What's your process? I usually start with Muriatic acid. This time I'm starting with Metal Rescue. I bought Gun Blue to follow up it didn't really work. What do you do? Cheers, Mike
I lived on the edge and wire wheeled all the OEM bolts used during my recent build. Then I used Eastwood Zinc Phosphate spray bomb on them.
There’s a YouTube channel called “my mechanics” and the guy there bead blasts, then chases the threads with a die, and lightly sands the edges till they’re smooth again. Then, he heats them up and drops them in oil. Makes ‘em black for keeps and rustproofs them as well. It’s an addictive channel; when I was sick with Covid, I used it to distract me from what was happening. Now I can’t stay away from it. The guy is a genius.
The my mechanics guy is an artist. I love his stuff. But he rarely just fixes bolts...he makes new ones
Bead blast then a minute in Eastwood’s blackening solvent / rinse in distilled water. . U can satin clear or soak in mixture of 50/50 trans fluid and wd40. If I have a bunch to do at once they go on tumbler first but always go in bead blaster after. The older / finer glass polishes them nicely
You NEVER run a regular tap or die over bolts or holes. Removes needed metal. Use a clean up tap & die set. It JUST cleans/dresses the threads. On IMPORTANT fasteners, head bolts, main bolts, engine holding together bolts, NEVER run them on a wire wheel because it rounds the threads. Just like regular taps & dies now you have loose bolts & nuts. Not a good thing on important fasteners. I know it's kinda quick & easy BUT try & refrain from doing it. Just my thoughts on the subject. Tom T.
Wirewheel/beadblast to clean, plate with Cadwell zinc plating kit, then colorize with either the blue, yellow, or blackener. I've tried the black oxide but the hardware will rust unless you keep applying a sealer or oil. The zinc plating method will keep the hardware nice for 10+ years. It's a great method for doing a few parts at a time, as needed. Can do anything from nuts & bolts to brackets to carb linkages, shifter parts, and even fuse box terminals.
Thanks all for the ideas! Hey Walt, Is that kit from Eastwood? Does it work on 12 volts? I want one. Cheers, Mike
I use a tumbler too. I just upgraded - used for $30. It holds 6 Lbs! I use play sand so its not too aggressive and its cheap. After cleaning with thinner I hit them with satin rustoleum.
It's from Caswell plating, the Copy Cad kit: https://caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/zinc-plating-kits.html They formerly came with a wall-mount power pack. Now it costs extra.... and the kits cost a lot more too! The power pack I got with my kit (10+ years ago) has selectable voltage from 1.5 to 12 v. 1.5v is fine for small parts. Large parts (more surface area) will need higher power. Caswell has a forum on their site too: https://forum.caswellplating.com/ I like the DIY kits as it's handy for occasional use. If you have a bunch of hardware to replate, there may be an industrial plater that can do them for you. There's usually a minimum charge. DIY Phosphate coating (aka Parkerizing) is another method. GM used that method on a lot of hardware and even hood hinges and brackets.
