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Steel Sculpture Pre-Finish Cleaning Ideas
Leviathan Arts -
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 9:43am
steel sculpture clean finish interior inside acid pickling dipping So I finally completed my first small sculpture in my new studio and I've come to the part I hate. Finishing. It's a wall sculpture that's about 2ft. by 2ft. and it has a very organic shape. Long story short it looks like a sea creature with tentacles and a broken shell that allows you to see it's internal parts. The problem is that the majority of the inside is essentially unreachable by conventional methods like sandblasting. I'm not sure what kind of finish i'm putting on this thing just yet, but it's a moot point until I figure out how to clean the internal components of the rust and oils that have built up. So far the only real idea i've had is to perform some sort of pickling (acid dipping) process. I haven't done that since college, and then it was with a 6 in. damascus knife, not a 2x2 sculpture. So the question is: is there anything besides dipping that will clean the inside of this thing for me? If dipping is my only option does anyone know of any companies that can provide that service. I'm not thrilled about the idea of building an acid dipping tank and all that goes with it. I suppose I could skip cleaning the insides, but I'm trying to achieve some fairly high-profile art here, and I think it would be disreputable to put something out there that will eventually eat itself from the inside out because it was cleaned properly before finishing.  You might check with a
eligius1427 -
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 7:37am
You might check with a powder coating company. They use a powerwash for all of their stuff before coating that etches the metal a bit, but it also discolors the steel to kind of a brown color. Another suggestion might be contacting a electro polishing company or galvanizing company. They may have dip tanks to remove rust and crud before putting on the final finish. Jake Jake Balcom  Welcome to ArtMetal! I would
Rich Waugh -
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 7:42pm
Welcome to ArtMetal! I would definitely not recommend the molasses trick- molasses is hygrophyllic and will continue to pull water form the air - not a good thing in your area. I'd also avoid the powdercoaters and their powerwasher - the brown film Jake mentions is usually incipient rust caused by the caustic soda they use for cleaning. That's one of the reasons I don't recommend powder coating for any long-term work. There should be a place in the Tampa/St. Pete area or Miami that does hot-dip galvanizing. I'd give them a call and see how much they'd charge to both pickle and galvanize the thing. Hot galvanizing, if properly done, is the best rust portection you can get for iron work. If you ask them, they'll probably even do a post-galvanizing etch dip to prepare the galvanizing for painting. If you can't get hooked up with a galvanziing outfit, then I'd suggest using a phosphoric acid compound such as Ospho. You spray, brush or wipe it on the work and allow it to dry overnight, then paint as usual. I recommend using 95% zinc cold galvanizing paint followed by a good automotive primer and acrylic enamels. Paint jobs on cars last for decades, even here in the tropics. The phosphoric acid in the Ospho treatment etches the rust, cuts the grease and converts the slurface of the steel to an iron phosphate. What was called Parkerizing a few decades ago. Additionally, Ospho contains some glycol esters that seal the surface and make it good for holding paint. Hope this helps - post a few pictures of your work!  great cleaner
Ray Ciemny -
Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 7:46am
Try "Metal Degreaser & Descaler" made by Industrial Metal Supply. You can get it from sculptnouveau.com. Very inexpensive, effective, and non toxic. (I've been told) Spray or brush it on and rinse off. I use it to clean my ironwork prior to painting. I've used it on copper prior to patina application. Good stuff. Ray |
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ArtMetal
Molasses
Yeah nothing like sending out a piece with crud on the inside. It has been told that soaking in molasses will remove all of the rust.
www Metalrecipes -- heat and beat to the desired shape, repeat as necessary.
warren