Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire cleaning a chain?

I have a couple of small pieces of chain that I want to paint, but they have rust on them. I also have a small cement mixer, and was thinking that I could use it to clean up the chain, but what medium to use. Would regular gravel work, or too big? I wish I had some pea gravel to try, but do not. Any ideas out there? miles

Got any sand?

My vote too

Drag them down a sandy road behind your truck.

Throw em in a 50/50 solution vinegar and water for a day or two.

wonder if chem dip would work.

That's three votes for sand!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^This is what we do.

Try soaking them in vinegar or diesel for a few days, then wash and tumble in sand if needs be....

No sand, no sandy road. Just about 18 inches long for each one. miles

I cleaned up a couple of old spanners a few years ago by soaking in diesel and I was surprised who well it worked.

You'd probably need to degrease them afterwards though...

Miles, are they rusted? or just dirty from oil and dirt ?

If you have a cement mixer, toss them in with any abrasive. Sand, dirt, etc. It only takes a few minutes.

This. It'll take the rust off nicely.

any chain drug behind the tractor any distance, and we don't really have a lot of sand, will become mostly clean and shiny...... can soak in vinegar or even ospho after that...

I tried vinegar on some old planter parts a few years back but was not too impressed. I used straight vinegar though. These pieces of chain just have some spots of rust, but some inside the loops where it is hard to get to. This was just an idea that I came up with while wire brushing the parts the chain goes onto. Torsion bars for my camper hitch. miles

this.

and be suprised now much asphalt will make a dragging safety chain disappear

As mentioned, tumbling it with sand would work great. If you have no sand, try ashes.

Tie them to a rope, tie the rope to you bumper... drive anywhere.

Put them in the mixer with with about anything.

Buy new (they are only 1.5' after all).

Not trying to be rude, but unless they are sentimental or something this will all fix enough to be able to paint and reuse.

Naval jelly would work too. There is also stuff (ospho?) that converts light rust to a paintable primer.