# cleaning rail clamps



## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

I am looking for away to clean rail clamps. i have about 180 split-jaw and hillman clamps that need cleaning . I was looking if anyone had a method to clean the clamps quick and easy. Like a solution to dip them in. Thanks for any help.


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

What needs cleaning? The inside surfaces? I put mine down 12 years ago, and have never had occasion to remove one to look at it. At least 10 of those years I maintained track power and never had a joiner problem. 

If they are oxidized, I would guess that a wire brush would be required. 
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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I would look for a Wire Bottle Brush in Granger or Mc Master Carr catalog. If you are going to clean the groove before putting them on. 


If you have taken them all a part then you could use a wire brush wheel on a dremel tool. 


I get my bottle brushes at a industrial hardware here in Phoenix .

Also you could try this and get a small air brush from Harbor freight and use baking soda and blast them clean




JJ


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

Since I am moving, I have taken up 300 ft of track and cleaned all the Hillman and split jaw clamps used at every joint. I still have another 300 ft to go. They have been down for 7 years. I lay them on a cloth, and spray they good with WD40, then I wipe them clean, and brush the grooves with an old toothbrush. This seems to work just fine. I make sure that the threads work well too. I will let you know how well this has worked next spring when I put them back down in a new layout. 
Paul


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Brass or stainless? I use a 3" diameter wire brush on my drill press, does a good job, but might be a little rough on brass, I have SS. 

Greg


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Thank guys for the reply. I was hope for a miracle fix like soaking in something and poof they are clean. It looks like get out the dremel and buy some wire wheel brushes and go to town on them. Thanks again for the replies.


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## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

Pete, 

You never said why they need cleaning in the first place and what material they are made of. 

For dirty brass track the recommendation I have heard many times although I've never tried it, is to just put the track in the dishwasher. 

I don't see why that wouldn't work for brass clamps as well if they are just dirty.


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

I've recycled many railclamps. The fastest and easiest method I've found to ensure that all the nooks and crannies are cleaned is to let them set in Muriatic Acid for about 30 seconds and then rinse them off in a bucket of water. They come out looking almost new.

Doc


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Sorry the clamps are brass. They are pretty nasty looking i bought them the other day and they need a cleaning. Where can you get muriatic acid and how toxic is it. Thanks for the tip.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Muriatic acid by another name is hydrochloric acid. It is usually the technical, less pure, grade of HCl. I believe that it is used to clean grout off newly laid tile, so try a hardware store. It is a strong acid, so DO NOT GET IT ON SKIN OR CLOTHES. It will put holes in your clothes, and give you a nice chemical burn. Use it carefully and rinse everything very thoroughly when you are finished. There should be safety handling directions on the bottle.


Chuck


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## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

Posted By pete on 12 Nov 2011 08:34 AM 
Sorry the clamps are brass. They are pretty nasty looking i bought them the other day and they need a cleaning. Where can you get muriatic acid and how toxic is it. Thanks for the tip. 
Extremely toxic.
I use *diluted!* Muriatic acid to clean concrete and pavement - have never used it full strength which is what I think is being suggested.
Read up about the precautions here if you're going to try that:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4493396_use-muriatic-acid.html


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

If you dilute concentrated muriatic (HCl) acid, or any strong acid for that matter, always pour it into the water. DO NOT ADD WATER TO THE CONCENTRATED ACID. There is a heat of hydration when the acid comes in contact with water, local boiling or spattering is possible. 


Chuck


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

All my clamps are brass. I do buff them a bit with a SS brush to remove any extra tarnish.

Of course I use the diluted version and you must handle even that with extreme care. You can find it at HD, Lowes, and Ace. Ace is the only one where I found it in quart containers.

I wear safety glasses and rubber gloves when I'm working with it. I usually pour a small amount into a CoolWhip plastic container to dip the clamps in. I have a gallon bucket of water next to the acid. I use an old pair needle nose pliers and rinse the pliers every time they've been in the acid. I keep all used acid in a sealed plastic container and dispose of it at my local re-cycling center.

I've even used this technique to clean old brass track. Without the ties on of course.

Hope this helps.

Doc

BTW, it's best to keep from inhaling the fumes. They're nasty. I hold my breath.


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## Bob Pero (Jan 13, 2008)

The acid is also available in Swimming Pool supply stores.


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## Tom Parkins (Jan 2, 2008)

docwatsonva says 

_I've even used this technique to clean old brass track. Without the ties on of course._

The muriatic acid will probably not hurt the ties since they are an organic material. 

Definitely give it a try dumping the clamps in a bucket of dilute Muriatic acid. I really can hurt if you rinse them well.


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## mbendebba (Jan 22, 2011)

Pete: If you do not have too many to clean, you could try using a steel wool, LGB smoke fluid, and a little elbow grease; highly effective. 

Mohammed


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Once again MLS comes through a big thanks to everone. The clamps are filthy i have 190 of them to clean. Thanks for the help.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok i finished up doing the hillman clamps. The muriatic acid trick worked great. The clamps look 100% better, they do not look new they have more of a brownish color to them. THANKS TO ALL WITH YOUR HELP. Pete Di Giacomo.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Since they are now "squeaky clean", be sure to put some kind of grease on the threads of the screws.. otherwise you can have siezed screws. 

Greg


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg grease is a good idea thanks.


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

the magic stuff to use is acid coil cleaner used to clean airconditioner coils ..... any heat vac store should have it 


then you just drop them in wait a min or so then pull out and wash with soap and water and they will look brand new


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Interesting, that stuff is hydrofluoric and phosphoric acids (3 to 1 ratio respectively).... 

Greg


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is really nasty. The burns take a long time to heal. I would not recommend using it unless you really know how to handle dangerous liquids and take all the necessary precautions. As a geologist I used HF on a regular basis. I was always very careful with it. The only people I knew who ever got burned were wearing rubber gloves. The gloves had developed a pin hole and because they thought they were protected got a little careless and some of the HF passed through the hole onto the skin inside the glove.


The fumes are also very nasty. If you must use it have excellent ventilation, be out doors. Whenever I had it out in the lab, it was always in a fume hood with good ventilation. 


Chuck


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

this stuff is pink and is ment to be worked with my guess is the stuff you use is a lot stronger


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, you would not drink it for sure! Yep, the stuff I found is pretty low concentration. 

OSHA HAZARDOUS COMPONENTS EXPOSURE LIMITS: 8 HR. TWA 
(29 CFR 1910.1200) OSHA PEL ACGIH TLV 

PHOSPHORIC ACID (CAS# 7664-38-2) 1 MG/M3 1 MG/M3 

HYDROFLUORIC ACID (CAS# 7664-39-3) STEL: STEL: 3 MG/M3 
3 MG/M3 CL: 3 PPM (F) 
3 PPM (F) 

STEL: 6 PPM (F) 


Greg


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Back in the day (late 1960s) we used a solution of one part Muriatic Acid to six parts tap water to clean the innards of the injectors for the Crown Metal Products 4-4-0 on the Dry Gulch RR ride. Cleaning the injectors usually fell to me, and Howie severly warned me never to get any of that solution on myself or my clothing. There was a water tap right beside the acid bucket, and I would rinse the parts heavily before handling them. I used a length of heavy gauge copper wire to dip them. After about a minute's soak, brass, bronze, and copper items came out of the acid bath looking brand new.

By the end of my first summer, I had gotten good enough to pull the guts from an injector, clean them, rinse them, reassemble them, reinstall them, and have the injector running again in less than five minutes. 

Muriatic Acid would probably work for brass rail clamps in the same concentration as mentioned above. I would wear heavy rubber gloves and use a small mesh plastic basket with a long handle made from heavy gauge copper or brass wire to dip the clamps. I would suggest doing this in a utility sink - a two basin laundry sink would work best. Keep the acid solution container for dipping the clamps in one basin, and rinse the parts in the other basin. Be sure to dispose of the remaining acid solution in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and any local regulations.

Yours,
David Meashey


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

Posted By Bob Pero on 12 Nov 2011 11:09 AM 
The acid is also available in Swimming Pool supply stores.


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

Grrr, My post didnt come through...was saying it is in pool supply stores because it is used to clean scale buildup off the sides of pools.


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## pfdx (Jan 2, 2008)

A alternative method to try would be a vibratory or horizontal polisher. (i.e. a "Thumblers Tumbler) 

There are many different types and grits available that could wear the rail-clamps away to put a high polish on every surface. A rock shop or children's learning store will have a rock tumbler and basic grits. J&L/MSC has a good selection of media and "rubber jacks" to stir things up.

I've used a couple of job shops that used them to de-burr and take the tool marks off of parts. One egotist used one to polish his pocket change.

The tumblers can be had new for a reasonable price and for a song in the various used markets. The larger vibratory models get pricey but they are intended for production work. 

Plus no chemicals, very little work, and you will find other uses for them.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Actually, the grit will not get into the crevices that most often are the conduction points. 


Tumble and vibratory polishing is best suited to parts without crevices. 


Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Funny we use the tumbler to get into recesses that conventional polishing couldn't do. It's all in the media. 

Contempt prior to investigation might keep you in ignorance.... 

John


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok i have the hillman clamps cleaned and i 'am ready to sell them. I have never sold anything on ebay but i think i will offer them at $1.oo each i have 180 of them does that sound like a good selling price. Thanks for any input.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

you would have to use very small media to get in the V groove in most clamps. On hillmans, it's a square slot... even tougher... 

Most tumblers use stuff no smaller than about 1/8".... 

I've been using tumblers to polish stuff since about 1957.... what's your experience with extremely small media? What did you use that could get into that square slot in hillmans? Do you have experience with hillmans to know this directly? 

It's not contempt, it's experience talking here... 

Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

To polish our jewelry we used steel pins as shot in a magnetically driven tumbler, they were about 23 ga x .25" with some rounded ends and some flat ends. 

To make a declarative statement that it can't be done did sound like contempt, there are media that you are unfamiliar with, that's all. 

No I haven't tumbled any clamps, nor do I worry about silt that creeps inside joiners as I relied on the physical connections through the screws. Before batteries. 

Have a nice day. 

John


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Point taken John. 

Yeah, the pins you used would get pretty close, although they would still have to work very hard to get into that slot... but you are right they WOULD seem to have to work. 

I was reacting to using grit, pretty darn small grit would be needed. 


(batteries? what are those? ha ha!) 

Greg


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