I have recently come into possession of a wind-up tin train, consisting of a locomotive and a boxcar. It is probably from the first half of the last century. It is lithographed, and quite rusty from setting in a trunk in an attic for the last who-knows-how-many years.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to a product that I might apply to it that will remove or stabilize the rust without destroying the paint job?
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
stebbycentral I have recently come into possession of a wind-up tin train, consisting of a locomotive and a boxcar. It is probably from the first half of the last century. It is lithographed, and quite rusty from setting in a trunk in an attic for the last who-knows-how-many years. Does anyone have a suggestion as to a product that I might apply to it that will remove or stabilize the rust without destroying the paint job?
I've tried various "rust removers" and "rust converters" that are on the market, and they seemed like a waste. Some of the removers removed the surface scale, and the converters turned the rust black, but the rust came back in force in all cases.
The only real fix for rust is to remove or replace the affected metal. Once rust starts, it's pretty much a done deal.
Evapo-rust. Works very well.
Using electrolysis to remove rust is very effective, does not harm paint or non-rusted metal, and is widely used in the restoration field of almost everything made of metal. Very simple and cheap, the process can be used on any size part with a little imagination. I have used it effectively to remove rust from tools, track, and pieces of scrap metal used in projects. After removing the rust, wipe on a very light coat of oil to protect the metal from rusting again, and it will.
Larry
http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp
hscsltb http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp
The process sounds quite fascinating, and I am sure I can get the parts together. I'm concerned however that it might pit the metal. We are talking about something the thickness of of the metal in a soda pop can.
The process will not attack the base, unrusted metal. Rust is initially formed through electrolysis action, and we are using the same method to remove it. If the rust has pitted the metal already, the metal will remain that way, but the rust will be gone. Once the rust is gone, no further action will take place on the remaining metal.
Note that the closer the electrodes are to the rusty metal, the faster the reaction will take place, and the more current will be used from the power supply. Depending on the amount of water, the current being drawn, and the time the process is running, the water solution will get warm to hot and start evaporating. This is normal. If necessary, just add more water.
Smaller items should be checked every couple of hours. This way you can gauge the speed of the process.
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