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A Different Way to Clean Pinball Legs.

replicas

replicas

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Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
12,044
Location
Lancashire
Alias
Nipper Pinball
Check this one out, This really does work.

Hi all Don't know if this has been covered in here BUT I found a way to remove surface rust, clean and polish chrome all in 1 action.

A simple and inexpensive way to remove rust from and polish chrome surfaces by hand is to rub it with aluminum foil dipped in water. This process yields two advantages.

First, since the aluminum foil is softer than steel, it will not scratch the surface.

And second, a by product of the process produces a fine metal polishing compound that smoothes the chrome surface to a bright shine.





Geek Stuff

Oxides are the key

Cleaning Rust is basically oxidized metal or another words metal that has taken on extra oxygen atoms. As heat is generated by the friction of rubbing the aluminum foil on the chrome, a portion of the aluminum will oxidize to produce aluminum oxide. Aluminum has a higher reduction potential (i.e a tendency take on electrons and in the process reduce or break itself down) than the chrome, and will therefore leech oxygen atoms away from any rust on the chrome surface which changes the chemical properties of the rust and breaks it down.



Polishing Aluminum oxide is harder than steel, and the microscopic grains of aluminum oxide produced during the cleaning process creates a fine metal polishing compound which, mixed with the water you added, creates a paste that smoothes and polishes the chrome surface.





In English

How it works

A common way to clean a rusted chrome surface such as a fender is to use a fine steel wool. However, when you use this method you have to use a lot of elbow grease and you still end up with a slightly dull surface with some amount of scratching not to mention the messy 'dust' left over from the steel wool. That's because you are physically scraping off the rust.



When you use the aluminum foil method you are dissolving the rust chemically so you don't need to rub nearly as hard and since the aluminum foil is softer than the chrome, you are left with few if any scratches. This method also allows you to get the rust out of some minor pitting without having to dig into the surface.



The aluminum oxide that is created by friction when you rub the surface of the chrome leeches the rust away and when combined with the water you added creates it's own polishing compound so you end up with a clean, smooth, shiny surface.



This info was taken from http://www.robertscycle.com/chrome-clean.html



Tried this on some old chrome legs that had a fair amount of surface rust and after about 10 min was very impressed. thumb-1.gif



Oh and don't forget to wear gloves, otherwise you will have very black hands.
 
Great stuff - not heard that before.



I shall be attacking some legs with foil in the morning
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I actually knew this - found out a few months ago that the best way to clean light rust from the front of a one armed bandit was to use some tin foil (same stuff used over your chicken on a sunday, but obviously not s used bit), wet it with water, and rub lightly over the chrome - apparently the foil and water mix with the rust and basically form some kind of oxide... and also removes the light rust.



I'll be honest and say that i hadnt even thought of pinball legs!!!!!



and YES it does work
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I used the tin foil method on the side rails of my Taxi yesterday - installed new flipper buttons and found a bit of corrosion underneath the old buttons, but it was a breeze to get rid of using this approach.



Thanks for the tip!
 
A hundred pinball widows groan as blokes feverishly raid the kitchen for the new miracle cure (again).



;0)



Ps I will be trying this Top Tip ASAP.
 
I have black fingers two days later because I didn't wear gloves but I did turn an old, slightly rusty and pitted leg in to a clean shiny one using this method.
smile-1.png
 
Not suggesting this as not tried it but I am sure I heard coke plus foil is even better. I know if you leave a 2p coin in a glass of coke overnight it cleans it!
 
I used this method to clean a rusty set of legs and a wire form. It works amazingly well. Sooooo impressed. Literally changed my life ;-) if only you could buy bread which was already sliced, it'd be the best thing since cleaning pinball legs with aluminium foil and water.
 
Ha ha. I detect a hint of sarcasm there mr Replicas!!!!! You're lucky, I forgot on this occassion.
 
Seriously It would go down well to have some pic's.

I myself did a set of legs and forgot to take before and after shots.

So the next person to try this lets have some pictures.

It really is a great way to clean up a set of rust pitted legs, and the results have got to be seen to be belived.
 
Just tried this, amazing ! Got some elbow grease intended.... Cheers Darren.
 
Knew about using tin foil to remove rust, as used it on an old vice, but didn't know that you were supposed to use water as well doh! So wet job for tomorrow :)
 
Here's the bits Replicas missed... ;)

Step by step

Step 1 Cut the aluminum foil into small squares. 3" by 3" should do.
Step 2 Wipe down or wash the surface to remove any surface dirt.
Step 3 Dip a square into some water or sprinkle some water on it and spread it around on the surface of the foil.
Step 4 Cup the wet square over the surface you want to clean so you get a nice even coverage.
Step 5 Start rubbing a 6 or 8 inch area and remember you don't have to rub very hard. As you rub, you'll feel the surface get smoother and smoother until the foil just glides over it. You will also notice a light brown paste building up. This is the polish that results from the chemical reaction.
Step 6 When the surface is nice and smooth and you have polished it, take a clean cloth and wipe the polish off.
Step 7 Once you finish cleaning and polishing the item you need to cover the surface to protect it from the elements. At a minimum you can wipe it down thoroughly with a clean cloth. Since cloth inherently contains some amount of oil, this will give you at least some protection.
The best method would be to use a small amount of chrome polish or maybe something like turtle wax or an equivalent kind of wax or polish. Make sure you wipe the surface down with a paper towel first instead of a cloth because paper doesn't contain any oil so you will have a clean and dry surface for the wax or polish to adhere to.

Limitations
There's always a catch
If the surface is severely pitted or some of the chrome plating has peeled off, there is a limit to how much you can do. Since this method removes the rust chemically, you should still be able to get rid of most if not all of the rust. And since it creates it's own polishing compound, you should be able to feather (taper) the peeled off edges to help prevent more peeling in the future. Again, once you have the surface as rust free and smoothed down as much as possible, don't forget to apply some form of wax or polish.

Tips
Things noticed along the way
Use a little extra water if you want a super fine finish.
Wad up a larger piece of foil when you work on pitted areas. The edges created will help smooth down the pits.
Don't rub too long with the first 'paste' created. Once the surface feels nice and smooth and you've wiped the gunk off, you can use a new piece of foil with some more water to get as much shine as you like.
Don't waste your time with a severely pitted surface since the rust has probably eaten down through the chrome to the bare metal. Smooth it down as much as you can with steel wool then use the aluminum foil method to remove as much rust as possible.
The aluminum foil method also works pretty well on steel. It removes the rust well, but don't expect that super shiny finish like you get with the chrome because it never had that to begin with.
To get the best results, remove that part so you can work on it easily without having nooks and crannies to dig into.
If you're working on severely rusted stuff, you might want to use a steel brush to remove the worst rust spots first. This will also remove any caked on gunk so you have a better surface to work with.
 
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