I want to sandblast the firebox of a locomotive stored outside in order to remove traces of soot and ash to prevent any further rot. My question is, should the firebox be coated in order to prevent the clean metal from rusting again? If so, I would want something that can be easily removed and preferably something that will not interfere with a UT test. <p>Thanks,<br>Roger<br>



Belpaire@aol.com

Roger:<p>I assume you are talking about the inside (fire side) firebox surfaces. If you blast metal, you have to coat it ASAP and thoroughly to prevent rusting. Rather than blasting, I would suggest using something to remove the soot and ash like engine cleaner (Gunk or equal), because light rust itself is a pretty good corrosion inhibitor. You could then wipe down the metal with something like Oxy-solve, which is a product that converts rust into something inert and leaves a light protective coating on the metal. As long as the metal doesn't get wet, this will retard further rusting. Eastwood (maker of auto restoration products) sells this stuff pretty cheap and it is relatively non-toxic.<p>If you are determined to abrasive blast, you could try spraying it down with some sort of preservative oil just as soon as you finish. There are "clingy" oils made for this purpose. This might need to be touched up periodically, but as long as nobody is climbing around in the firebox it should be OK. I can't imagine this would impair UT'ing, but it could be cleaned off easily enough with a rag and solvent if necessary.<p>Good luck!



The Ultimate Steam Page
whodom@awod.com

A couple of thoughts. If your stay bolts are drilled then sand blasting may clog them to the point where you nay not be able to drill them out. Sand Blasting really isn't beneficial to the metal and may actually drive the sulfides deep into the structure. There are cleaning methods that will be good to the parent metal. There are a number of metal preservatives out there, it just means that when you need to remove what ever you chose it will take some work. After all is done placing a small heater or perhaps a few high watt spot lights in the firebox and smoke box will help to keep the moisture low. Moisture when combined with the sulphides can produce sulfuric acid.<br>