I don't usually cross post between out 2 forums, but this time it happened to be good timing
If you already saw this. I apologize in advance.
Its more about the acid story.
The other day I spied some wrenches on their way to the dump.
Literally, they were in a pile at my neighbors, bound for the dump the next day.
In the remains of a cardboard box filled with rust and crust and generally ruined things that had sat in the rain for years.
Like a fool I took them. What I possibly could have wanted with such sad cases, I cannot tell you.
I didn't get a picture as found. Frankly I was sure they would be going to the dump so why bother.
But if you have seen balls of rust pulled from the ground that are twice again as big as the item inside, this is what they looked like.
I lugged them home and left them in a corner.
It happened a week later that I got some pipe dies. They are good dies and I will restore and use them. But hardly glamorous tools. So I dumped them unceremoniously into a tub of weakened muriatic acid.
I use muriatic instead of vinegar or radiator acid (oxalic) when the tool doesn't rate gentle treatment. Rough cast iron and such, its perfect for.
As long as you do it outside, wear gloves and watch your eyes, its fast and its cheap.
Since I had a tub going with the pipe dies, I figured what the hell, and tossed in the wrenches.
Well the dies were done the next day. I pulled them and scrubbed with baking soda in water, and a poly 3M abrasive pad. You have to neutralize the acid.
The wrenches were still crap however, so they got left. And again another day, and still again a 3rd day. By the 4th day I pulled one out, It was almost done. I took a pad and scrubbed a bit and caught the outline of embossing! Instead of the standard no-name DOE wrenches, it was marked!
A bit more scraping and I could see it. JH Williams Co, Brooklyn NY.
It was pitted pretty bad, but it was marked.
So I put it back in and soaked for one more day.
Last day I pulled them all out and scrubbed with bicarb, and spread out in the sun to dry.
All were marked with the Williams logo.
1/2 of them have weird marks and the other sorta normal. I'll get to that marking later.
A couple still had traces of black paint on the beams. The working ends had once been polished bright but I saw no trace they had ever been plated.
Whether they were originally japanned or owner painted I don't know. But I liked the idea of it.
The beams were never ground smooth at all. Simply rough cast or forged. So fired enamel made sense to me.
I further wire brushed the very last traces of rust from the beams. I sprayed them black. Rattle can Rustoleum. I baked it hard in the oven. 200 degree for 1/2 hour, cool, then 250 for another round.
Another coat, baked. Third coat and baked for an hour at the end.
The last baking got me harassed by the old lady for fumes, so send her to the movies or something when you do yours. ;)
Last I went after the working faces with abrasives. I took them down over 1/16" inch more or less. Down to the bottoms of all the shallow pits. Some of the worst pits were 1/8" or more deep so they had to stay.
It was a tightrope act trying to get the pits out without taking off the trademarks.
The largest wrench is 13" long, 1 1/2" across the gap between the jaws. The number 38 is embossed on the beam. On the back of the head it is marked 7/8.
7/8? What is this about?
The backside of the second largest wrench is marked 1 and its way over an inch??
The first picture is what they looked like after the first 2 days of acid. These two wrenches aren't marked, so get no further treatment. They'll be junked.
yours Scott