Cleaning up log chains.

JDseller

Well-known Member
I have 10-15 log chains that get used to tie down things being hauled or just needing a pull. I have them hanging on a rack that keeps them sorted. The problem I have been having the last 4-5 years it the darn liquid calcium that the state is using to keep the roads clear. It just rusts the chains terrible. Not big flaking rust but makes them real nasty to handle.

I had a guy that delivered some things a while back that had painted all of his chains. He said that he just would spray paint them when he bought them. Yes they get chipped where you hook them but the rest was real clean and rust free. So I wanted to do it to mine.

I started out with one and just washed it off in some paint thinner. Then I painted it with spray paint. It looked good for about a week them the paint fell off. I looked and the rust under that paint did not let the paint bond to the steel.

I was wondering about using Electrolysis to clean them up. Would it work?? I was thinking about using a twenty gallon kitchen garbage can. Put a steel plate with a wire in the bottom. Then make a rack to hold the chain in loops across the inside of the can. Would this clean them back to bare steel??

If I can get them relatively rust free I am going to try dip painting them. I just want them so you can handle them without looking like you fell in a rusty barrel.
 
have you got some clean ground thats a lil sandy???
hook em on the back of your 4 wheeler and drag em around till theyre shiny...then paint...gravel road will work too.
 
I think if I had that problem I would shorten a 55 gallon drum to about 24 inches and weld the head back on after welding about 4 pieces of angle iron in it...cut a 12 inch hole in the center of the head, mount it to a rear wheel on the tractor, add a couple scoops of crushed stone..throw a couple chains in her and go and work a field or go for a ride.
 
When I was in the Army we cleaned chains by dragging them down a gravel road. Hook about 10 to a wrecker, lift them up and drop in 5 gallons thinner, lift out to dry and drop in 5 gallons of paint, lift out to dry. Course if they are 20 footers probably only 4 or so in 5 gallons.
 
As already mentioned, I use a cement mixer with a mix of dry gravel and sand. Works slick! I have an old electric mixer and I can set it to working and walk away and do other things while they are getting cleaned up.... maybe an hour depending on how rough the chains are.
Cal
 

Take two 5 gallon buckets. put a chain in one then a gallon of phosphoric acid then add water until the chain is covered. leave it in for an hour. then fill the other bucket with water, transfer the chain to it, leave it in for an hour while second chain is in acid bath. remove first chain to dry. It is now coated in black iron phosphate. you can top-coat if you want or leave them, but they are now protected.
 
I once found a chail with my chisel plow shank. Don't know how long it was dragging there, but was cleaned up nice and shiny. No telling how long it had been buried, but had a nice chain.

Hace hearc of fastening the chain to a moldboard plow and letting the dirt clean them.

Gene
 
What we do is let the machines leak a little oil and over grease them. That way every time you use them on the lowboy they get a fresh coat. Down south we don't have a problem with calcium in fact I never heard of loading tires with calcium until I read about it here on this forum. But I did have a job taking out a Marina with about 3600ft. of 7ft wide floating dock. We would haul 3 30ft sections at a time on our trailers. Now that caused some rust problems.
Ron
 
The cement mixer idea works pretty good as several have said here. Cleans up the hardened on stuff inside the barrel of the mixer that was left by the last guy that borrowed the mixer too.
 
You're makin' this harder than it is. :>)

Hook 'em to your favorite tractor and go for a mile ride down a gravel road draggin' the chains.

Allan
 
JD, I've never tried electrolysis on chains, but I don't think it would work well.
From my limited experience with it, electrolysis works essentially in "line of sight"
so I don't believe it would clean all the way around and through.
 
I just cleaned one awhile back by putting it in a plastic bucket with Muratic (hydrochloric) acid and water. You need to rinse, then blow dry, then oil or paint.
 
Use this stuff! Have used it on underbody of Modot trucks and in a stock trailer. Have had very good luck with it.

http://magnetpaints.com/underbody.asp
 
Yeah but don't go too far or you'll have no chains left, soil will have plenty iron though LOL !
 
When painting old oil on wagons or on manure spreader wood. Paint chains at same time. Let them sit in the spreader until needed or dry out some.

Then store again on rack in building, after most of oil is off or use in fall dragging cord wood. Used Motor oil is thin enough that it is not too messy and work well for a while. May wish to use gloves but all up to you.
 
(quoted from post at 07:36:21 10/06/12) Yeah but don't go too far or you'll have no chains left, soil will have plenty iron though LOL !

I just drag them through the pasture on the way back from the woodlot.
 

I'm not sure if this works or not .... was told by a older guy he wanted to paint his chains too. so he {living on gravel } drag them behind his tractor a while till they were clean up .. he blew them clean and painted ... not sure how it turn out ...

mark
 
If there the old style 5/16 chains your not allowed to use them anymore.The dot wants 3/8 chains and ratchets instead of binders.
 
(quoted from post at 15:33:57 10/06/12) If there the old style 5/16 chains your not allowed to use them anymore.The dot wants 3/8 chains and ratchets instead of binders.

You need to post the reg for that. My books clearly state you can use anything from rope, grade 30, grade 43, grade 70 etc so long as you are in the working range.

Nowhere do I see a spec about a certain type of binder either.
 
Drag 'em down a gravel road. They'll shine like a new dollar. Gotta switch ends when you turn around, of course. . .
 
I always drag 'em through the pasture when I go to use them; seems to keep 'em looking fairly good. Maybe hit them with used oil every now and again.
 
(quoted from post at 03:00:26 10/07/12) White vinegar does a nice job of removing rust from imersed parts. cheap also
Yepper, vinegar & salt solution will clean it well BUT you need to rinse/soak it in water and baking soda to neutralize the vinegar or it will re-rust again
 

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