Boeshield - How to REMOVE it ?

[Allan Speers]

I just love me some Boeshield. I use it all over the place for long-term rust prevention. I even like it as "finish" on my wooden planes, buffed-out after drying. (seriously)


However, I now have a problem with the stuff. I want to start refurbing a large number of planes & tools that have been sitting in storage for years (the exact number of hand planes is literally embarrassing! )
- and while I usually use electrolysis, this time I'd like to try chelation (an Evaporust type solution) because it's much faster when dealing with a lot of small parts.

Problem is, chealtion requires a fairly clean surface, and I can't get that thick, congealed, 10-year old coating of Boeshield off of all the metal parts. It's incredibly tenacious & gloopy. Yech... I though a bath in hot water and detergent would do it, but the stuff is just laughing at me. Laquer thinner might work, but that would be very expensive, smelly, and time consuming.

Any ideas?

[glenn bradley]

According to the Boeshield site:

Easy to remove. Use solvent or any emulsifying cleaner to remove T-9, or simply respray and allow T-9 to dissolve itself before wiping it off.

As you have found, this is only true in the short term. For T-9, like WD-40, there are those who sing its praises and those of use who avoid it for almost everything as we are aware of their ugly downside. I would soak things in a tub of mineral spirits or other non-water based solvent and see what a few hours (or even 24) may bring. Good luck in dealing with the unattractive and unadvertised side of this metal miracle product. You are not alone so, if you find something that works well, please share-share-share.

[Bradley Potts]

Try mineral spirits -- I use it to remove the excess from my bicycle chain and frame -- and for metal parts it's pretty perfect for prep. Also, the Boeshield is a parafin/wax, so heat helps soften it so that the gross amounts can be wiped away more easily, then you can follow up w/ Citri-Solve type cleaners or careful scraping.

[Allan Speers]

Thanks, guys. I will try mineral spirits now. Maybe I'll add a little citris-strip to the mixture as well.

The main thing is, I need it to dissolve away. It's not really feasible to scrape and scrub all the little bits and threads.


I'm also thinking maybe I could add a little detergent to the chelation mix, especially since I always chelate at around 200 degrees F. - but I dunno if the detergent might interfere with the chelation chemical's bonding. Does anyone know?

[glenn bradley]

Looking forward to your success. Watch the citrus stuff as much of it is water based. Not a reason not to use it, just don't leave things too long ;-)

[nima hadavi]

I would use brake clean, it will remove the T-9 and leave a light residue. Use a high quality one such as Wurth as they use a detergent similar to what is used in industrial laundry mats. just wipe clean with a damp towel and you'll be good to go.

[Robert Engel]

You must have it piled up on the machines. I've never had the problem but I know brake cleaner will get it off.

[Peter Kelly]

Might just try straight acetone first. The primary ingredient in brake cleaner is typically Methanol which is pretty nasty stuff.

[Andrew Gibson]

Kerosene. Works for a lot of cleaning processes, is cheap, and you can fill up your old Dietz lantern while your at it.

[Alan Lightstone]

Might just try straight acetone first. The primary ingredient in brake cleaner is typically Methanol which is pretty nasty stuff.

Sadly, methanol is usually the primary ingredient in denatured alcohol that you pick up at the BORGs too.

Mineral spirits, and if that doesn't work, lacquer thinner sounds like a good start to me.

[Erik Loza]

I use brake cleaner as much as anyone (more of a car guy than a ww'er...) bit will be the first to tell you that "if" you elect to use it on any ww'ing machine, be VERY careful where you point that can. That stuff will eat a hole through pretty much everything but wood or metal. I permamently hazed one of the headlights on our 4Runner to the point where it needed to be replaced with some careless oversray from a can of brake cleaner, once.

Erik

[Alan Rutherford]

The Boeshield web site appears to have been crudely hacked to show links to "male enhancement products". You can easily avoid clicking those links (and should, because you don't know what's at the end of those links) and I'd avoid the site altogether for a while in case there is something else more evil and less obvious.

[Allan Speers]

I use brake cleaner as much as anyone (more of a car guy than a ww'er...) bit will be the first to tell you that "if" you elect to use it on any ww'ing machine, be VERY careful where you point that can. That stuff will eat a hole through pretty much everything but wood or metal. I permamently hazed one of the headlights on our 4Runner to the point where it needed to be replaced with some careless oversray from a can of brake cleaner, once.

Erik

Thanks for this tip!

I have gone through other options with varying results, and am about to try brake cleaner this weekend. (Also kerosene)


FWIW -

OMS was a dismal failure. It will remove the stuff, but you have to mechanically scrub, which is impossible in small areas. Plus, it's slimy stuff and almost as hard to get off as the Boeshield itself.


I did find that, with a very light coating of Boeshield, you can indeed just put a little detergent into the chelation tank / bowl then heat to around 200 degrees F. Everything comes off quickly. However, with a thick, dry-ish coating, this doesn't work too well.

Also, who knows if that detergent, and the dissolved Boeshield,might effect the chelation, especially as the mix starts to get dark. (Those chemicals are bloody expensive, you need to use every last ion ! )

And last, something is also needed to remove Boeshiled, wax, etc, from any tool if you are going to refinish it. I have some wooden planes I'd like to touch up, and getting all the wax off is TOUGH.

[Allan Speers]

Might just try straight acetone first. The primary ingredient in brake cleaner is typically Methanol which is pretty nasty stuff.

Acetone is also pretty nasty stuff! I try to avoid it.

[Peter Kelly]

Sadly, methanol is usually the primary ingredient in denatured alcohol that you pick up at the BORGs too.

Mineral spirits, and if that doesn't work, lacquer thinner sounds like a good start to me.

Denatured alcohol, otherwise known as methylated spirits or reagent-grade ethanol is usually 95%-98% ethanol. 2%-5% methanol and other adulterants are added to "de-nature" the compound in order to discourage human consumption (it isn't taxed the way that drinking spirits are).

If you want to avoid methanol in you're shellac formulations, 190-proof Everclear is an excellent substitute.