Prebraze cleaning for 12L14 carbon steel

Date 11-22-2005 13:29

We machine 12L14 which rusts very easy. In the past pre-braze we have dipped the parts in a rust preventative product. However, this contaminates the braze joint. We are looking for a process or chemical that is braze friendly that will protect the part from rusting. Our braze house does not process the parts for a few weeks. We pre-assemble the joint with BAg-13a shims so cleaning the part pre-assembly, assembling then dipping in rust preventative is not an option. We have had good success tumbling with a 2% soap solution and not rinsing completely and blowing off the residue but this is very time consuming. Any solutions available??

By billvanderhoof (****)

Date 11-23-2005 06:08

Would it work to put the part in a plastic bag with one of those silica gel moisture absorbers?
Bill

By captaintom62 (*)

Date 11-23-2005 13:08

No. I assume you mean "dessicants"? We process 50,000 parts a year. Too many bags. We thought about VCI paper but it would be too cumbersome. We process alot of parts through dipping tanks. We have a passivation line, bright dipping line and a chemical cleaner line. Our onsight "chemist" has left the company and left us without technical support.

By billvanderhoof (****)

Date 11-24-2005 08:35

Right, dessicants, sometimes the correct word just won't come.
Bill

By captaintom62 (*)

Date 12-09-2005 19:47

I found a product that works well chemically. It is found in one of our existing rust inhibitors. Triethanolamine. Say that fast with some popcorn in your mouth..... We have been using it for a few weeks, so far so good

By captaintom62 (*)

Date 12-12-2006 19:53

Just an update for those interested few. The Triethanolamine ended up being very inconsistant. 20% mixture in water and as it got "used" the protection declined and the residue became another problem. Not rust, but gummy sticky stuff. We changed to VCI paper. We store the parts in 12" x 12" x 12" boxes with a lining of the paper. Excellent results so far.