I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry

In article ,
"Jerry Foster" wrote:

I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry



I'd say hit it with a vinegar douche. No, REALLY!

Wrap it in burlap or similar, wet it down with vinegar and water, and
keep it wet for a day or three, unwrap, and see what it looks like.
Re-wrap/spray, repeat as needed. Or just do the initial treatment to get
things started, and let the atmosphere do the rest.

--
Don Bruder - - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd for more info

"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
. com...
I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and
is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe
spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry

No big deal! Go to any of the large hardware stores and buy a gallon of
hydrochloric (muriatic) acid and dilute maybe 1 part acid to 5 parts water.
Using a spray device, cover the entire thing. It will etch the surface and
start rusting immediately. Rinse after it's been on for a while, so it
doesn't leave a deposit behind. The nice part is this acid is very
inexpensive. Be certain to wear rubber gloves and eye protection, and don't
breath the fumes when you open the container. It does serious damage to
lungs, but once diluted with water, it isn't all that bad. This is the
same acid that is used to wash brick.

Harold

On Sun, 5 Feb 2006 01:53:40 -0800, "A.P."
wrote:


"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
.com...
I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.


Warning : Maby the acid will make your sculpture fall apart after 6 moths

More like Moby the Dick would do it than 6 moths!
Mike

In article ,
"Harold and Susan Vordos" wrote:

"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
. com...
I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and
is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe
spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry

No big deal! Go to any of the large hardware stores and buy a gallon of
hydrochloric (muriatic) acid and dilute maybe 1 part acid to 5 parts water.
Using a spray device, cover the entire thing. It will etch the surface and
start rusting immediately. Rinse after it's been on for a while, so it
doesn't leave a deposit behind. The nice part is this acid is very
inexpensive. Be certain to wear rubber gloves and eye protection, and don't
breath the fumes when you open the container. It does serious damage to
lungs, but once diluted with water, it isn't all that bad. This is the
same acid that is used to wash brick.

Harold



And etch concrete, and balance swimming pool and eyedrop pH, and digest
your dinner, and...

I've always been amused by the folks that go all squickoid over the idea
of having a bottle of HCl on hand. Yeah, it can be vicious stuff. But
like anything else, if you treat it right, you won't get "bit". And
unlike some other things I can think of, unless you *REALLY* get bit
hard (drink it, splatter it in your eyes at high concentrations, inhale
a lungful of fumes and start coughing up bloody gobs, etc - Catastrophic
screwups, in other words) HCL is usually amenable to a quick trip to the
shower with the baking soda in hand.

--
Don Bruder - - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd for more info

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 00:03:25 GMT, "Jerry Foster"
wrote:

I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

Hi Jerry,
I've experimented a bit with making new metal look old. I've put
together a web page for parts small enough that you can fit them into
some kind of bathtub: http://engines.rustyiron.com/electrolysis

For huge parts, I've been disappointed with hydrochloric acid. I
think all the acid does is clean off the metal and make it susceptible
to rusting by conventional means. You could just as easily wash off
the sculpture in lacqure thinner and then leave it out in the
elements.

Burying in the ground doesn't work so well, either. The best method
for natural rusting is leaving out in the air in a moist environment.

If you're in a hurry and the part is too big for electrolysis, Plum
Brown solution from (I think) Birchwood Casey works VERY nicely.
Heat it up, brush on the solution, and you're done.

Rob



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Rob Skinner
La Habra, California
www.rustyiron.com

On Sun, 5 Feb 2006 01:53:40 -0800, the renowned "A.P."
wrote:


"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
.com...
I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and
is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe
spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?


"Ferro Cloride" will do the job. It makes everything (stainless-cromed)
stain quikcly.
A yellow solid substance that you dissolve in warm water , get it in a
drugstore etc

Warning : Maby the acid will make your sculpture fall apart after 6 moths
? !!!

AP

Just the vapor from FeCl etchant will rust everything in a room that's
susceptible. Keep it away from your tools and machinery. Permanently
stains clothes too.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

Don Bruder writes:

I've always been amused by the folks that go all squickoid over the idea
of having a bottle of HCl on hand.

I am amused by those that scream "acid into water!!!" when you talk about
diluting HCl. Unlike H2SO4, it doesn't matter.

Stains you bet. I have an expensive lab coat with a custom IC logo on the back
while the front is rusting orange. Been that way for 38 years and who knows how
many washings and bleaching. I thought maybe I could find a chemical that turns
Iron color into blue. I want to say there is one - and maybe it is soluble in water
or something I could use to clean the coat once and for all. That's life.

Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder


Spehro Pefhany wrote:
On Sun, 5 Feb 2006 01:53:40 -0800, the renowned "A.P."
wrote:


"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
y.com...

I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and

is

MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe

spray

it with some mild acid...

Ideas?


"Ferro Cloride" will do the job. It makes everything (stainless-cromed)
stain quikcly.
A yellow solid substance that you dissolve in warm water , get it in a
drugstore etc

Warning : Maby the acid will make your sculpture fall apart after 6 moths
? !!!

AP


Just the vapor from FeCl etchant will rust everything in a room that's
susceptible. Keep it away from your tools and machinery. Permanently
stains clothes too.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

Spray it liberally w/ WD-40.
--
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll
"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
. com...
I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and
is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe
spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry

"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
. com...
I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and
is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe
spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?


"Ferro Cloride" will do the job. It makes everything (stainless-cromed)
stain quikcly.
A yellow solid substance that you dissolve in warm water , get it in a
drugstore etc

Warning : Maby the acid will make your sculpture fall apart after 6 moths
? !!!

AP

On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 22:39:25 -0600, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:

Stains you bet. I have an expensive lab coat with a custom IC logo on the back
while the front is rusting orange. Been that way for 38 years and who knows how
many washings and bleaching. I thought maybe I could find a chemical that turns
Iron color into blue. I want to say there is one - and maybe it is soluble in water
or something I could use to clean the coat once and for all. That's life.

Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

snip

Oxalic acid. We'd get rust stains from acid drips working on the mag
cell project. A little chlorine or HCl would leak out of the cell,
absorb in condensation, and continually drip anywhere inside the cell
building. It wasn't too bad, but any drip was also saturated with
iron from the structure. Instant rust stain on clothes. Oxalic acid
dissolved in water took the stains right out.

Pete Keillor

Jerry Foster wrote:
I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry

A strictly non-tech answer. Go to any craft store, ask for bottle of
instant rust. Good stuff - no idea whats in it. Also have instant
bronze patina, copper, etc. Amazing really.... all the stuff
metalworkers try hard to avoid......

Andrew VK3BFA.

Get a pony keg of beer and invite several friends over. Use the
sculputure as nature calls.

Steve

Jerry Foster wrote:

I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry

My problem with putting acid on steel is that once it gets going, it
doesnt wanna stop.
I have had really good luck by first sandblasting, then spraying with
salt water- take rock salt, mix a couple tablespoons in with a quart of
water in an old windex spray bottle, and spray it on. The advantage is
the salt doesnt keep rusting the piece away all the way into the next
century.
Something about not using too much tool for the job that appeals to me.

Spehro Pefhany wrote:
Just the vapor from FeCl etchant will rust everything in a room that's
susceptible. Keep it away from your tools and machinery. Permanently
stains clothes too.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

Yes, It was an intresting "view", the room where the company I worked
at in the early 1950s started to do printed circuits using feric
chloride as the etchant. What a mess. :-)
...lew...

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:

Stains you bet. I have an expensive lab coat with a custom IC logo on
the back
while the front is rusting orange. Been that way for 38 years and who
knows how
many washings and bleaching. I thought maybe I could find a chemical
that turns
Iron color into blue. I want to say there is one - and maybe it is
soluble in water
or something I could use to clean the coat once and for all. That's life.

Martin

Martin, just reduce the Fe+++ to Fe++ and it'l all disapear. :-)
...lew...

Hi - I'm a sculptor, and I often want a rust finish on my pieces. The
easiest low-tech answer I've found is SALT WATER.... applied with a
spray bottle, repeatededly over a couple days. Within a week or so,
you'll have plenty of rust.

- Jud
www.judturner.com

On Sat, 4 Feb 2006 17:43:22 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Harold and Susan Vordos" quickly quoth:

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture.

No big deal! Go to any of the large hardware stores and buy a gallon of
hydrochloric (muriatic) acid and dilute maybe 1 part acid to 5 parts water.
Using a spray device, cover the entire thing. It will etch the surface and
start rusting immediately. Rinse after it's been on for a while, so it
doesn't leave a deposit behind. The nice part is this acid is very
inexpensive.

I found a gallon for $2.69 at Farmer's Supply last year.


Be certain to wear rubber gloves and eye protection, and don't
breath the fumes when you open the container. It does serious damage to
lungs, but once diluted with water, it isn't all that bad. This is the
same acid that is used to wash brick.

Just make sure to etchcorrode and rinse it on your BAD neighbor's
lawn. wink


---------------------------------------------------
I drive way too fast to worry about my cholesterol.
---------------------------------------------------
http://www.diversify.com Refreshing Graphic Design

On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 19:49:25 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, Rob
Skinner quickly quoth:

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 00:03:25 GMT, "Jerry Foster"
wrote:

I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

Hi Jerry,
I've experimented a bit with making new metal look old. I've put
together a web page for parts small enough that you can fit them into
some kind of bathtub: http://engines.rustyiron.com/electrolysis

For huge parts, I've been disappointed with hydrochloric acid. I
think all the acid does is clean off the metal and make it susceptible
to rusting by conventional means. You could just as easily wash off
the sculpture in lacqure thinner and then leave it out in the
elements.

Clean the steel well, dissolve as much salt as you can in vinegar
water, and spray it on the steel. It's almost as quick as muriatic
acid and will leave a nice rust surface by the next morning.


---------------------------------------------------
I drive way too fast to worry about my cholesterol.
---------------------------------------------------
http://www.diversify.com Refreshing Graphic Design

Jerry Foster wrote:

I have several ideas on this, but I'm sure some other folks have better
ones.

An artist friend of mine asked how to impart a "rust" patina to a welded
steel sculpture. The object in question is made of steel rod/tubing and is
MIG welded together. It is too big to dip in any ordinary container, but
small enough that one man can handle it easily.

I suppose he could wash it in something like laquer thinner and leave it
outside (heavy dew, misty rain, etc. this time of the year). Or maybe spray
it with some mild acid...

Ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry

Fire.

Set it on a safe surface, spray it with something flammable, and light
it. The fire will remove any oils that are preventing fast rusting. Less
fun, use a degreaser or detergent and scrub it clean. Then use some salt
water or acid as you see fit.

Cheers
trevor Jones

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 07:06:19 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, Pete
Keillor quickly quoth:

On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 22:39:25 -0600, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:

Stains you bet. I have an expensive lab coat with a custom IC logo on the back
while the front is rusting orange. Been that way for 38 years and who knows how
many washings and bleaching. I thought maybe I could find a chemical that turns
Iron color into blue. I want to say there is one - and maybe it is soluble in water
or something I could use to clean the coat once and for all. That's life.
snip

Oxalic acid. We'd get rust stains from acid drips working on the mag
cell project. A little chlorine or HCl would leak out of the cell,
absorb in condensation, and continually drip anywhere inside the cell
building. It wasn't too bad, but any drip was also saturated with
iron from the structure. Instant rust stain on clothes. Oxalic acid
dissolved in water took the stains right out.

It's also used to clean and bleach decks, so you can find it at most
home centers. It removes the rust marks from nails in decking and
lightens the wood.


---------------------------------------------------
I drive way too fast to worry about my cholesterol.
---------------------------------------------------
http://www.diversify.com Refreshing Graphic Design

wrote in message
oups.com...
My problem with putting acid on steel is that once it gets going, it
doesnt wanna stop.
I have had really good luck by first sandblasting, then spraying with
salt water- take rock salt, mix a couple tablespoons in with a quart of
water in an old windex spray bottle, and spray it on. The advantage is
the salt doesnt keep rusting the piece away all the way into the next
century.
Something about not using too much tool for the job that appeals to me.

Having used acids to dissolve metals for years (refining precious metals), I
can assure you----acid does stop. When the element contained within an
acid that is responsible for a given reaction has been consumed, what you
have left is no longer what it used to be----otherwise a drop of acid could
do the work of a million gallons----which it can't, and doesn't. The
chemists on the board can describe the reactions, but, sadly, I'm not one.

Harold

"Trevor Jones" wrote in message
...
snip----

Fire.

Set it on a safe surface, spray it with something flammable, and light
it. The fire will remove any oils that are preventing fast rusting. Less
fun, use a degreaser or detergent and scrub it clean. Then use some salt
water or acid as you see fit.

Cheers
trevor Jones

Yep-----only problem with most of these methods, this one included, is that
scale is the one thing that restricts rapid rusting------so it has to be
removed before uniform rusting can be expected. Acid etching removes the
scale by dissolving it. The other good option is to sand blast-----then
almost anything will accelerate rusting.
One phenomenon that I'm at a lack to explain is that glass bead blasting
protects iron surfaces. I bead blasted a small railroad spike and a short
section of 2" rail that had been badly rusted and heavily pitted----each of
which have been sitting around for several years since, with no protection
of any kind----and have not rusted again. They have been kept indoors, but
have been handled, but not even finger prints have rusted. Could it be
that silica is protecting the surfaces?

Harold

In article ,
"Harold and Susan Vordos" wrote:

"Trevor Jones" wrote in message
...
snip----

Fire.

Set it on a safe surface, spray it with something flammable, and light
it. The fire will remove any oils that are preventing fast rusting. Less
fun, use a degreaser or detergent and scrub it clean. Then use some salt
water or acid as you see fit.

Cheers
trevor Jones

Yep-----only problem with most of these methods, this one included, is that
scale is the one thing that restricts rapid rusting------so it has to be
removed before uniform rusting can be expected. Acid etching removes the
scale by dissolving it. The other good option is to sand blast-----then
almost anything will accelerate rusting.
One phenomenon that I'm at a lack to explain is that glass bead blasting
protects iron surfaces. I bead blasted a small railroad spike and a short
section of 2" rail that had been badly rusted and heavily pitted----each of
which have been sitting around for several years since, with no protection
of any kind----and have not rusted again. They have been kept indoors, but
have been handled, but not even finger prints have rusted. Could it be
that silica is protecting the surfaces?

Harold



I'm thinking that the bead-blast did indeed strip the "scaly" rust off,
but probably compacted the "powder" rust into a protective coating.

But that's pure guesswork on my part...

--
Don Bruder - - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd for more info

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 15:32:31 GMT, Lew Hartswick
wrote:


Yes, It was an intresting "view", the room where the company I worked
at in the early 1950s started to do printed circuits using feric
chloride as the etchant. What a mess. :-)
...lew...

I've seen several PCB websites that have recently been mentioning that
muriatic (hydrochloric) acid dissolved 50% with water, then mixed with
high strength hydrogen peroxide (40 volume or higher - about 15% or
more) can be used to etch circuit boards and brass. While this
apparently does work, I'm curious as to just what kind of substance it
creates. I would have thought that HCl + H2O2 + H2O would produce a
neutral chemical from the mixture of a strong acid and strong base. I
regenerate the ferric chloride that I use for brass parts etching with
hydrogen peroxide and acid, but this simply recombines the spent
chemical (FeCl2) back to FeCl3 - the iron is an important ingredient.
The ones that reccomend to mix acid with peroxide also mention that
it's still acidic and will burn your skin, wheras ferric chloride,
while ungodly messy, won't normally burn skin quickly. (My setup is
such that I never have to touch the chemical to put the parts in or
check the progress. I use gloves to take them out, and if it splashes
I simply use a rag soaked in baking soda + water to wipe it off).

---

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.

I"ll try that - knew that for stone work but didn't know for clothing.

Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Pete Keillor wrote:
On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 22:39:25 -0600, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:


Stains you bet. I have an expensive lab coat with a custom IC logo on the back
while the front is rusting orange. Been that way for 38 years and who knows how
many washings and bleaching. I thought maybe I could find a chemical that turns
Iron color into blue. I want to say there is one - and maybe it is soluble in water
or something I could use to clean the coat once and for all. That's life.

Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder


snip

Oxalic acid. We'd get rust stains from acid drips working on the mag
cell project. A little chlorine or HCl would leak out of the cell,
absorb in condensation, and continually drip anywhere inside the cell
building. It wasn't too bad, but any drip was also saturated with
iron from the structure. Instant rust stain on clothes. Oxalic acid
dissolved in water took the stains right out.

Pete Keillor

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

I bet a thin layer of glass formed upon impact. Perhaps a microscope
can detect that.

Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:
"Trevor Jones" wrote in message
...
snip----

Fire.

Set it on a safe surface, spray it with something flammable, and light
it. The fire will remove any oils that are preventing fast rusting. Less
fun, use a degreaser or detergent and scrub it clean. Then use some salt
water or acid as you see fit.

Cheers
trevor Jones


Yep-----only problem with most of these methods, this one included, is that
scale is the one thing that restricts rapid rusting------so it has to be
removed before uniform rusting can be expected. Acid etching removes the
scale by dissolving it. The other good option is to sand blast-----then
almost anything will accelerate rusting.
One phenomenon that I'm at a lack to explain is that glass bead blasting
protects iron surfaces. I bead blasted a small railroad spike and a short
section of 2" rail that had been badly rusted and heavily pitted----each of
which have been sitting around for several years since, with no protection
of any kind----and have not rusted again. They have been kept indoors, but
have been handled, but not even finger prints have rusted. Could it be
that silica is protecting the surfaces?

Harold



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...
I bet a thin layer of glass formed upon impact. Perhaps a microscope
can detect that.

Martin

Certainly a possibility. There's quite a light show that goes on when you
blast with beads. Thanks, Martin.

Harold

Harold -

If you have one - try a polarizing type filter - as xtals have axis. Might show up.

Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder


Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:
"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...

I bet a thin layer of glass formed upon impact. Perhaps a microscope
can detect that.

Martin


Certainly a possibility. There's quite a light show that goes on when you
blast with beads. Thanks, Martin.

Harold



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"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...
Harold -

If you have one - try a polarizing type filter - as xtals have axis.
Might show up.

Martin

Sadly, the only microscope I have isn't proper for such use, and I have no
filters for it, anyway. Sure would be interesting to solve the
riddle----these parts should have rusted long ago.

Harold

I used to use a very high tech one for rock ID. It had tons of filters.

Suggest using sun glasses - rotate the eye or the scope. (scope has to have a
driven lamp not a sun driven source.)

Perhaps - pressing with a sharp tip under the scope might see a shatter.

Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:
"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...

Harold -

If you have one - try a polarizing type filter - as xtals have axis.

Might show up.

Martin


Sadly, the only microscope I have isn't proper for such use, and I have no
filters for it, anyway. Sure would be interesting to solve the
riddle----these parts should have rusted long ago.

Harold



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