Cleaning Silver Steel

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

I don't know if this is really a model engineering question but I'm sure someone here can help me.

I have made 72 struts from 1mm silver steel for a project nearing completion (A model gasometer frame).

I made them from steel I had in stock which was not rusty but had a dark tarnish. Originally, this was not a problem but now they need to be, if not shiny, at least clean and silver like.

I could make them all again out of new stock or clean them on the lathe but there are 72 of them. At 10 minutes each that's 12 hours I'll never get back.

Does anyone know of a magic solution, preferably using domestic products, that I could just pop them in overnight or something? Or an other way of cleaning them all at once?

Cheers

Steve

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Degrease then dunk in patio cleaner, wash with plenty of water, oil or wax to prevent rusting.

Dave

[DodParticipant @dod]

A question on a Model Engineers Workshop about a model gasometer, – whatever is the world coming to ?

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

I would have said that a metal model of a gasometer qualifies as 'model engineering'!

Brian

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Interesting. Several people in conversation have referred to this site as the Model Engineers Workshop forum.

Rod

[John RuddParticipant @johnrudd16576]

 

Posted by Dod on 14/02/2017 20:18:08:

A question on a Model Engineers Workshop about a model gasometer, – whatever is the world coming to ?

I retracted my thoughts on the grounds of civility…..

Edited By John Rudd on 14/02/2017 21:04:51

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

John,

I may be mistaken [it has been known], but I think maybe Dod was being clever with the word 'Gasometer' … as being curiosly pertinent to this forum.

MichaelG.

.

Composed just before you retracted your comments.

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 14/02/2017 21:06:36

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

When you get your Gasometer built, show us a photo, this sounds an interesting model.

Ian S C

Edited By Ian S C on 15/02/2017 11:35:09

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Ian S C on 15/02/2017 11:34:20:

When you get your Gasometer built, show us a photo, this sounds an interesting model.

Ian S C

.

+1

MichaelG.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Is it scratch built of of a particular prototype.?

Martin

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

"sorry or of"

Martin

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

What you need is something like a pebble/stone polisher used for jewelry. Put them in a closed tub with a suitable polishing medium and rotate slowly for a time. The problem is finding the best polishing medium. Say for instance plenty of 10mm squares of fine emery paper might work or small pieces of sandstone. Mount a suitable tub in a lathe chuck with a slow rpm and leave to tumble while you do something else. You don't want to tumble too fast as they will stick to the outside of the tub due to centrifugal forces. You may need some feature in the tub to "stir" the parts to get good tumbling effects (like the inside of a tumble drier or cement mixer often have plates on the inside of the drum).

Tumble and vibratory polishing is used in industry.

Martin

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Walnut shell should polish with minimal wearing of sharp edges, but it is possible that the items could damage each other.

Dilute citric should work and in an ultrasonic bath woudl be even quicker.

Neil

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

You could research old time polishing of needles (sewing). There is a preserved water powered needle factory in Redditch that is well worth a visit.

In simple terms bundle up wires all together loosely lathered in grinding paste mixture wrapped in canvas like a tool roll but not too tight. Roll it back and forth so the wires rub against each other. Works for needles and you know how shiny they are.

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

+1 Neil. Citric acid crystals from the chemist, mix in warm water then dunk the bits. I pickled some ball bearings for the handles on my Harrold Halls advanced grinding rest like this before I silver soldered them on and I found that fifteen minutes was enough to turn them from shiny to a matt grey.

I was puzzled when the pharmacist asked what I was going to use it for. It seems that drug dealers use it for "cutting" their wares.

Rik

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

Posted by Martin Kyte on 15/02/2017 11:41:50:

Is it scratch built of of a particular prototype.?

Martin

It is "inspired" by the recently demolished Hornsey No1 gasometer, next to the East Coast Mainline between Hornsey and Ally Pally. Until it was criminally torn down last year to make way for unaffordable housing, it was considered the oldest geodesic structure in the world. It is even said to have inspired Barnes-Wallis's airship designs.

I wanted to build a gasometer suitable for 2mm scale model rail (2mm to the foot) but even at that scale it would be huge so I've had to compromise.

The one I'm building is 140mm diameter and 125mm high and has 12 columns (Hornsey No1 has 20)

I dry assembled it and it looked so good in its bare metal state that I decided to polish and lacquer all the brass parts, build it on a display base and put it in the living room to gather dust.

It's all ready to assemble now, I just need to clean up the 72 diagonal braces.

I will post pictures soon.

Steve

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Brillig.

I think they did list some of them.

regards Martin

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

Posted by Martin Kyte on 15/02/2017 16:19:04:

Brillig.

I think they did list some of them.

regards Martin

The Victorian Society tried for years to get Hornsey listed to no avail.

I think the one in Bethnal Green has been listed and there is one in Carlisle.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Roderick Jenkins on 14/02/2017 20:28:05:

Interesting. Several people in conversation have referred to this site as the Model Engineers Workshop forum.

Rod

As this is the forum for BOTH Model Engineer AND Model Engineers' Workshop so that name is technically as correct as calling it the 'Model Engineer Forum'.

Neil

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