iron rusts in concrete

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Okay, when I cut my metal I get steel dust. Well it has been rusting my concrete. How can I clean this up?Also, is it legal to have a bunch of steel dust and let the rain wash it away?
Reply:Well, the concrete isn't rusting.  The steel dust -on- the concrete is rusting, and that rust is making a rust stain -on- the concrete.Don't get or leave the steel dust on the concrete and you won't get rust stains.  Your choice as to how you get rid of the steel dust.As to 'legal'?  There is probably some enviro-nazi rule or regulation about it.  And for businesses, the rules and regs are often (but not always) a whole other level compared to a homeowner/hobby.  You want legal advice?  Ask a lawyer.    Seriously.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:.....Last edited by MoonRise; 02-17-2010 at 03:52 PM.Reason: double posted somehow  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Some acids will help remove rust stains, but the best way is to avoid the problem to begin with. I'd suggest a leaf blower to help remove the dust over washing. Usually when you wash the metal dust will find a spot and drop out as soon as the flow decreases enough. Then you just end up with rust in all those low spots.A magnet would also work, but you'd need to be sure to get everything, then how do you clean the magnet?Or just acid stain your concrete a nice reddish color so you can't tell there's rust there!.No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Muriatic Acid followed by Baking Soda. You can get the acid at a hardware or pool supply.Regards,Mundy
Reply:Hydrochloric acid is too hard on the concrete; use oxalic acid ("Wood bleach") if you don't want to eat the concrete surface away. To remove steel filings from magnets, dip them in molten wax, let the wax solidify enough to hold together, and then peel it away; it can be melted again and poured away from the steel chips to recover most of it, or be distilled off and recovered if you want to get really fancy.Or, first wrap thin Saran Wrap around the magnet to make the last bit of filings come off easier.
Reply:Some people put the iron grinding dust on their lawns, never tried it myself.
Reply:Part of my garage briefly flooded a couple of months ago.  I had enough steel dust on the floor to generate rust stains on my tile.  Cleaning it was not easy -- in fact, cleaning dried oil-based overspray from the tiles is much easier.  I tried a few things, including CLR Cleaner at full strength (it advertises itself as being for calcium, lime and rust).  Nothing took it up easily.  My best luck was with ordinary Ajax powdered bleach cleaner and a Scotch Brite pad.  With concrete, a mixture of Ajax and water might work with a stiff-bristled steel or stainless brush.  The longer I let the bleach soak on the tile, the easier it came up.I fixed the cause of the flooding, but clean up pretty quickly after grinding now.  I also put welding blankets down underneath where I'm welding.  I learned that nothing cleans up the burns from slag on ceramic.In a perfect world, I'd have an uglier place to weld and a prettier place for car work and home projects.Last edited by Jack Olsen; 02-17-2010 at 05:52 PM.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Originally Posted by Jack OlsenPart of my garage briefly flooded a couple of months ago.  I had enough steel dust on the floor to generate rust stains on my tile.  Cleaning it was not easy -- in fact, cleaning dried oil-based overspray from the tiles is much easier.  I tried a few things, including CLR Cleaner at full strength (it advertises itself as being for calcium, lime and rust).  Nothing took it up easily.  My best luck was with ordinary Ajax powdered bleach cleaner and a Scotch Brite pad.  With concrete, a mixture of Ajax and water might work with a stiff-bristled steel or stainless brush.  The longer I let the bleach soak on the tile, the easier it came up.I fixed the cause of the flooding, but clean up pretty quickly after grinding now.  I also put welding blankets down underneath where I'm welding.  I learned that nothing cleans up the burns from slag on ceramic.In a perfect world, I'd have an uglier place to weld and a prettier place for car work and home projects.
Reply:The pressure washer probably won't work. The rust is in the surface of the concrete, not just laying on top. To remove it with the pressure washer, you'd have to remove the surface of the crete. It's posible to do that if the concrete is relatively new and has a high portland content on the surface, but you will be damaging the crete in the process.If you want to remove the surface, sand blasting would be a better choice..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWThe pressure washer probably won't work. The rust is in the surface of the concrete, not just laying on top. To remove it with the pressure washer, you'd have to remove the surface of the crete. It's posible to do that if the concrete is relatively new and has a high portland content on the surface, but you will be damaging the crete in the process.If you want to remove the surface, sand blasting would be a better choice.
Reply:Jack OlsenWhat material is covering the floor?  Is it tile?  BTW: Nice man cave...
Reply:Originally Posted by BlueweldersSome people put the iron grinding dust on their lawns, never tried it myself.
Reply:Some people put the iron grinding dust on their lawns, never tried it myself.
Reply:Just use some muratic acid (diluted with h2o) and scrub it in with a broom. Have good ventilation.  Watch it bubble and rinse away.  I usually mix pretty strong.   I had a pressure washing business for about 10 years and we did lots of pee gravel driveways that had iron ore mixed in and would leave rust stains..  Just don't walk through the muratic acid and then through the yard or else you will see your footsteps tomorrow and the next few days.  Water down any areas that the run off will go so that it is even more diluted after run off.  I used a 2 gallon hand pump sprayer from any home depot/lowes/walmart.
Reply:WOW!!!!! Jack. What a great looking garage. Gorgeous car.
Reply:We use to have a guy that came by every so often to get drill shavings. He said they were great for grape vines. Also, I don't think a magnet will pick up iron oxide. Only the steel that is not burned.SA200,Ranger8,Trailblazer251NT,MM250,Dayton225AC,T  D-XL75,SpoolMate3545SGA100C,HF-15-1  RFCS-14 When I stick it, it stays stuck!
Reply:Originally Posted by BilldacatJack OlsenWhat material is covering the floor?  Is it tile?  BTW: Nice man cave...
Reply:Also, I don't think a magnet will pick up iron oxide. Only the steel that is not burned.
Reply:Nice to see it doesn't always look that clean Jack. I was wondering if you did any work at all in there.
Reply:I have had good luck wrapping the magnet with a paper towel. Pick up the iron, pull towel away from magnet, chips fall in trash. Ymmv.
Reply:My belt grinder is at the entrance to the garage, so I always have steel dust on the driveway.  If I remember to hose it off, the rust stains are minimal.  If I leave it overnight and the moist air gets to it, rust everywhere.I use this stuff every six months or so and it works well on my concrete.  http://www.theruststore.com/Concrete...er-P66C29.aspxI will take some before and after pics next time I do it.
Reply:Originally Posted by pyroracing85Okay, when I cut my metal I get steel dust. Well it has been rusting my concrete. How can I clean this up?...
Reply:Coke a Cola works wonders on rust.Given the price of metal in the market I would catch the dust and bin it for recycling and not only would you be making a bit of change but keeping your place cleaner.Nice garage Jack sharp as a pin in all aspects.
Reply:What about CLR?That garage looks to nice to be used. I'd be afraid of making a mess and then having to clean it up.Ever buy artist quality acrylic paint?  Most of the pigments are oxides of iron because they're extremely effective at tinting stuff at very low cost and adhere tenaciously.  Good luck, the trouble is you'll have to etch a thin layer of concrete off the surface in order to break the stain loose.  My garage door is stained too and I wish I could find an alternative to painting- it's not the easiest task to paint an aluminum door (well).Hobart Stickmate LX AC/DC, Millermatic 252 & 30A spoolgun, Thermal Arc 185 TIG, Miller BWESmith Oxy-AcBridgeport 2J , South Bend 42" 9AHusky 7.5 HP 22.3 CFM 80 gal compressor
Reply:The mauritic acid worked great.
Reply:Hey Jack, I bet that tile with a chip on the glazing drives you nuts. Go on, admit it. I reckon you should replace that tile this weekend.Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:scott, you're a dick. ( and I mean that in the nicest way possible.)Jack, If I ever make it out your way, I'll replace that tile for you, no charge.
Reply:It's funny because for four years my garage was so messy you would have assumed the owner had some kind of mental health issue.  It was shoulder deep with little paths through the stacks.  I used it -- I remember I literally had to balance on top of some car seats to use the drill press.  But it was embarrassingly messy.Then I cleaned it up -- and I know enough about myself to know that if I don't stay on top of it, I'll be back where I was before too long.  And it's set up so that I can go through it in ten minutes and get everything put away -- then a hit with the leaf blower and it's back to square one (even with that freakin' little tile chip winking at me from under my feet.  )It was messy this afternoon.I was building a sort of pagoda-shaped thing for my 2-year-old to climb on.  Eight 2x4s, one 2x6 and some rope.The leaf blower's done its business and the place is back to clean again.Crazy?  Yeah, sure, maybe a little.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Great thing for the two year old, Jack. Needs a slide of it when he's a bit older.Now, show us a photo of that chipped tile.Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:[QUOTE=scott brunsdon;366680Now, show us a photo of that chipped tile.[/QUOTE]You're too far away Scott, you cant see it from there...
Reply:nice place jack , nice..........luv that nine one one        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Originally Posted by scott brunsdonGreat thing for the two year old, Jack. Needs a slide of it when he's a bit older.
Reply:I just use a shop vac to pick/pull the dust and chunks up after everything has cooled. Haven't any problems since. Well, unless it gets wet before I can vac it.
Reply:Hey, Jack.I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I would like to build something like that for my nearly 2 year old grandson. Is that your original plan or is it available somewhere? As usual, your plan and execution is very good! If it is your's, I would love a copy of the plan and the manufacturer and part number of the slide.Charlie will be very grateful for your help.  (This is Charlie and his 2 friends, sliding down, back up, sliding down, back up)Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:I just sweep the dust up with a broom, put in dust pan and dump in trash can.  When using the chop saw on the floor or grinding close to the floor, I put down a transmission drip pan so the saw/grinder sparks don't burn rust into the concrete.  I carry a tranny drip pan on the truck too so I don't leave rusty burn marks on customer's driveways, etc.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:my driveway is blacktop so when it gets too noisy(from the wife complaining about the rust stains) i get 5 gallons of black coating and squeegee it on.ahh.silence..i have  moved my work area to a spot that was lawn so all i do now is rake once in a while with a leaf rake and pick up rod stubs, small pieces, and the rest settles in and rusts quietly away.i dont think theres any nondestructive way to clean concrete .
Reply:Do it right.Get a degreaser and clean the floor, I like mineral spirits (Varsol) and SCRUB to get the oil lifted and clean with kitty litter.  Then use a strong acid and scrub and probably do it a second time.  It will eat several thousandths, or more, off the surface of the floor. It will have a nice "sandy/gritty" surface. Then seal the floor with two coats of a good quality sealer.After that, sweeping or using a magnet pick up work like a champ. Sweeping or the magnet will only get 99.9% of the material, but the sealer will stop the subsequent rust from staining.
Reply:+1  on the muriatic acid then power wash.  Use a good concrete sealer once clean and dry, should eliminate a lot of future problems with staining."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:nice 911 jack is it a 1998 or 90and the big ? is it a turbo Attached Images