rslaback
Well-known member
I thought I was getting a great deal. I actually just got a good one.
So in a previous life I taught high school tech ed in a small district for 12 years. During the course of that tenure I happened upon a 7'x7' work table at a local business. I negotiated a price for it and picked it up. I had it centralized in my shop and loved it.
I left that position 4 years ago due to a move in my wife's position but went back every now and then to give the new hires (it took them 3 tries) a hand learning the ins and outs of the CNC router and plasma, laser engraver and 3d printer. On one of my first trips back I noticed that the table was missing. That instructor had decided that it took up too much floor space so they moved it to storage.
Fast forward to present day. I'm in the process of buying a 28x40x14 shop and thought that table might be just the ticket for a centralized work table. I called the principal who confirmed it was still surplus and asked me to figure out the scrap value of it. The table weighs around 1500# which at local rates put the scrap value around $94. Because I was so awesome and helpful to my replacements she cut me a deal of the net that the district would receive if they loaded it up and paid a maintenance guy to haul it to the scrap yard. $50 and it was mine.
I had a meeting halfway there so I drove all the way down, borrowed the trailer that I sold to my father-in-law during my move and drove to school. My heart sank when the maintenance guy drove the forked skid loader to the side of the storage building instead of into it. Apparently 3 years or so ago they determined that it was taking up too much space inside so they moved it out next to the building. They did throw some plastic over it at the time and held that down with a collection of cinder blocks, dumbbell weights and the 24x32 cast iron surface plate that I had sitting on it in the shop.
So, does anyone have any tips on large scale rust removal? I'm not opposed to chemicals if that is what it takes. I really want to clean it everywhere but wire wheeling it top and bottom would take forever. I do also need to clean up that 24"x32" weight that made it into my truck as well. That doesn't look like it is in too terribly bad of shape. Most of the texture on the table top is spatter which will have to come off as well. Apparently spatter clean up became optional when I left.
So in a previous life I taught high school tech ed in a small district for 12 years. During the course of that tenure I happened upon a 7'x7' work table at a local business. I negotiated a price for it and picked it up. I had it centralized in my shop and loved it.
I left that position 4 years ago due to a move in my wife's position but went back every now and then to give the new hires (it took them 3 tries) a hand learning the ins and outs of the CNC router and plasma, laser engraver and 3d printer. On one of my first trips back I noticed that the table was missing. That instructor had decided that it took up too much floor space so they moved it to storage.
Fast forward to present day. I'm in the process of buying a 28x40x14 shop and thought that table might be just the ticket for a centralized work table. I called the principal who confirmed it was still surplus and asked me to figure out the scrap value of it. The table weighs around 1500# which at local rates put the scrap value around $94. Because I was so awesome and helpful to my replacements she cut me a deal of the net that the district would receive if they loaded it up and paid a maintenance guy to haul it to the scrap yard. $50 and it was mine.
I had a meeting halfway there so I drove all the way down, borrowed the trailer that I sold to my father-in-law during my move and drove to school. My heart sank when the maintenance guy drove the forked skid loader to the side of the storage building instead of into it. Apparently 3 years or so ago they determined that it was taking up too much space inside so they moved it out next to the building. They did throw some plastic over it at the time and held that down with a collection of cinder blocks, dumbbell weights and the 24x32 cast iron surface plate that I had sitting on it in the shop.
So, does anyone have any tips on large scale rust removal? I'm not opposed to chemicals if that is what it takes. I really want to clean it everywhere but wire wheeling it top and bottom would take forever. I do also need to clean up that 24"x32" weight that made it into my truck as well. That doesn't look like it is in too terribly bad of shape. Most of the texture on the table top is spatter which will have to come off as well. Apparently spatter clean up became optional when I left.
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