Thread: Old BS vice restoration

Here's a before and after shot, also showing the the newly made leg.

FinalBSvice.jpg

Nicely done Bob. Would be interested top see how long the BLO lasts before it starts to rust.

Tony

Originally Posted by tony_A

Nicely done Bob.

Thanks

Would be interested top see how long the BLO lasts before it starts to rust.

Me too. It's not a solution for tools or machine surfaces that need to be handled a lot because these layers will wear off when handling - on this vice this is most likely to happen to the vice handle and around the jaws. I'm really just wanting to try it out and see how it goes.

BTW it's not just BLO, there is a layer of rust resistant tannate under that. When it rusts again it will just be a matter of spot painting it with some more tannic acid and the wiping BLO over the top.

After cleaning, I have use3d a dilute solution of phosphoric acid. This converts the rust to ironphosphate. This process is used with new car bodies which are dipped and dried prior to painting. After the ironphosphate has dried on the tools, give it a wirebrushing to remove the dust then use a good oil primer and paint.
Question? What is BLO?

Mulga88

BLO = boiled linseed oil

Originally Posted by Mulga88

After cleaning, I have use3d a dilute solution of phosphoric acid. This converts the rust to ironphosphate. This process is used with new car bodies which are dipped and dried prior to painting. After the ironphosphate has dried on the tools, give it a wirebrushing to remove the dust then use a good oil primer and paint.

I do use PA for rust conversion where I am going to paint the steel but I did not want to paint this vice and was after a more antique/trad looking finish.

In this thread you will see some testing I did comparing TA and PA Restoring Metal objects and surfaces
If you don't want to read the details in that thread the basic findings were;
TA usually produces a thinner smoother converted rust layer than PA.
For unpainted surfaces TA applied to bare (un-rusted) metal performs better on undisturbed surfaces than PA, but TA is not as robust as the PA (which is why a BLO cover is used).
TA costs a lot more than PA unless you are prepared to prepare your own whereby it works out cheaper.
PA is more hygroscopic (absorbs water from the air) than TA so when its humid it takes longer to dry than TA. I have got around this by heating work pieces in a BBQ oven on low heat.
TA needs more coats than PA but it dries quicker

Question? What is BLO?

Boiled Linseed oil.
It's not boiled, it just has drying agents added so that it dries quicker than ordinary linseed oil which can take weeks to dry - sometimes itnever really dries.
BLO still takes 2-3 days to dry. It also produces a good tactile finish and hand gripping qualities so reduces the chance of slippage.
On wooden tools I add a few drops of shellac to enhance the shine.

Originally Posted by BobL

The tannic acid solution was prepared according to a recipe from the Canadian National museum website - it's a recipe deemed suitable for old tool preservation as long as the tool is kept out of the weather

Is this the article/recipe you were talking about?

Originally Posted by jmk89

Is this the article/recipe you were talking about?

Yes it is. In the article you will see it says that the tannic acid treatment alone is fine for display or storage purposes but is not suited to tools that will be repeatedly handled. There are two reasons for this, firstly the TA is not that robust and does eventually wear off and exposes the metal to air and moisture, secondly it blackens users hands. Hence the BLO over coat which I think this is OK for rougher tools like blacksmiths vices, anvils, even hammer heads etc but it's not a method I would use on fine hand tools or where tools will continually rub on timber etc.

I like TA because it produces a thin, antique looking brown black colour as opposed to the thicker hard black colour produced by black paint which hides any texture.
It comes close to metal bluing finishes like this, a bearing surround for my thin kerf cutting wheel saw
These pieces were done using traditional acid fume bluing - a slow and laborious process, there are much faster ways of doing this.
This process produces a super thin finish that make it useful for close fitting steel surfaces.
firstpass.jpg

Here another one I did (before and after_
Bluing1.jpg