A Two-Stroke Engine Made from Scratch Using Basic Hardware Store Parts
hackaday.com
hackaday.com
That's not quite what the headline promised.
I was looking some time ago (a year or 3) how to de-rust stuff and found out that you do go over the thing with a wire brush, then some acetone, and then you pick up your industrial laser rust remover! Magic happens at step 3 apparently.
...I did good enough on my project - phosphoric acid stuff + a lot of scrubbing.
As someone who started doing things in `meat-space` at the tail end of 2020 I've learnt a lot about YouTube sponsor-fic vs reality.
I have a YT channel which is me documenting stuff I've done. Anyone interested is encouraged to (easily) find it. And this is just to prove that my mouth is exactly where my written word is.
Reality always wins. I take solace in that.
(Apologies if not I don’t really read German)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVYZmeReKKY
If the parts are small enough for the ultrasonic, I use it as well.
Lacquer thinner is straight up potent stuff and will remove many things, possibly more than you wanted to, including the paint.
As always, try it somewhere unobtrusive first. Use it in a well ventilated area as well.
If the logo is actually adhered on, heat will go a long ways towards loosening many glues. You can buy plastic razor scrapers that'll help lift the logo once you get the glue softened. I like the Scraperite ones. Get a sampler pack of the blades and do some experimenting to see which works best.
Again, too much heat will take the paint off too. Being in a well-ventilated area will reduce the risk to your lungs if you go too far with the heat.
ETA: if it's powder-coated like the sibling comment suspects, I have no idea where to start. Even painting over could be hard. I tried painting a black powder coated cabinet, and it's flaking off like crazy.
If you’ve got decals on paint there’s always a risk you’ll strip both off at the same time.
A 3M stripe off wheel might also help, but do your research on any of these.
- Stickers - if goof off doesn't work, try epoxy paint solvent. It's added to epoxy paints that you use on floor, but you can buy it separately. This stuff is several times more potent than anything I've tried. Found out by accident when pouring into sink with a sticker at bottom. The sticker just slid off seconds after applying.
- If those two don't work - it's probably some heat-set paint, you will not remove it chemically.
Edit: or dare I say, safer than rust?
It's the easiest way to ensure material requirements will be distilled down to "Now, cut the top off a plastic coke bottle..."
Anyhow, the steel of the blade isn't hard enough to scratch the surface without some serious effort, which means you won't wear any hollows where there's more rust (beyond any pitting from the rust itself). It's quicker than a wire brush because you're basically cutting under the rust and lifting it off in paths the width of the blade. Replace the blades when they get full or nicked. They're more than cheap enough.
As mentioned elsewhere, Evaporust does wonders for any remaining rust.
To provide my own example - M. Bjoernstroem's channel is awesome: https://www.youtube.com/@M.BJOERNSTROEM/videos
He's at Bonneville now, hope he's doing well and setting records.
https://www.youtube.com/@InheritanceMachining
Here are a few more on my list:
https://www.youtube.com/@AppliedScience
https://www.youtube.com/@garywillett4146
https://www.youtube.com/@Clickspring
https://www.youtube.com/@christopherhelmke
https://www.youtube.com/@JesperMakes
https://www.youtube.com/@Photonicinduction
https://www.youtube.com/@Jeremy_Fielding
Some of these are a little different in style and content but I think that they'll scratch the same kind of itch.
Awhile back I suggested to a friend who was dealing with a tragic loss to watch from the first video as an excellent example of what heathy grieving looks like. An absolutely beautiful channel.
https://www.youtube.com/@OddsandEndsMachining/videos
Including sand casting a 350cc V4 two stroke engine block (for a motorcycle). He gets a foundry to do the actual metal pours, but this guy: https://www.youtube.com/@OzBSABantams/videos sand casts cylinder heads and triple clamps on his driveway.
Much of the channel is about dragging decrepit artifacts of industry out of scrapyards or the reclaiming jaws of Nature and quite effectively repurposing or reusing the sound bits, which is something I personally find to be creative and satisfying.
https://youtube.com/@cuttingedgeengineering
https://youtube.com/@snowballengineering
https://youtube.com/@noengineerhere (but probably too much comedy for your taste)
https://youtube.com/@matthiaswandel
https://youtube.com/@agingwheels
No snark, minimal editing and narration.
Restorations, whacky projects, all laid back and down to earth.
Well that's no fun. This tends to be one of the hardest things to do right in a small engine. Show me one with a carb made out of something from the Home Depot garden center.
The impressive part is that he made it in his basement with scrap pipe, not that it's supposed to be some kind of advancement in engine technology. It's just supposed to show that people out there still have the DIY spirit in them.
An electric engine, bought as one part from a hardware store