kill yourself with it if you are irresponsible with it's use, ... but then so is a marshmallow if you don't chew it before you swallow. Just about everything you use in life can and will kill you if you let it.

Respect and responsibility for the use of any product no matter what it is, is a life or death matter. So with the information you have read in the article, ... use common sense.

 

[redsox985]

If you have alternatives...why not?

 

[brendonv]

Just dont use brake cleaner and you dont have to worry. Simple as that.

 

[hawk1093]

I built my kart out 15yr. old angle iron that was pretty rusty. This is how I cleaned my metal. Before welding I used a grinder and ground the metal till it was nice and shiny right where I wanted the weld. Simple, effective, and (potentially) nonlethal. Painting rusty metal on the other hand is a little trickier, I used a wire brush on electric drill to get the rust off, than I rubbed it down with a damp cloth. Once dry I coated the frame in a heavy duty primer than I painted . Worked good for me!
Only one thing when grinding or sanding rusty metal wear a dust mask. Rust dust is nasty stuff to get in your lungs!

 

[KieranM]

bare in mind, that if you cheaped out on the paint the rust WILL come back

 

[porsche930dude]

I built my kart out 15yr. old angle iron that was pretty rusty. This is how I cleaned my metal. Before welding I used a grinder and ground the metal till it was nice and shiny right where I wanted the weld. Simple, effective, and (potentially) nonlethal. Painting rusty metal on the other hand is a little trickier, I used a wire brush on electric drill to get the rust off, than I rubbed it down with a damp cloth. Once dry I coated the frame in a heavy duty primer than I painted . Worked good for me!
Only one thing when grinding or sanding rusty metal wear a dust mask. Rust dust is nasty stuff to get in your lungs!

you can get wire wheels for the grinder. they work 10x better than the drill kind. takes rust and paint off instantly. Thats what i use

 

[redsox985]

They also toss nice little wire needles at speeds way to fast to see! But yes, they work very well and I like them.

 

[hawk1093]

you can get wire wheels for the grinder. they work 10x better than the drill kind. takes rust and paint off instantly. Thats what i use

Yeah I think I have one of those somewhere but I couldn't find it, and buying a new one would have been pretty hard because at this time I had absolutely positively no money at all, so even something like that was out of my budget.

 

[cfanger]

You can get wire brush attachments for your drill. this saved me a ton of time getting my metal clean!!!
-Jeanne

 

[Bluethunder3320]

i use water and boraxo. sometimes a little fantastic. small metal things i use my dremel, such as on pistons and motor heads.

 

[fowler]

heres a differant question.
i am going home at the end of this week (497 miles away)
and i need to stop my kart rusting while there. many will know it is still in construction so paint is not an option. the only things i can think of are sump oil or lanolin but i have neither

 

[redsox985]

Some kind of grease. I know my shop teacher puts heavy bearing grease on all of the machines over the summer when no one is using them. It's kind of a pain to remove it all, but it works well.

 

[fowler]

may be an option.
it only needs to last 2 weeks.
do u think if i buff it back to fresh metal it will not last.
the biggest issue is the bloody sea which is only 2km away.

 

[redsox985]

Maybe just a quick shot with WD-40? It doesn't have to last too long and WD-40 is easier to clean up.

 

[freakboy]

Just paint it with rattle can for now? that would be your best bet..

 

[Bluethunder3320]

2 weeks? just cover it with a tarp.

 

[redsox985]

It's the humid air from what I've gathered.

 

[porsche930dude]

buy a can of flat black dollar paint. cleans off easy but also protects well and acts as primer for later