Atlas MF mill cleanup

Dgleavitt said:
Thanks for all the replies! I’d like to try electrolysis but I don’t know where to get the chemicals needed.
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An example how-to article. Many on the internet.

http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp

Not really "chemical" needed, just Arm & Hammer washing soda aka sodium carbonate. Just something to add ions to the water so it conducts electricity better than straight water.

I read somewhere that carbon blocks make a good electrode and do not generate the scum which will happen from steel electrodes. I do not think most folks have a hefty piece of carbon lying around.
 
Dave Paine said:
An example how-to article. Many on the internet.

http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp

Not really "chemical" needed, just Arm & Hammer washing soda aka sodium carbonate. Just something to add ions to the water so it conducts electricity better than straight water.

I read somewhere that carbon blocks make a good electrode and do not generate the scum which will happen from steel electrodes. I do not think most folks have a hefty piece of carbon lying around.
Click to expand...

I lucked upon several graphite blocks in the World's Best Skip, 2" thick by a foot square, just have to cut some slices for Anodes... Lacking the Temporal Tuits at the moment!

I have been using 3/8" arc gouging electrodes with the copper stripped off* (muriatic acid works well, or ferric chloride which is a lot more expensive) and poke them through holes drilled in 22mm HDPE water overflow pipe with 90-degree bends and tees to form a frame, they are fragile though so you'd need a plastic basket to put the parts in and keep them apart (I use a couple of the folding "stack and store" bins from Ikea etc.) and they're not pure graphite but baked from a paste with a ?clay? binder so if left in the tank they will eventually dissolve! The solution does stay a lot more pleasant though, still froths and bubbles a bit but stays clear and there are none of the barnacles that grow on steel anodes and need wire brushing off - graphite should be pretty much non-consumable so I'm hoping it'll last a few years - it's Expensive if you want enough surface area for large electrolysis tanks and tens of Amps!

Dave H. (the other one)

* Being cheap, I leave an inch or so of copper to solder wires to, saves on clips and clamps! They also work well for DIY anodising on aluminium or titanium... Anodising dyes for aluminium are the difficulty (read "expensive"), but I did discover that Asda's bargain-basement inkjet printer black... er... ink gives a really nice coppery bronze :)
 
Will electrolysis harm anything? paint, the atlas badges and such? First Time restoring a machine so that may be a stupid question.

With the badges. Can you knock out the rivets, or would you have to drill them out?
 
Often one is able to knock the drive screws back out without resorting to drilling. On my MF which I recently put back together, the Change-o-Matic label as well as the pulley speeds label on the door both had drive screws accessible from behind. A small punch knocks them out, you do your cleaning and painting, whatever, and then the drive screws can be reused. Look carefully for the small holes about 1/16" diameter on the back side behind the badge.

Failing that, other methods include:
-sharp chisel under the edge to ease them forward (effective)
-filing a screw slot to try to turn them out, they have a slight spiral on the shank (moderately effective)
-gripping with a plier and twisting them out (rarely works without buggering the label)
-centre punch and drill them out

The badges and labels are soft aluminum as well as soft brass, so whatever cleaning method you use must not attack either of those. I've not personally used electrolysis so can't comment on it here. But be warned, the printed relief is extremely shallow. If you lose the red/black paint there it is very difficult to put it back. I've painted in many labels and tags over the years, but that one was very tough to get it looking even half decent. Best to remove them if you can.

-frank
 
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From my experience electrolysis *will* lift paint, filler etc. if left for long, and it's suitable for iron and steel only, it *will* attack aluminium, brass and bronze, so some disassembly required! Oven cleaner / lye (often recommended for initial cleanup) will also attack non-ferrous metals, particularly aluminium...

The drive screws (that's what they're called, in the UK at least) can be a sod and they're usually hardened (unless they're plain rivets, which are left soft), Frank's suggestions work or if all else fails carefully dremelloid the heads and grip the stumps with pliers (or better, side-cutters) once the plates are off - easy to mark the plates with the dremelloid though :(

Dave H. (the other one)
 
Seems the wife has an unopened box of super washing soda, now I just need to find a tub big enough for the mill table.
 
Dig a pit big enough for it, line with pond liner or damp-proof membrane (like under concrete floor slabs - not sure what it's called in the US!)

OR... it might not be that big! The Ikea plastic roll-under-the-bed storage bins are pretty useful sizes...

Dave H. (the other one)
 
When I cleaned mine I used oven cleaner and placed it in a old kitty litter box.
 
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