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Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

(OP)
I have a product that is made of 1 7/8" x 4" DOM carbon steel tubing with a machined bushing welded into one end.  It has 3 8-32 threaded holes in it.  I am looking for a way to efficiently remove the mill coating and paint from the DOM steel so that I can apply a phosphate (parkerized) finish.

I currently either sand blast them or use a wire wheel.  The wire wheel sometimes misses spots, giving a poor finish, and both of them are labor intensive.

Does anyone have any suggestions such as a tumbler or vibratory bowl for this?  Also, what kind of media do you recommend?  I have a vibratory bowl currently loaded with crushed walnut for polishing, but that's not aggressive enough.  I could make or acquire a rotary tumbler fairly easily.

Thanks,
Vince

RE: Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

Your description of the material is inconsistent with DOM. DOM is not normally not painted and the only coating is the drawing compound and/or oil. This sounds like a pipe product. What is the finished size of the tubing OD and ID?

RE: Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

All you will have to do is change your media and cycle in the vibratory bowel to achieve what you require. If you choose the vibratory bowel I would look at both wet and dry processes if you equipment will allow both.  By using a wet process we have found that we can get a very good finish in one pass.
One thing to consider about using a tumbler is the possibility of dinging your parts. It will take a little effort on your part to get the loading, speed, and media down.   

One of the more common cleaning methods is to use a hot alkaline cleaner to remove the drawing compounds.     

RE: Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

(OP)
BillPSU: The paint I'm referring to is the dot matrix print identifying the pipe manufacturer, size, etc.  The 'coating' may only be a draw compound, but I still need to get down to shiny steel for the parkerizing to work!  The tubing is 1-7/8" OD x 1-3/4" ID.

unclesyd: What kind of media do you recommend for this?

Thanks,
Vince

RE: Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

I would imagine that you would use a plastic or synthetic media plus a suitable compound if wet, but I would hate to give a specific recommendation on media for your operation so I’ll have to defer to the media experts.  We bought our vibratory/tumbling  media from Victor Metal Finishing.  My contact was Mr. Victor Briosi whom I consider to be well versed in the art and I do mean art.  As they are quite a number of directions you can go I would definitely talk with an expert with a knowledge of the industry. I would get a heads up on the types of media prior to request information or as they say now “get up to speed”.  

http://www.vicmetals.com/Supplies/PC_media.html

Here is one manufacturers of the media, in fact one that is sold by Victor.

http://www.vibrafinish.com/index.html

RE: Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

As your first thread mentioned, both sandblasting and wire wheeling are time consuming, I've done surface finishing with a wire wheel mounted on a centerless with good success, and great throughput times, more pressure can be applied to piece through the regulating wheel than ever could be done by hand creating a much more uniform finish. This would be a good process if number of parts to be done were in large enough quantities.

RE: Efficient finishing/cleaning method for DOM tubing

(OP)
I don't have a centerless, it's just a wire wheel on bench grinder.  It's not that slow, just too easy to miss a spot!

Also, cost of the equipment is something of an issue for me.  A small blast cabinet wouldn't be very expensive.

Vince

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