Cleaning nuts and bolts

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Trollhole

Trollhole

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I was given the motherload of bolts a few weeks ago. I'm planning on having them Yellow Zinc plated. Problem is I don't think the plater wants them in this condition.

They are all off Toyota vehicles.

1832134-IMG_0288.jpg


My goal is to try to remove all the grime before I'm to old to enjoy the plated bolts. I wire brush is not going to cut it.

This is what I have tried so far. It works okay.

First drop them in carb cleaner for a day.

1832134-IMG_0289.jpg


Rinse them off and throw them in this tumbler for 3 hrs. I bought it for around 60 dollars with the media.

1832134-IMG_0290.jpg


This tumbler works but for some reason gets hot and stops. So I will be taking it back and getting another one.

A magnet works real well for getting the parts out.

1832134-IMG_0292.jpg


To date this process works okay but it still doesn't remove all the grease and dirt.

Is there a better way besides using a brush. Some acid? It's only going to cost $60 to have 5 gallons of bolts plated. I figured that it would be worth my time on getting them cleaned.

Any ideas on something that will work better.


By the way the tumbler works great on rusy bolts and parts.
 
get some lye ( caustic soda NaOH sodium hydroxide) + water + heat to 180 = hot tank. don't use aluminum pot it will eat it !!!
 
don't they just sandblast them anyway?

good solution for a picky zink plater... haha:cheers:
i cleaned my junk in gasoline, comes right off

hope it helps!
 
i've heard muric(sp) acid will work. it's easy to get.
but if you read the instructions on the bottle, it lists no metal working applications. i have not tryed this method.
 
Marshall, are you sure the plater is not going to clean them up? I wire wheeled all my small parts before cad plating and the plater told me he tumbled them/soaked them in something and what I did was unnecessary, but all the s*** I had done was really nice and others were not-so-fine, like the recessed heads in some of the JDM bolts.
After the carb/parts cleaner I rinse with lacquer thinner, but some of them needed something mechanical to remove the amalgam of 80wt/clay/gravel/mud.
I buy into the caustic soda route. Eye protection and big ol' rubber gloves mandatory. Preferably do it on your neighbor's property so you don't becone a superfund site;)

BTW...............that is a helluva deal on the plating.:beer:


Ed
 
brian said:
i've heard muric(sp) acid will work. it's easy to get.
but if you read the instructions on the bottle, it lists no metal working applications. i have not tryed this method.
Click to expand...


Bri,
I have used that, too and it does work really well, but too long of a soak and I think it changes the crystalline structure of the metal and makes things brittle.
You have to watch it......................just like BBQ;)

Ed:beer:
 
When I rebuild old triumphs I take all the bolts degrease them, let them dry then I put them in a plastic sheetrock pail half full of muric acid for a little while, It cleans the rust and takes off the old plating. Then I glass bead them and send them off to cad plate.
(disclaimer: If you do this becareful of acid it will burn you and blind you)
 
I go the long route.

5 gallon carb cleaner and let them sit for days and I turn the basket often to loosen crud. Then I hose off with water and then blow off each part. Then any with paint go into the tumbler and I let that go for days. The ones that are clean go into a tub and then the others go into the media cabinet for a quick blast of glass.

Then I run each load through the walnut media to smooth and polish the faces.

I have a load in the carb can and a load in media as week speak.


Shane
PICT3419.webp
 
Last edited:
I let my parts sit out in the summer sun, get good and hot as the sun will get them, then spray them with oven cleaner, let sit for about 20-30 min, then hit with power washer.. works great on anything covered in grime and grease..
 
I bought a gallon of Napa Part Dip about 20 yrs ago. Still have 3 quarts left. Put it in a 2 gallon bucket with the parts. bungecord an old sears vibrating sander on the side and let it go over night. Everything comes out spotless the next morning. If the parts are really cruddy, I add a couple of tubes of BB's to breakup the crud. Has worked great for years
 
Last edited:
Plowboy said:
I bought a gallon of Napa Part Dip about 20 yrs ago. Still have 3 pts left. Put it in a 2 gallon bucket with the parts. bungecord an old sears vibrating sander on the side and let it go over night. Everything comes out spotless the next morning. If the parts are really cruddy, I add a couple of tubes of BB's to breakup the crud. Has worked great for years
Click to expand...

Cool...I like it.

John
 
I have always let them soak in petrol and then put them in a tumbler.

The ZINC guys down here that I use soak before coating in an ultrasonic.

I would ask the guy who is coating them if he needs them clean, could save yourself some work.
 
On past projects I dipped in carb cleaner, bead blasted (using my $90 cabinet from HF) and did my own cad plating.

Plating Kits:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/zinc.htm

I had to buy a good voltage source as I got more into it, but it was well worth it.

Best Regards,
George
 
Well I have used all the above at one time or another but my slow method is to use a combination of grease removal with kerosene, electrolysis to remove any remaining gunk including old plating and rust, then a quick shot in the sand blaster or using a wire wheel followed by powder coating or re-plating.

The only labor intensive part is the blaster or wire wheel and a vibratory media bath would eliminate that! Might check out the Harbor freight unit...

Of course when you factor in all the time spent doing the above just buying new hardware is by far the cheapest and fastest :doh:

Five gallons of parts for $60 is a VERY good deal. You should charge folks a $100 plus shipping and start making a boat load of money...:grinpimp:
 
Troll it looks like you have over loaded your vibratory cleaner. I bought the same vibrator frm Harbor Freight and loaded it up like the one in your pic. Too much stuff as I think the load limit is 5lbs. Try some 70 grit blast media in the bowl for cutting the grime. Glass bead in the vibrator does OK just takes a little longer.
Castor super clean ($4.00 at Wally World) makes for super clean parts. Heavy stuff will require some brushing. Word of caution, wear gloves with the super clean unless you like a chemical peal on your hands. Funny thing is the stuff is biodegradeable but will still take off skin.
 
Might look into a parts shaker. Cammy, do you FILL the tumbler with 70 grit or just add a pinch to the little green bits?

That price for plating is fantastic, I'd take advantage of that if I could...

Best Regards,
George
 
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