[meteorite-list] Stopping Rust & Preserving Iron Meteorites - THIS WORKS!
From: Jeff Kuyken <jeff_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:08:27 2004 Message-ID: <000c01c25efe$f437d8c0$bf348690_at_default> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C25F52.BF356620 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable G'day List,=20 A couple of months ago I wrote to the list asking for help to stop my = Chinga slice rusting. There have been a few posts since then asking = similar questions so I thought I would share this with everyone. Before = I continue, I really need to mention that the problematic 111g slice of = Chinga arrived to me rusting in a way that would have put any Nantan to = shame! John Gwilliam replied to my post with a great process that I have = tried and has worked extremely well. Thanks John. It has been several = weeks now and not even the slightest hint of rust has reoccurred. I have = included the post below. Thanks, Jeff Kuyken I.M.C.A. #3085 www.meteoritesaustralia.com "Hello Jeff and List, According to Ivan Koutyrev, all the Chinga irons they have found have = been=20 recovered in stream beds. This means that the irons have been in almost = constant contact with water for a long time. Over hundreds of years, = rust=20 has been able to migrate into the interior where it can be a chronic=20 problem if not treated properly. After the meteorite has been sliced, I sand down the flat surfaces = starting=20 with a 100 grit or even a fresh 220 grit sanding belt (on a water cooled = lapidary sander). Successively finer grits are used until I'm down to a = worn 600 grit belt. Remember to wash the iron slice and rinse in = anhydrous=20 alcohol in between every grit change so you don't have a stray piece of=20 larger grit mess up your polished surface. After the worn 600 grit=20 polish, I treat the specimen for 5 - 10 days in the alcohol/ sodium=20 hydroxide bath recommended by Steve Schoner. This will attack the rust = in=20 the specimen and the sodium in the mix bonds with the chlorides in the = rust=20 and becomes common salt. Believe me, this solution really works. I = have=20 several slices of OLD Campos sitting unprotected out in my shop that = were=20 treated over 18 months ago and none of them show a hint of rust. For = those=20 of you interested in this process, I think you can find it on Eric=20 Twelker's website. After soaking in the bath, I rinse the specimen thoroughly in FRESH=20 anhydrous alcohol and wipe it dry. Next, I polish the slice with a muslin buff on a jewelers spindle. My=20 polishing unit has dual 6" x 1" stitched cloth buffing wheels that you = can=20 mount on any motor with an arbor or spindle. My machine turns at 3,250=20 RPMs but a slower motor in the 1,720 RPM range will work as well. The = key=20 to the final polish is the compound applied to the moving buff. I use a = product manufactured for the jewelry industry called ZAM. I believe it = contains chromium oxide as the polishing agent. It is a light green = hard=20 stick in a cardboard wrapper and is available from jewelry supply = outfits=20 and some lapidary shops. Several minutes of polishing will produce that = mirror like polish you are looking for." ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C25F52.BF356620 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DVerdana><SPAN lang=3DEN-US style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: = Verdana">G’day=20 List,</SPAN><SPAN lang=3DEN-US style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: = Verdana"> <?xml:namespace=20 prefix =3D o ns =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" = /><o:p></o:p></SPAN> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN lang=3DEN-US style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">A = couple of=20 months ago I wrote to the list asking for help to stop my Chinga = slice=20 rusting. There have been a few posts since then asking similar questions = so I=20 thought I would share this with everyone. Before I continue, I = really need=20 to mention that the problematic 111g slice of Chinga arrived = to me=20 rusting in a way that would have put any Nantan to shame! John Gwilliam = replied=20 to my post with a great process that I have tried and has worked = extremely well.=20 Thanks John. It has been several weeks now and not even the slightest = hint of=20 rust has reoccurred.</SPAN> I have included the post below.</P> <P class=3DMsoNormal>Thanks,</P> <P class=3DMsoNormal>Jeff Kuyken<BR>I.M.C.A. #3085<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://www.meteoritesaustralia.com">www.meteoritesaustralia.com</= A></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN lang=3DEN-US style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: = Verdana"><EM>"Hello Jeff=20 and List,<BR><BR>According to Ivan Koutyrev, all the Chinga irons they = have=20 found have been <BR>recovered in stream beds. This means that the = irons=20 have been in almost <BR>constant contact with water for a long = time. Over=20 hundreds of years, rust <BR>has been able to migrate into the interior = where it=20 can be a chronic <BR>problem if not treated properly.<BR><BR>After the = meteorite=20 has been sliced, I sand down the flat surfaces starting <BR>with a 100 = grit or=20 even a fresh 220 grit sanding belt (on a water cooled <BR>lapidary=20 sander). Successively finer grits are used until I'm down to a = <BR>worn=20 600 grit belt. Remember to wash the iron slice and rinse in = anhydrous=20 <BR>alcohol in between every grit change so you don't have a stray piece = of=20 <BR>larger grit mess up your polished surface. After the worn 600 = grit=20 <BR>polish, I treat the specimen for 5 - 10 days in the alcohol/ = sodium=20 <BR>hydroxide bath recommended by Steve Schoner. This will attack = the rust=20 in <BR>the specimen and the sodium in the mix bonds with the chlorides = in the=20 rust <BR>and becomes common salt. Believe me, this solution really = works. I have <BR>several slices of OLD Campos sitting unprotected = out in=20 my shop that were <BR>treated over 18 months ago and none of them show a = hint of=20 rust. For those <BR>of you interested in this process, I = think you=20 can find it on Eric <BR>Twelker's website.<BR><BR>After soaking in the = bath, I=20 rinse the specimen thoroughly in FRESH <BR>anhydrous alcohol and wipe it = dry.<BR><BR>Next, I polish the slice with a muslin buff on a = jewelers=20 spindle. My <BR>polishing unit has dual 6" x 1" stitched = cloth=20 buffing wheels that you can <BR>mount on any motor with an arbor or=20 spindle. My machine turns at 3,250 <BR>RPMs but a slower motor in = the=20 1,720 RPM range will work as well. The key <BR>to the final polish = is the=20 compound applied to the moving buff. I use a <BR>product = manufactured for=20 the jewelry industry called ZAM. I believe it <BR>contains = chromium=20 oxide as the polishing agent. It is a light green hard <BR>stick = in a=20 cardboard wrapper and is available from jewelry supply outfits <BR>and = some=20 lapidary shops. Several minutes of polishing will produce that = <BR>mirror=20 like polish you are looking = for."</EM></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C25F52.BF356620-- Received on Wed 18 Sep 2002 06:34:09 AM PDT |
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