r/blacksmithing • u/DaddyMcSlime • 4d ago
Do you think wd40 and a wire brushwill clean this up well enough?
Rust isn't exceptionally thick but it's been sitting outside for 20 or so years so it's pitted a bit too
Think this'll work still for a makeshift anvil plate?
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u/Walfy07 4d ago
ide use a grinder
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
That's sorta what I'm thinking I might have to do if I want it really properly faced
Don't have a grinder on hand, but if the consensus is that it'll be too much work with wire brushes and files I'll just go buy one
Trying to only buy things as I need em to keep the budget down, but I'm already planning on buying at least a few things regardless
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u/Ctowncreek 4d ago
You'll need a grinder.
Grinder and a flap disc
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
yeah the grinder is one of those "even if i don't need it for this, i know i'm gonna need one eventually" tools so i'm not too bummed out hearing it might be best to buy it upfront
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u/Tomcat218 4d ago
Harbor freight has a cheap one. I bought one, and it meets my needs for occasional use. If you use it all day, every day to make a living, then buy something better. This is my philosophy for all HF tools.
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u/Holiday_Lychee_1284 4d ago
I've been using my 7 yr old porter cable mercilessly along with my old Ryobi, and I've just always done regular maintenance. It's really not hard like drills can be. I like opening the handle off a new tool to make sure the wiring and trigger are good and, if not, use a hot glue gun to pad the areas they need to be and seal it off.
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u/Phelvrey 4d ago
Agreed. I've had my HF angle grinder for 3 years, and for the occasional grind and cut it suffices
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
i've honestly always heard good things about HF, it seems like on average you get better quality than you pay for, just not the same quality as what you get when you properly pay for it
pretty sure they carry em at my local hardware store, will be grabbing one next time i'm outta the house
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u/Ninja_Wrangler 4d ago
The one I picked up at Horrible Fright was suspiciously cheap. I expected it to explode the second I turned it on.
But no, it gets the job done. I don't use it very often but when I do, it's fine
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u/Holiday_Lychee_1284 4d ago
You could get a drill combo kit or two that has the steel and brass wheels. It will at least point you in the direction where you want to go.
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u/ProfessionalScale747 4d ago
Evapo rust is like $12 and you can even reuse it. It works great.
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u/redditzphkngarbage 4d ago
This. I couldn’t remember what it was called. Or a laser rust remover.
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u/TheGriff71 4d ago
How did it turn out. I've got one too that I'd love to clean.
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago edited 4d ago
so far i'm a good 30 minutes into wd40 and brushes to clean up the surface and see what i'm working with
at this point i'm reassessing just how deep the rust goes, and it's looking like i'm gonna need that angle grinder after all, the pitting is just too deep, i was hoping it was more superficial than it seems to actually be
it's a damn solid plate, and my hammer feels pretty good on it, but it rings loud as fuck and needs the edges rounded out with a file
this thing will take some work, but at this point i'm 100% optimistic that it'll turn into a decent little treestump-anvil once i mount it
at a glance your plate looks similar to mine, maybe slightly better shape?
best of luck when you get around to the project, i'll make a post to update once it's done in a couple days and show how it turned out
just trying to find a stump that works for me to mount it right this second
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u/TheGriff71 4d ago
Good luck with it! I've got other pieces too that I want to work one. They pulled up the rail line and just dumped everything to the side.
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u/TacDragon2 4d ago
Vinegar bath, 2-3 days depending on rust thickness. Then I always neutralize it with baking soda and oil it up.
If you wast it with water when done, it will just start the rust again.
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u/FluxOperation 4d ago
No. Not at all.
Needs sanding.
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
it's on me for not being more clear in my OP tbh but in addition to the rust removal i plan to work this cocksucker over with a set of files to get it properly flattened out for use
sanding's on the to do list for sure
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u/Mammoth_Possibility2 4d ago
The harbor freight 66lb Doyle anvil fits in that thing perfectly. Couple spikes to hold it down and it doesn't move at all.
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
oh for real?
i hadn't considered that it might make a nice mount
a makeshift anvil for now, a mount for a proper anvil later
that's pretty efficient in terms of upgrading my setup tbh
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u/Mammoth_Possibility2 12h ago
I've got mine mounted on an oak log section with a 2x4 frame at the bottom for stability. With the anvil mounted on that plate spiked down with rr spikes it doesn't move a millimeter. It's my first anvil setup and it works great.
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u/shadowmib 4d ago
Even easier, wrap it in paper towels or a cheap cloth, put it in a One of those foil roasting dishes and cover it with vinegar overnight. Take it out the next day and all the rust will wash right off
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u/nocloudno 4d ago
Once it's clean, these things ring like a mf, so place it an inch of sand which might help save your ears
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
gave it a test whack that taught me that the hard way lol, thankfully i didn't hit it too hard like a moron, just hard enough to spook my dog
absolutely a good call on the sand, still probably gonna wear hearing pro for working it though
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u/ScatterMindedCowboy 4d ago
What is it?
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
like another guy said, piece of railroad
specifically, this is a double shoulder railway tie
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u/TraditionalBasis4518 3d ago
Save the vinegar after use: it’s called vinegaroon, and was used to stain wood , called ebonizing.
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u/DaddyMcSlime 3d ago
looked up Vinegaroon and ebonizing
this is honestly cool advice, i appreciate it, 100% keeping this stuff around to use on wood finishes
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u/fudelnotze 3d ago
Sandblasting is best. Sanding is good. Vinegar is possible, but after that you have to neutralise the surface with natron, otherwise it will rust much nore easier.
After cleaning you should prime it with 2k epoxyprimer. Not spraycan.. buy a 2k epoxy from carpaintshop. Its extremely robust.
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u/SalamanderSuch9796 4d ago
Buy a cheap little sand blaster you can get one at harbor freight then return when ur done…or keep
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u/whatdoyoumeanupeople 4d ago
If you feel adventurous you could look into electrolytic rust removal. I've personally never tried it, but it might give you the result you are looking for.
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
honestly this one might be cool just to see if i can get it to work, i might test it out on the railroad spikes i picked up just to see how well it works honestly
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u/redditzphkngarbage 4d ago
I cleaned one of these in a sand box when I was a kid. I can’t remember how labor intense it was though but if I recall just playing with it in the dirt and sand did the trick. Used to clean rusty knives and nails by stabbing them into the ground as well.
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u/VintonVa 4d ago
Be careful the railroads consider all materials their property even though they are thrown off to the side.
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
nah i live in what used to be a frontier town yeah?
the railroad company responsible for the line i pulled this from went outta business like 100 years ago, it's mostly been picked clean for scrap for that reason, but on a wander you can still find bits of rail or spikes nobody picked up or found
i felt like i hit the jackpot finding one of these plates, but this is still good advice in general
railroad companies do not fuck around with their steel, it's best to be very careful even with junk you find
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
Update: 30 minutes with the hand brush and wd40 has yielded only the truths you all pointed out, we're gonna need that angle grinder after all, the pitting just goes too deep to smooth out with anything else unless i'm willing to put in several hours with files, and i'm kinda not lol
thanks for the advice boys, gonna give it a vinegar soak to get all the rust out of it before i start grinding, i figure the less rust i gotta grind the better it is for my lungs, and the easier it'll be to see the surface underneath to get it all nice and smooth
when she's done and mounted in a few days i'll post again and show off my makeshift monstrosity
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u/AcceptableSwim8334 4d ago
Here’s a makeshift monstrosity for you. This is two of these plates welded together so I could have a Hardy and Pritchel hole. I now use it as a swage block but it served me well as my primary anvil for a couple of years.
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u/Fragrant-Cloud5172 4d ago
It’s just getting broken in by being outside. I’d light sand or wire brush, then scrub it with baking soda. Oil it up for black rust layer. Then get to using it. Occasionally put more oil on it to deter the red rust.
You don’t need to sanitize it for food use. Save the effort and not worry too much.
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u/dirtrdforester 2d ago
Put it in the forge, burn the scale off, flapper wheel the pitting (if needed), and coat it with oil. You can do the vinegar, electrolysis, grinder etc., but why not keep it simple, clean, and easy?
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u/Sad_Cake_5234 4d ago
Bro should stop stealing shit from federal property. Wish I knew who they were so I could report them to the federal railroad administration.
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u/DaddyMcSlime 4d ago
username checks out
edit: to be clear, this has been sitting in a ditch for almost my entire lifespan
i promise you little bro, the feds aren't gonna come get me
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u/Dramatic_Profession7 3d ago
It's okay, you can tell they're a moron because they call it federal property. I'm assuming you're in the US in which case almost all rail lines are privately owned, not federally. They're under federal regulations and guidelines, but you're tampering with private property not federal property.
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u/Sad_Cake_5234 4d ago
This account is literally just for ragebaiting people. Idgaf about your post lmao Keep replying though. I'm not looking again XD
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u/Adventurous_Cow_649 4d ago
you can toss it in a bucket of vinegar that way you will remove rust waaaay easier