Model Engine Maker

Help! => Mistakes, muckups, and dangerous behaviour => Topic started by: Gas_mantle on May 08, 2019, 04:08:50 PM

Title: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: Gas_mantle on May 08, 2019, 04:08:50 PM
A couple of my parallel were showing a bit of tarnish so in a fit of madness I thought a quick dip in some citric acid that I use when soldering ought to do the job.

I forgot about them and 2 days later had a jar of black liquid plus these 2 :-

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47015180544_495e57731f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2eCz6c7)

Title: Re: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: b.lindsey on May 08, 2019, 05:07:55 PM
Yikes!! Well, good excuse to get a new set now ;)

Bill
Title: Re: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: Gas_mantle on May 08, 2019, 05:22:38 PM
Yikes!! Well, good excuse to get a new set now ;)

Bill

Yea, its a lesson learnt. I can't believe how much the acid ate into them - I was only a solution of citric acid crystals in water and not particularly concentrated either.
Title: Re: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: Vixen on May 08, 2019, 05:24:27 PM
Try and convince yourself you have simply provided an etched oil retaining surface.

You can keep on using them, the sides will still be parallel

Mike
Title: Re: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: Jo on May 08, 2019, 05:25:39 PM
 :thinking: I have had numerous set of parallels for over 30 years and other than the odd home made "feature"  ::) they have never shown the slightest sign of wanting to tarnish even if abused and left damp  :facepalm2: .

Where did you get them from Peter? Give them a little rub on a bit of wet and dry on a surface plate and see if it comes off, if not I would try to buy replacements made of a better quality steel.

Jo
Title: Re: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: Gas_mantle on May 08, 2019, 05:39:47 PM
They are part of a Soba budget set that I think I bought from Chronos for maybe about £50.

When I say tarnish I don't mean any deep pitted contamination but just a slight surface staining. The idea was to leave them for 5 or 10 mins and just give them a bit of a clean - I forgot about them so a 48hr soak was overdoing it a bit  :'(

Like a few others have suggested its an excuse to buy better ones and the rest in the set are ok.
Title: Re: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: pgp001 on May 08, 2019, 09:13:26 PM
I wouldn't get too hung up about it Peter.
As has already been said, they will still serve their purpose as parallels.

If you fancy a laugh at my expense, I just paid £30 for some new trousers for work.
I was "carefully" opening the plastic packet with some scissors to have a look, but did not realise how close to the packaging they were and I managed to cut a hole right through the derriere  :facepalm:

Phil
Title: Re: Cleaning parallels - the wrong way
Post by: Gas_mantle on May 08, 2019, 10:02:10 PM
I wouldn't get too hung up about it Peter.
As has already been said, they will still serve their purpose as parallels.

If you fancy a laugh at my expense, I just paid £30 for some new trousers for work.
I was "carefully" opening the plastic packet with some scissors to have a look, but did not realise how close to the packaging they were and I managed to cut a hole right through the derriere  :facepalm:

Phil

Cheers Phil, I guess I can still use them as parallels and treat them as +/- 0.5mm  ;)
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