Metal finishes

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
Messages
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The local military surplus store here in close by Boring, Oregon had finally moved this pellet of 120m rocket containers that I've been after them to start selling for the last 3 years. Up until this week it had been holding a "get your dog tags made while you wait" sign. These round ammo tubes make great quench tanks and they can also be cut up in shorter lengths to make forge shells. All these containers were interlocking and then held together with heavy steel banding. After the banding was cut it caught my eye and asked if I could take it home. This ammo was made in 1969 and the banding is a gray color with no signs of rust. It doesn't look like galvanizing that I have seen before but I am suspecting that's what it is. Is there a safe way to remove this coating?

Now if I wasn't an old knife maker this old banding most likely wouldn't have interested me. :D I know another old knife maker that has been getting ride of all the steel and iron that somehow turned up over the last 30 years at his place. He's been working on getting ride of it for the last 10 years and I think he's finally got it cleaned out. Funny how part of that pile is now part of mine.
 
the coating could be cadmium. muriatic/hydrochloric acid will take zinc/galvanizing or cad off of steel, incidentally, it will also remove rust if you're so inclined to make damascus with rusty metal.
 
69_knives said:
the coating could be cadmium. muriatic/hydrochloric acid will take zinc/galvanizing or cad off of steel, incidentally, it will also remove rust if you're so inclined to make damascus with rusty metal.
Click to expand...

How safe is this acid to work with?
 
relatively safe, it's the stuff that is often sold as brick wall washing acid.

We have a big vat of it for stripping chrome and rust off of bumpers and other parts and while we don't wear any respiratory equipment around it, you wouldn't want to stick your head in the vat and take any deep breaths.

I'd definitely wear a thicker rubber glove while working with it though... dishwashing type glove or thicker.
 
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I know the muratic acid has been cut when you by it in the gallon container. Should it still be diluted? Here's a picture of the banding. After taking a closer look at it I do see some discoloration on the outside of the banding.


IMG_1286.JPG
 
We use the acid full strength. I don't know what concentration you can get yoru hands on but diluted solution will work slower.

That stuff sort of looks like lead, hard to tell.
 
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