Semi-OT: sink protector/liner?

Hi all

I have a surplus of rusty treasure/junk/tooling that I need to clean up. I have an electrolysis tank, but it's too cold out to mess with that just now. So, I bought a 5 gallon bucket of evaporust, and a 5 gallon bucket of degreaser. My thought is to dunk the parts in the degreaser overnight, give them a quick scrub then into the evaporust bucket, followed by another wash/scrub in the sink.

The sink near my basement work area is porcelain, and I'd like to avoid hurting either the sink or the tooling. I've looked for sink protectors, but all the ones I'm finding are small silicone mats for kitchen sinks. Does anyone make a heavier duty plastic mat or grid that would work for a larger 24" utility sink? I'm thinking something shaped like a milk crate would work - I'd like it to cover most of the sink walls too.

Any ideas or tips are appreciated!

Lee

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Could you use a floor mat like I’ve seen around machines with the holes in it? You could notch the corners so the bottom fits the sink and the sides would fold up to protect the sides.
Or, could you get a bath tub mat? Only down side is that they may be solid with no drain back holes- but you could use a gasket punch to make a few strategic holes. Or a plain rubber floor mat. Or a piece of rubber roofing. Or a truck mud flap ( make cheap floor mats too).....

Yeah, I've ordered some plastic aquarium grid dividers, same idea as the floor matting, and will try notching/cutting to shape. Just wondering if something ready made exists - can't believe I'm the first that wanted to wash heavy-ish parts in a sink...

Thanks

Lee

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A piece of door mat or astroturf cut to fit. A bit of old carpet but make sure it can withstand the solvents.
Bill D

leeko said:

Hi all

I have a surplus of rusty treasure/junk/tooling that I need to clean up. I have an electrolysis tank, but it's too cold out to mess with that just now. So, I bought a 5 gallon bucket of evaporust, and a 5 gallon bucket of degreaser. My thought is to dunk the parts in the degreaser overnight, give them a quick scrub then into the evaporust bucket, followed by another wash/scrub in the sink.

The sink near my basement work area is porcelain, and I'd like to avoid hurting either the sink or the tooling. I've looked for sink protectors, but all the ones I'm finding are small silicone mats for kitchen sinks. Does anyone make a heavier duty plastic mat or grid that would work for a larger 24" utility sink? I'm thinking something shaped like a milk crate would work - I'd like it to cover most of the sink walls too.

Any ideas or tips are appreciated!

Lee

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Click to expand...

Food service and institutional suppliers sell full-container, not just protective pad, poly drop-ins to fit most all industrial sinks. You've seen the general type where restuarants "bus" tables, dump stuff into them to haul the goods off to the washer?

Tough enough. Not cheap, though.

Might be better to shoot for smaller batches, more size variety of containers in yer arsenal?

Parts are prolly better managed individually in any case, "starting condition" thing.

For another thing, the costly chelating agent or tedious spoog tank mix can last longer, do more parts.

My "big boy" is a 55 US Gal heavy-wall polydrum, courtesy of a car wash - incoming detergent AFAIK. Primo for reverse electrolysis, larger parts, otherwise is the "dump it" place in between uses.

Smaller flat stuff, Big Box sell several sizes of rectangular, slope-sided trays for mixing mortar. Not all that long-lived, but reasonably cheap. Lay sumthing in those, to extend life, if only for the bottom.

Next-up, several lengths of PVC sanitary pipe, various diameters, some caps, and you have stuff like NMTB/CAT/BT mounts or collets immersed.

Big Box buckets, BTW, I have NOT had good luck with. Too thin. Too easily split. Recucled floor tile adhesive tubs or dry'lock wall sealing powder tubs SOME are better. Others not so much. Mini-poly drums have proven more predictably tougher.

Spills? Drains?

One can put down a coupla layers of vis-queen right on the deck, polyolefin tarp atop, THEN ALSO a sheet of anything disposable such as masonite, OSB, or sheetrock so it dasn't get abraded nor sliced.

Make a low frame to lift and drape the plastic and tarp around the perimeter, and you have a sump to control spills or absorb them with "the usual suspects".

This is "standard" UNDER a whole machine tool being cleaned-up. I kinda LIKE my concrete as it is!




Next thing I'm looking at is a barrel tumbler.

Usta run one 5 or 6 days a week, every night and through the night, joolry manufacturing shop. Not a lot of effort involved.

2CW

I'd probably head to the home center and look for a suitable size tote bin. Install a bulkhead fitting in line with the drain (marine thru-hull fitting would work) with a short hose going into the drain. Drop it in (might need spacer blocks underneath) or hang it from the rim. If you need to stopper the drain for any reason just use one of the large rubber type that seal by water pressure and add a nylon cord so you can pull it without reaching in.

In the past I've improvised sinks from plastic dish pans and even an old concrete mixing tub.

Don't use that sink....duh.

Trash can...

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Another 5 gallon bucket for the wash/scrub. Then pour that bucket into the precious sink.

Somebody told me that he and his wife got into arguments when he washed up in the kitchen sink after working in the attached garage.
The garage eventually got a sink installed.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I like the idea of a sturdy tote with a bulkhead fitted, and will plan to do that if the aquarium dividers don't fit the bill

It's not a precious sink - it's an old porcelain utility sink in the basement. I'd just prefer not to chip the porcelain by dropping a heavy piece of steel into it if I can avoid it.

Lee

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leeko said:

I'd just prefer not to chip the porcelain by dropping a heavy piece of steel into it if I can avoid it.

Click to expand...

Might surprise you how long Bamboo mats lasts for that tasking.

Bamboo ain't "wood", y'see.

A "super" grass, actually. High in silicates, dense, outside of its central tube, highly resistant to penetration cuts, and not all that pervious to liquids, either. Also dirt CHEAP and easily shaped.

Beach Mat 33" X 60"

Did I forget to mention CHEAP? As-in-also EXPENDABLE and biodegradable?

Time you cut-up a sub three-dollah beach mat the size linked? Could last yah a month, even a whole YEAR?

What sort of plastic is gonna protect that porcelain for about 75 cents each renewal?

Fugggabuncha PLASTICS.

Parts of Asia, the Tatami mat floor ain't 'coz they have too little money.

It's 'coz they have plenty of good sense. Waay easier to clean than wall-to-wall parasite condominium carpet.

Renewable resource, even. You even suspect the stuff don't "just grow?" Dare yah to plant it!!!

"Be advised." The hard part is STOPPING it growing!