Pickling Metal At Home // Cleaning Metal with Vinegar // Blacksmith Tips and Tricks

There is an easy way to get the metal scale and rust off your forged projects, by cleaning metal with vinegar. Have you considered pickling metal at home yet? This is one of those blacksmith tips and tricks that not everybody knows!

I learned this pickling method from Thomas Latane. The way he does pickling metal at home is in a crockpot . It's great for small parts and pieces, just make sure you don't use the crockpot for food!

The pickling metal process makes the scale (or rust) soft, so that it can easily be brushed off with a metal brush or wire wheeled off.

Some notes from the video:
What is pickle? Pickling is using a material or method similar to making a pickle… just vinegar. I use 5% acidity standard vinegar. Also you will need a pickling tub such as stainless steel pot, specifically for this use.

This method is for cleaning rusty metal or metal with a lot of scale on it.
I use a turkey fryer. Bring it up to a boil. Let is boil for 1-2 hours. Time will vary due to the amount of surface area. You need the items to be cleaned completely submersed.

I use this method to clean my skillets. I learned this method from Tom Latane. Especially good for metal with which you will be doing some filework. You can use a small crock pot with vinegar for small parts.

You can use a wire brush afterwards, to clear the surface. Another option is a wire wheel. The scale will rub right off.

This is a good alternative to bead blasting or sand blasting, or just wire wheeling it straight off.

You cannot leave the surface as is… it will create instant rust. You will need to finish it or oil it shortly after wire brushing it.

Check out my downloadable pdfs and power hammer plans at www.blacksmithpdfs.com .

If you'd like to visit my youtube homepage, you can do so at www.youtube.com/c/christcenteredironworks.

If you are interested in my forged pan videos, visit the playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLumdiZI5Q3f8KWDAsPTe4P1pLDQU5M1K8

Видео Pickling Metal At Home // Cleaning Metal with Vinegar // Blacksmith Tips and Tricks канала Christ Centered Ironworks