Removing rust from accordian type steel way covers ?

Just to give some sense of size... two guard assemblies....21" wide x 5" tall.. 3 sections each, 14" long compressed and 36" long extended. On a Makino CNC mill. Beats me how the darn things got so rusty as nothing else on the machine is rusty...table is pristine. (guards situated outside of table area so coolant splash unlikely culprit) Machine was in storage for 11 years, so I guess humidity or whatever fell on it from the air rusted. Obviously I know the usual ways to remove rust...remove guards from machine and then use either/and the pink chemical stuff, scraping, wire brushing, 3M abrasive pads.

But this is so much surface area and I don't want wire brush or pad swirls in it, and I don't want to spend much time on it such that it seems like the ideal might be someone that is doing sand blasting in a production situation (or has huge bead blast cabinet) So, who might that be ?

Alternatively, anyone that "rebuilds" steel way guards that might deal with this ? Guards work perfectly, and have no dents...just need the rust to be removed in a manner such that they appear as new again without swirl marks, etc.

Alternatively no. 2.... since I can remove these and can mess with them outside and with access to water hose.... do there exist chemical gels that work way better than the usual pink stuff ? Like this one for example ? www.rustreleasesupergel.com (the "environmentally safe" description is worrisome...I think I need something that is properly toxic ! )


Heck, even though these work perfectly I'd buy new ones if the price wasn't insane....but it probably would be.

As an aside, why the heck don't they make these things out of SS in the first place ?

I'd get one of those $10. kid's wading pools, a box of washing soda and do the electrolytic derusting thing.

hydrazine, cant get much more toxic

Mud turned me on to Evaporust. If you can't fit the part in a contain to soak it (would one of those cheap wallpaper tubs work?) suggested soaking a rag in the stuff and laying it on the rusty metal. Guess I'd periodically resoak the rag, and cover it with plastic rap. Evaporust isn't cheap, but it seems to work well and is non-toxic.

J

evaporust?

i've seen a page where the guy cleans the rust off his tablesaw with a baking soda solution soaked into a towel placed atop the rust,
then a sheet anode is placed on top of that, with 12v passed between . looked at my favorites, but couldn't find the link.....perhaps
someone else here has it .

i use liquid wrench and a scotchbrite on my haas waycovers , i just make sure to scrub with the existing grain .

my waycovers rust - they're just cheap straight chrome 200/400 SS , like on a $400 gas grill - but a haas is
a bargain basement machine -304ss covers would likely add $2k to the price of the machine (the cost of a decent gas grill)

i can't believe they'd use plain ol' carbon steel on a big $$$$$$ makino......

bosleyjr said:

Mud turned me on to Evaporust. If you can't fit the part in a contain to soak it (would one of those cheap wallpaper tubs work?) suggested soaking a rag in the stuff and laying it on the rusty metal. Guess I'd periodically resoak the rag, and cover it with plastic rap. Evaporust isn't cheap, but it seems to work well and is non-toxic.

J

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My cincinnati VMC covers are mild steel also (A&A mfg). If we make them too clean they will rust overnight. You can clean them in place on the machine with evaporust. Soak those blue Scott wipers with Evaporust and lay them flat on the steel and drape them down the sides, hold them in place with magnets if you need to. Keep the wipers wet, don't let the evaporust dry out or you'll have a mess. Wrapping or covering with saran wrap etc. can help. Won't take long, and it's your best chance to return the cover to new condition because it will not etch or roughen the metal like blasting.

Another method for using evaporust on large items is to pump it with a small 12V pump to keep the area wet and collecting the runoff in a large pan.

+1. I've used evaporust on many machines in areas that can't be disassembled. A pump to keep the towels wet and fresh solution to the areas works wonders. Degrease thoughly first.


But... if you can take them off.. there are many solutions. If you are going to paint them, Phosphoric acid in the form of Navel jelly (the "pink stuff") works fine. Once you wash to onto your driveway, the concrete will deactivate it, and in any case, with plenty of water the garden will be happy (phosphate) to take it.

Need a big tank for other processes? Farm supply stores sell all sorts of watering troughs.

would you really do this on the machine?

dian said:

would you really do this on the machine?

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If that comment was directed at me, re read my post Mr. Magoo.

Dupont 5717s metal prep/phosphoric acid. Sold by the quart as a concentrate. Automotive paint supply is a source.
I've used this on rolls for printing presses and anything with light rust. Will leave a darker area after contact with metal.
Product is an automotive paint prep that works well on other things. Wet a large surface and cover with plastic to stop evaporation.
Do not allow to dry, wipe off wet and spray surface with light oil product. Rubber gloves to the elbow and a fan for fresh air.
Regards,
John

When I cleaned my Fadal way covers...

...I removed them from the machine and painted of the Pink rust remover (keeping it wet all through the process), Then washed them, when all the rust was gone, with dish washing soap. Dried them and sanded them with a air vib. sander I bought on ebay. I started with 120 or maybe 80 grit and worked down to 220 grit to get the texture I wanted. I was about a days job.
There was a fair amount of rust on them. I also carefully pried the wiper housing open and replaced the wipers after texturing. You need to keep wayoil on the surface when not working on them. Also wash them completely when your done and wipe a thin film of oil back on them.
The textured surface feels smooth to the touch and seems to hold the oil on the surface better.

Steve

tnmgcarbide said:

i've seen a page where the guy cleans the rust off his tablesaw with a baking soda solution soaked into a towel placed atop the rust,
then a sheet anode is placed on top of that, with 12v passed between . looked at my favorites, but couldn't find the link.....perhaps
someone else here has it .

Click to expand...

That was Frank Ford: HomeShopTech

scadvice said:

. I was about a days job.

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Yikes...exactly what I was trying to avoid...just don't have that much time for such things.

Memorial headstone masons usually have large sandblaster cabinets for their use. Perhaps you could check with someone in your area and see if they could/would sandblast it for you.
[h=1][/h]

USMCPOP said:

That was Frank Ford: HomeShopTech

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Good grief...with that pidley amount of rust, I could have that gone in 30 minutes with elbow grease, WD40 and a 3M abrasive pad.

These way guards are pretty much solid sheets of rust. But most of it seems to be rust from iron dust that has fallen on them during 11 years of storage, as I can take a small section and scrape off most of the rust layer with a razor and there is no obvious pitting below that layer. But even that is too tedious, time consuming, and scratchy.. so I need either sand blast or some serious chemical on those things. The goal is to get the rust off in the easiest, quickest manner that will yield a finish that looks as close to original as possible.

Apparently the table and other exposed parts escaped rusting because they sprayed cosmoline on them before decommissioning the machine. But they didn't think about protecting the way guards with any anti rust chemical....probably because the original finish looks a bit like it's galvanized....but in reality is just plain old mild steel sheets, perhaps with a bit of pickled finish that helps some to inhibit rust but no where near enough.

Milacron said:

Heck, even though these work perfectly I'd buy new ones if the price wasn't insane....but it probably would be.

As an aside, why the heck don't they make these things out of SS in the first place ?

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You know it! They should make the OEM/ones on the new machine, out of SS and JUST CHARGE THE EXTRA TO THE CUSTOMER! When you are talking about 60 thousand bucks and up, WTF is a few hundred (or whatever) more for way covers that you don't have to worry about?

The goal is to get the rust off in the easiest, quickest manner that will yield a finish that looks as close to original as possible.

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Since you didn't mention cost, that's Evaporust in a nutshell. Have you ever used it? The cost will be non trivial because the parts are big enough to need a significant quantity of liquid to submerge them and the Evaporust is ~$25 per gallon. I buy it at Harbor Freight for that price. Soak a rusted brown part for 2-3 hours, rinse it off with a hose or pressure washer and coat it with M1 or similar and it's done. If you can rub/wipe some of the rust off beforehand the Evaporust will stay clean and useable longer than if you don't.

I can picture a form fitting container made of something lined with plastic sheet that would require less liquid, but I doubt I'd be inclined to spend the time, at least for just a few pieces.

dian said:

evaporust?

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Evapo Rust :: Rust Stop Canada

Alex.

I send my way covers to this outfit in Rockford Illinois. They do a great job. They always come back like new.

BUWW Coverings Inc. | Machine Tool Protection | Custom Enclosures & Bellows & Way Covers

Brian