Siler Lock finish issue

[stubshaft]

I just use a cotton ball and dab regular cider vinegar on and let it sit for a couple of hours, then wash it of and rub any residue with 4/0 steel wool.

 

[Micah Clark]

I am sure the vinegar would work . . as I noted last night, I put some HCL - muriatic acid on it, and scrubbed it with a grey scotch pad and it looked great.

Oiled it and was really pleased . .it was not shiny and had a big of aged look . . . .

Then morning came . .and you guessed it . . really aged now with a light coat of rust brown. All I wanted was the shine gone . . So I took the lock apart and cleaned it up and tried to neutralize the HCL with water and baking soda. Should have thought of that yesterday.

Scrubbed again with a pad and oiled it and I think it should be OK now. . . guess I'll know tomorrow, won't I ?

I knew I should have paid more attention in chemistry class than I did.

 

[chawbeef]

I just use a cotton ball and dab regular cider vinegar on and let it sit for a couple of hours, then wash it of and rub any residue with 4/0 steel wool.

I'm going to give this a whirl.......Daniel

 

[Micah Clark]

I am sure the vinegar would work . . as I noted last night, I put some HCL - muriatic acid on it, and scrubbed it with a grey scotch pad and it looked great.

Oiled it and was really pleased . .it was not shiny and had a bit of anaged look . . . .

Then morning came . .and you guessed it . . really aged now with a light coat of rust brown. All I wanted was the shine gone . . So I took the lock apart and cleaned it up and tried to neutralize the HCL with water and baking soda. Should have thought of that yesterday.

Scrubbed again with a pad and oiled it and I think it should be OK now. . . guess I'll know tomorrow, won't I ?

I knew I should have paid more attention in chemistry class than I did.

 

[Col. Batguano]

How far down in grit did you take it? I usually go to 600 grit if I want a more satiny finish, and further than that if I want shiny. Finer than 600 grit the direction of the scratches (vertical or horizontal) becomes less and less important the finer you go, but just make sure they're all going the same way.

If you intend to cold brown the lock then going finer than 220 grit will become somewhat counter productive, as, the solution won't have any place substantial to get started. Once it gets going in one place, it may be awhile before it takes hold in others. So, the net result is actually a rougher finish with finer paper grits than with that which is more coarse. Counter intuitive I know, but that's the way it works.

 

[user 922]

I bought an engine turning kit from Brownells some years ago and had to try it on something. I just used it with a drill press. I did that about 10 years ago and it still looks good. Of course, I'm the only one who sees it when I clean the lock.