Steel Cleaning Project

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Thinking about building something to clean steel tubing for me..... kind of getting sick of cleaning it all by hand (paint thinner and paper towels).  I tend to make things more complicated than they  should be, so thought I would first ask and see how others are cleaning their steel?I was thinking about creating a housing with adjustable wire brushes on it that would rotate and scrub the metal as some sort of a solvent pumped through it.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:[QUOTE=jdh239;85729.  I tend to make things more complicated than they  should be, so thought I would first ask and see how others are cleaning their steel?I was thinking about creating a housing with adjustable wire brushes on it that would rotate and scrub the metal as some sort of a solvent pumped through it.[/QUOTE]What about a sand blasting cabinet, with an opening on each end and a set of nozzles inside. Turn it on and push a peice of tubing in one end and pull it out the other, clean. This would illiminate the wire brushes and solvent, no moving parts to deal with. Oh wait, this won't do, cause you said you tend to make things MORE complicated than they should. Never mind, this would be too simple of a solution.
Reply:Cleaning with paint thinner makes me think he's talking about oil.  A sand blaster would be about useless for that.  I wipe things down by hand.  Doesn't take long really.  Sometimes I do a full length at a time, and sometimes I do the shorter pieces after cutting.  It all depends on the project.My name's not Jim....
Reply:I figured he meant mill scale and such on new steel. an adjustable fixed set of nozzles and a rubber sheet with a hole in it covering each end to seal the sand inside and still allow the tubing to pass thru.
Reply:I have picked up a load of new oiled steel and pressure washed it on saw horses with a heavy deagreaser... you need to wipe it down quickly and build whatever your project is an then prime it asap or it will be rusty in a very short time frame.
Reply:yup, I was referring to oils/greasesSawhorses sounds ok, but it sure seems like I go through a lot of paper towels to get the steel cleaned up.My last project I just cleaned up the smaller pieces after cutting them up.  It is during those periods that I consider creating a machine to do it for me.    The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:jdh, sounds like you need to make some sort of a heated  wash tank that agitates a water soluble solution that will take the greasy stuff off.  the automotive industry has hot tanks that will clean filthy engine blocks  like new.safety clean has parts washers that do that but you have to scrub with a brush "not automatic "  although sandblasting would be the best way for welding and then painting .let us  know what you figure out . good luck Chris..Last edited by ct from shawnee; 02-27-2012 at 06:33 PM.
Reply:You didn't say what the diameter of the tube was but if it is relatively small, a shotgun cleaning brush or a larger round brush and some bore solvent will clean just about anything.
Reply:Originally Posted by stevewmYou didn't say what the diameter of the tube was but if it is relatively small, a shotgun cleaning brush or a larger round brush and some bore solvent will clean just about anything.
Reply:ultrasonic??
Reply:Lacquer thinner will clean it much faster and better than paint thinner. You might try that first.
Reply:Old bed sheets cut up into a jillion rags, pillow cases, old towels, old T-shirts, lots of things folks normally throw away end up being excellent one time cleaning rags. No need to mainline on paper towels. Besides that many solvents like acetone and lacquer thinner also cause paper towels to come apart quick like.All said and done I can grab a rag and some lacquer thinner and wipe down a twenty foot stick while someone is thinking about a better way."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:I clean newly built handrail with soap and a sanding sponge.  Soap is sometimes applied to the metal through  a pressurized garden sprayer or applied straight to the sponge.  I use cheap car wash soap without wax.
Reply:After using mineral spirits for years, I discovered that a sponge or towel and Simple Green works better.  50% dilution I think.   I do it in the yard on sawhorses so it slopes to drain.  Spray off with the hose.  Dries quick out here.    No problem with rust.Then before priming, I wash it again with a phosphate solution like Ospho or the PPG metal conditioner.  Rinse, dry, prime, paint.
Reply:If you are having to clean lengths of tube often, I would suggest a steam cleaning method. Maybe using a hotsie with a custom nozzle with orifices, that would encircle the tube.Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:I too have thought about the same exact project. I use lots of steel tube for my projects ranging from 1/2" to 2" material and I often have the need to clean hundreds of feet at a time. We have found that 409 applied with a coarse sponge works the best and then wiped down with paper towels. This is very time consuming and there has to be a better way.
Reply:I use saran wrap. I cut a piece longer than the stock I am cleaning then lay the steel on it length wise and add thinner/cleaner to the piece and wrap it up. With a little rubbing the cleaning agent fully covers the steel and I walk away for a while. When I come back I unwrap it and everything wipes off with rags. This is not for mill scale, but it works on oils, paints and light rust depending on what you use. The saran wrap is suprisingly resilient to chemicals and most things will not disolve it.MM211Rigid chopsawDelta Drill Press
Reply:I would like to point out that I now DO NOT deal with rust, oil, mill scale, or painting.Arrow plating in Fort Worth is a $25 min charge. And I got a 4x6x2 shelf rack zinc plated for $25 recently. With a two day turn around.They dip it and can get the rust, oil, and mill scale off. Yes I said mill scale. Amazing.Then they zinc plate it 1/1000 inch thick and it comes out all shiny like the zinc plated nuts and bolts you get at the hardware store. I had some steel with threads tapped in and the after the zinc plating the bolts I had tapped for threaded easy.They can't get paint off. Even red oxide was a problem. So that stuff has to be sand blasted.Best thing about the zinc plating. Is it can be painted if you don't want the silvery crome look.ThermalArc 161STL TIG/Stick (160amp)Lincoln weld-pak 100 (fluxcore)4X6 Enco bandsaw10" skillsaw with metal blade for 45degrees (works)4" grinderWeld for fun. Very rare I do it for Money.
Reply:might not be exactly what you are looking for, but i use a lot of 3/4", 1", and 1-1/4" tubing in my hobby.  i normally don't use a single piece longer than 6-8', so i just cut what i need and chuck it up in the lathe.  then, i go to twon with a scotch-brite and it comes out nice and shiny clean in about 10 seconds.  i'll see if i can find a pic.  my lathe is only a 10x24, but i can hang a pretty long piece off it without too much chaos.
Reply:Get a long piece of PVC about 8" or so in diameter, long enough for you to fit your pieces in. Tip it up so one end is higher than the other and pour in your solvent, then add your pieces, cap the end and roll it around the floor to agitate everything, pick the end up and pull out your degreased tube and either let air dry or wipe down