Thread: Galvanising ??.

Originally Posted by issatree

Hi All,
I have some 45 - 50 year old Very Heavily Galvanised Steel Straps.
2 1/4" x 5/16", 2 1/8" x 3/16" & 1 1/8" x 1/4", all in inches, because they were.
I need to clean a lot of the years of ?rap off all of them . . . . .

What is the crap?

Lewis, I use vinegar to sharpen my band saw blades. It is a mild acid and cleans and sharpens well. I haven't used it on zinc, but it should work. Try it on a small section first, and brush with a brass brush.

Jim

Assuming its the white zinc oxide staining - vinegar or oxalic acid. And only brush with nylon bristle brushes.

Hi BobL,
It is just many many years of being in the air 40ft up, most likely a bit of sea mist & what ever else might grab it.
That's the best I can do.

Originally Posted by issatree

Hi BobL,
It is just many many years of being in the air 40ft up, most likely a bit of sea mist & what ever else might grab it.
That's the best I can do.

OK so it will be a mix of ZnO and ZnCl₂
I'd go with the vinegar.
It might make it a dull grey but it should buff back up to a reasonable shine if you wanted it to.

Bob,
This Galvanising wood most likely be at the least 1mm. or more thick. In the past I have tried to weld it but you just have to take off so much to get to the Steel.
Like I said, it has to be 45 - 50 yrs old. Well I've been Retired 25 yrs this month, & I've had it all that time, but laying under some Cypress Trees + they were Xarm Straps, & goodness knows how long they were in the air.

If it was tree sap or such I was going to suggest paint stripper and the nylon brush or scourer, but it its just metal oxides then the mild acids mentioned above should do the job, just neutralise (baking soda?) when finished.