# How to change the 'color' of steel/cast iron ????



## ksor (Nov 22, 2011)

I have an old mill where nearly ALL the steel/cast iron witch should be "blank" has an ugly brownish color.

Take a look at the pictures in the buttom of this page: http://kelds.weebly.com/udskifte-knaelig-paring-vpf-1.html

How can I get it blank - quick and easy ?


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## rleete (Nov 22, 2011)

There is no "quick and easy. You gotta scrub the heck out of it with a pad and degreaser.


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## Dr Jo (Nov 22, 2011)

Looks to me like most of the brown is a good layer of grease that has discoloured. If it is rust then good strong tea (tannic acid) will if left on over a few days convert it to a black colour. But to get it back to shiney steel requires something we in the UK call "elbow grease".

Jo


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## barney_leadhead (Nov 22, 2011)

Ive spent hours and hours using very fine metal polish to remove the surface tarnish whilst restoring an old surface plate.
After many evenings of work there is minimal fine pitting left in some places but I didn't want to use anything too abrasive and risk compromising the trueness of the finished surface.

So very therapeutic though 

Now it is finished I can think about using it to scrape flat the (milled finish) table of my bench drill that I have also spent hours hand polishing; not really necessary but it has been a few years since I scraped anything flat and it is a satisfying skill that I want to resurrect for myself - am I weird?


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## ksor (Nov 22, 2011)

Oh, it sounds like a hard job is in front of me !

Thx for the answers


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## Mainer (Jan 1, 2012)

Do the degrease routine first, if there is dried-on crud. When/if you're down to bare metal, a Scotchbrite pad and kerosene or a very light oil does a good job removing rust.


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## ShedBoy (Jan 5, 2012)

I have just done this job myself. I was removing my old shed so I decided to use the concrete slab as a sacrificial cleaning surface. Armed myself with kero, petrol, scourers, scrubbing brushes, paint brushes, toothbrushes, rags and old clothes. Took about 20 hours all up, made a huge mess of the concrete but it was worth seeing my machine in colour instead of brown, swarfy, goopy mess. One thing I did learn is I am never going to let it get that bad again.

Brock


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## ksor (Jan 6, 2012)

->ShedBoy

Any chance you have some picture before and after ?


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## ShedBoy (Jan 6, 2012)

The first 2 pics are of the day I got it home, it had been neglected for a while.









This is it going into storage in my next door neighbours shed after I had cleaned it. The head was removed once that was cleaned to take alot of weight of it. Fleece insisted that him and his digger got in the pic.




Still lifted the back of the digger when going backwards. Well worth cleaning it but it made a big stain on the slab from the oily kero. I did mix some Kenco degreaser in with the kero as well to move the really stuborn guck.
Brock


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## ksor (Jan 6, 2012)

Wav - nice to see !

The "before"-color is just like mine !

Do you have some "close-up"s of the "after"-color ?


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## ShedBoy (Jan 6, 2012)

Not yet, I can take some when I get home from work on Monday night. I have the head on a trolley in my carport so that won't be too hard to organise. Will post on Tuesday.
Brock


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