Journal perfessor multigeek's Journal: Physics Is Your Phriend 2
As many of you already know, I have a mound of over a hundred early 1900's doorknobs, push plates, roller sets and other paraphenalia to clean up and, hopefully, sell.
Well, quite a few of the brass-plated plates and other gear (such as the internal hardware for pocket doors) had been left to rust in a basement for, possibly, just about a hundred years. In fact, not even in the basement proper but the mostly enclosed area under the porch. So some of them are coated in the sort of "mossy" thick rust that is almost impossible to remove without harsh chemicals and/or LOTS of physical labor.
So over the past few days I have tried out one of my favorite techniques for such situations. I took a plate and put it in a takeout plastic container filled with plain old generic supermarket vinegar.
I left the takeout container, with the lid loosely sitting on top, to sit by an open window where, sure enough, bubbles drifted up little by little in the shape of the plate.
It has now been three days, I brushed it clean of loose debris once yesterday, and as of this morning the plate is just flat out pretty. I left tiny bits of rust in place, just enough to qualify as patina.
And where did I learn this handy-dandy technique? In my chemistry lab classes at Carnegie-Mellon. Fastest way to clean the rust off an old beat-up probe? Stick it in acid and watch those oxides bubble away.
Basic physical chemistry.
It is good to be a geek.
Rustin
Well, quite a few of the brass-plated plates and other gear (such as the internal hardware for pocket doors) had been left to rust in a basement for, possibly, just about a hundred years. In fact, not even in the basement proper but the mostly enclosed area under the porch. So some of them are coated in the sort of "mossy" thick rust that is almost impossible to remove without harsh chemicals and/or LOTS of physical labor.
So over the past few days I have tried out one of my favorite techniques for such situations. I took a plate and put it in a takeout plastic container filled with plain old generic supermarket vinegar.
I left the takeout container, with the lid loosely sitting on top, to sit by an open window where, sure enough, bubbles drifted up little by little in the shape of the plate.
It has now been three days, I brushed it clean of loose debris once yesterday, and as of this morning the plate is just flat out pretty. I left tiny bits of rust in place, just enough to qualify as patina.
And where did I learn this handy-dandy technique? In my chemistry lab classes at Carnegie-Mellon. Fastest way to clean the rust off an old beat-up probe? Stick it in acid and watch those oxides bubble away.
Basic physical chemistry.
It is good to be a geek.
Rustin
Vinegar rules (Score:2)
Re:Vinegar rules (Score:2)