UPDATE on large iron artifact I posted yesterday

[Bill D. (VA)]

I received confirmation this morning from an authority working at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation that this artifact is indeed an upright from a colonial andiron, and not a boot jack. But the date of manufacture couldn't be narrowed down any closer than between the late 1600s and 1800. But that still makes it colonial. I hope to repost pics of the andiron once cleaning has been completed in a few weeks.

 

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[The Patriot]

That piece will look great cleaned of rust...lots more detail there for sure...congrats again on a great piece...

 

[ARC]

HAve you been back yet to look for the other ? (again) heh

 

[sponge]

If possible could u provide the method used to preserve the iron piece. From how u clean the iron to how its preserved. I would appreciate it very much. May come in handy when I find my first cannon.

sent from a sending device.

 

[CRUSADER]

Good, thats what I thought. Good dig for Iron.

 

[cuzcosquirrel]

Good, thats what I thought. Good dig for Iron.

I agree. It's a pretty cool find.

 

[pong12211]

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up.

 

[DigIron2]

That is turning out really nice.You don't get much more personal to a old homestead find then something like that.I found this head awhile back,it took me a little while to figure out what it came off of,but I remember thinking to myself I wish the hole thing was there.I can picture what you unearthed sitting in a museum somewhere.Amazing find you got there!

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

If possible could u provide the method used to preserve the iron piece. From how u clean the iron to how its preserved. I would appreciate it very much. May come in handy when I find my first cannon.

sent from a sending device.

There's been a few others that have asked about the details of cleaning and preserving iron artifacts. Below is a long version of how I do it. I'm sure there are many methods but this works for me. Some of my cleaned iron can be seen in the pic at the bottom.

CLEANING IRON ARTIFACTS THROUGH ELECTROLYSIS


Here’s a list of materials needed:

- 5 gallon plastic bucket or any plastic container to suit the size needed
- 12 volt/6 amp car battery charger (Advance Auto)
- package of 2-1/4” alligator clips (Radio Shack)
- 2 copper jumper wires (about 1 ft long with ends bare)
- box of baking soda (works best) or dishwasher detergent
- 2 clothes pins
- piece of wood and string for suspending artifact in bucket
- small wire brush and screw driver for removing residue from artifact
- spray can of WD-40
- spray can of clear polyurethane
- small sheet of stainless steel for sacrificial anode

Instructions:

1. Fill the 5 gallon bucket about 3/4s full of water. Add about 1 cup of baking soda and mix in well.
2. Take two 1 ft pieces of stranded or solid copper wire and strip about ¾” off the insulation from each end. Attached the alligator clips to each of the 4 ends. These will serve as “jumper” wires and will allow you to keep the battery charger cable clamps out of the electrolysis solution (which could otherwise damage them).
3. Connect the jumper wires to both the positive (red) and negative (black) clamps from the battery charger. The other ends of the jumpers will be connected to the iron artifact (on the black or negative side) and to the sacrificial anode (on the positive or red side).
4. The iron artifact must be suspended completely below the water level in the bucket. You can lay a small piece of wood across the top of the bucket, tie one end of a string to it, and tie the other end to the artifact to suspend it in the cleaning solution. Attach the alligator clamp on the negative (black) side to the artifact. Try to place the clamp in the area that has the least amount of corrosion as that will allow for maximum current flow during the cleaning process. Attachment to bare metal is best if possible.
5. The best material to use for the sacrificial anode is a small piece of sheet stainless steel, although other metals may also work but not as well (including rebar). I prefer to use a piece about 12” x 12”. I bend the sheet to conform to the inside of the 5 gallon bucket, then immerse it in the bucket leaving 1” above the water line. Connect the positive (red) jumper to the stainless steel so the clamp is just above the water level. This will keep the clamp from corroding during the cleaning process, and will allow you to use it over and over. It’s OK to submerge the clamp attached to the artifact as it will not experience any deterioration during the cleaning process. I also use clothes pins to hold the jumper wires in place at the top of the bucket.
6. Once both connections have been made as described above, go ahead and plug the charger in. You should start seeing bubbles and hearing a little fizzing sound coming from where the clamp is attached to the artifact. If this isn’t happening, you either haven’t made you connections properly, or do not have a good contact between the clamp and artifact. Unplug the charger and recheck these. REMEMBER – ALWAYS UNPLUG THE CHARGER BEFORE TAMPERING WITH THE CONNECTIONS OR STICKING YOUR HAND IN THE SOLUTION. ELECTRIC SHOCK WILL RESULT.
7. Once you have the bubbling/fizzing, things are working as they should. You’ll probably notice on the charger amperage gauge that the current flow is rather small, if noticeable at all. This is typical when first starting out as there’s a lot of resistance to current flow with all the encrustation on the artifact. As the process slowly progresses, and the solution becomes dirty and the corrosion slowly is removed from the artifact, the current flow will gradually increase which helps to accelerate the process.
8. I usually let the artifact “cook” for at least 12 hours before checking. At that time, unplug the charger, remove the artifact, and use a wire brush or screwdriver to remove any loose scale. Then put it back into the bucket and continue the cleaning process. Depending on the size and condition of the iron artifact, it may take up to 7-14 days or more before the cleaning process is complete. Also at this time, wipe off any residue that has built up on the stainless steel. This will help to improve current flow. Also, you may want to periodically change out the solution as it will eventually become quite dirty. However, the added particles in the solution increase conductivity and allow for faster cleaning. My practice has been to just use the same solution from start to finish.
9. Sometimes there are a couple of deep, heavily corroded spots that are very difficult to remove. If you continue the cleaning process in an attempt to eventually clean these areas it may result in removing some of the already cleaned base metal. So at some point you need to make a decision as to when to stop. Sometimes you may even have to resort to using a screwdriver, hammer or power tool to help with these stubborn areas.

Once the artifact has been cleaned to your satisfaction, remove it from the bucket and clean it thoroughly with a wire brush to remove any remaining scale. Then thoroughly rinse with clean water and dry with a clean rag. Then I immerse in alcohol for a few hours as that’ll remove all the water from the artifact. During the drying process you’ll probably notice that a rusty haze begins to appear on the artifact as the iron comes in contact with the air. First I remove as much as I can with a small wire brush and thoroughly wipe off any remaining residue with a clean rag. Then I take a can of WD-40 or other rust remover and spray liberally over the entire artifact. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow it to do its job, then very thoroughly wipe with a clean rag or cloth. Then you can apply a coat of clear polyurethane from a spray can. Don’t hold the can too close to ensure a uniform and smooth application without globbing. Make sure you spray all sides and all the nooks and crannies. Let it completely dry for several hours, then apply another coat. I usually apply 3-4 coats in this manner. Once the final coat dries, you’re done.

 

[robfinds]

That's a very nice iron find Bill . Looks like it's got a tale to tell.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Nice! That's something not seen everyday! Congrats!

Thanks for the cleaning info, now if I can just find something worthy of cleaning!

 

[dieselram94]

Make sure to post after cleaning pics! Nice find!


Sent from an empty soda can!

 

[ModernMiner]

Bill,
Thanks for clearing that up for me on the ID. I first thought it was MC Hammer.
SWEET find.
Thanks for the electrolysis info too.
-Doug-

 

[DigIron2]

Bill,
Thanks for clearing that up for me on the ID. I first thought it was MC Hammer.
SWEET find.
Thanks for the electrolysis info too.
-Doug-

 

[villagenut]

I love iron artifacts...too bad many just leave them where they are found. Great job there.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

HAve you been back yet to look for the other ? (again) heh

No, and although I intend to do that its unlikely the matching piece can be found. But I'd really like to find the horizontal bar that attaches to the back so I can have one complete andiron. It would display much better like that.

 

[sponge]

Bill thank you for that detailed info on the cleaning procedure. Enjoy your holiday.

sent from a sending device.

 

[sponge]

Your finds are very impressive. Good to see people preserving history such as yourself.

sent from a sending device.

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

Bill, that was a clear and easy to follow electrolysis explanation.. very do-able. I have several pieces I cleaned to certain degree (just removing the surface scale) that I have wanted to get to the base metal on..
a couple of axes, scissors, some tools, long door hinges, etc. With your recipe, it'll be easy !
Thanks for that piece of wisdom. If I get em to come out as well, I'll post some.
Great find on the andiron, I don't have anything that spectacular, but I may have to go thru my garbage can full of iron again! lol
Thanks

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Bill, that was a clear and easy to follow electrolysis explanation.. very do-able. I have several pieces I cleaned to certain degree (just removing the surface scale) that I have wanted to get to the base metal on..
a couple of axes, scissors, some tools, long door hinges, etc. With your recipe, it'll be easy !
Thanks for that piece of wisdom. If I get em to come out as well, I'll post some.
Great find on the andiron, I don't have anything that spectacular, but I may have to go thru my garbage can full of iron again! lol
Thanks

When cleaning a small item you can do it on a smaller scale using an old cell phone charger in lieu of the auto battery charger. My earlier instructions were geared toward cleaning large iron items, but the same principles apply.