Traditional Muzzleloading Association

Craftsmanship => Accoutrements => Topic started by: sse on September 02, 2009, 04:22:23 PM

Title: Old ladle
Post by: sse on September 02, 2009, 04:22:23 PM
Fellas - I recently picked up an old iron ladle that I want to use in food prep, but it does appear to have a light, even coat of orange on it.  What would be the best way to clean it up real well?  I know a smith.  Should I take it to him and let him clean or brush it real well?  Thanks.
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Post by: Pichou on September 02, 2009, 06:39:44 PM
Orange... paint?  Super bright orange could be red lead.
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Post by: sse on September 03, 2009, 09:02:51 AM
Naw, by that I meant rust.
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Post by: Gambia on September 03, 2009, 09:26:53 AM
I often wondered the same thing. My thoughts were to sand blast it very clean and then re-season it. Just a thought, probably not a good one, but never the less a thought.
I have an old kettle that I wanted to do the same thing with.
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Post by: sse on September 03, 2009, 09:57:59 AM
Tell you what, griz-meister, I'll send it to you if you promise to make a nice tart tomato sauce and scoop some onto yer spaghetti with the ladle.  If you live to tell about it, reckon its fine... 8)    ;)    :lol
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Post by: Gambia on September 03, 2009, 10:04:12 AM
Quote from: "sse"
Tell you what, griz-meister, I'll send it to you if you promise to make a nice tart tomato sauce and scoop some onto yer spaghetti with the ladle.  If you live to tell about it, reckon its fine... 8)    ;)    :lol

I think you are too anxious to help.....maybe I should rethink this :rotf  let me sleep on this for a while :sleep
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Post by: sse on September 03, 2009, 10:07:01 AM
Hey griz - could I get you to take a pic of the ladle to post here in the thread, or should I take the pic...?
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Post by: Stryker on September 03, 2009, 10:32:20 AM
For rust, you don't need to sand blast, a good wire wheel in a drill motor or drill press is all you need. I've done dozen's of cast iron skillets that way. Now the carbon buildup is another story, sandblasting or a strong lye bath is the way to go there.
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Post by: sse on September 03, 2009, 10:34:59 AM
Quote
a good wire wheel in a drill motor or drill press is all you need.
Thanks!
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Post by: Three Hawks on September 04, 2009, 02:18:33 PM
Have you tried just washing it and scrubbing with some powdered cleanser and/or a stainless curly scrubber?

Rust may taste a bit funny, but it isn't  poisonous, at least not to hu-mons.  Iron and steel utensils do tend to take on an "off" taste if they're not really clean, that's why so many are tinned or nickle or chrome plated.

Three Hawks
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Post by: sse on September 04, 2009, 02:23:24 PM
Not yet, TH.  I would really like to get it scrubbed good and clean, best I can do, and then put a good solid seasoning on it to avoid any future problems, spose I could try anything, though.  Maybe I'll post a few pics.  Its a nice ladle with an unusual design.
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Post by: rollingb on September 04, 2009, 02:31:03 PM
If you'd jest "eat faster",... yore ladle wouldn't have time to rust.  :rotf
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Post by: sse on September 04, 2009, 02:40:06 PM
Quote from: "rollingb"
If you'd jest "eat faster",... yore ladle wouldn't have time to rust.  :lol    :lol
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Post by: rollingb on September 04, 2009, 03:01:09 PM
Quote from: "sse"
Quote from: "rollingb"
If you'd jest "eat faster",... yore ladle wouldn't have time to rust.  :lol    :lol

Waauuuuggggghhhhh!!!!!!!!........ be'ns ah'em tha tough old callused mountain man (thet I am),.... I kin eat boilin' stew purty fast rite from tha ladle,.... I jest gotta be careful NOT to bite tha ladle into, when ah'em eatin'.  :rt th

.... and, let yore dawg lick thet ladle off reeeeeel good afer yore dun eatin'n,..... and she ain't gonna git NO rust onner. (dawg "spit" works LOTS better'n WD-40, to prevent rust)  :bl th up  :laffing
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Post by: sse on September 04, 2009, 03:04:01 PM
:rotf
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Post by: sse on September 05, 2009, 03:18:13 PM
Give ya some idea...The bowl is pretty large, over a cup capacity.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/jwv/IMG_0424.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/jwv/IMG_0421.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/jwv/IMG_0422.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/jwv/IMG_0423.jpg)
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Post by: Three Hawks on November 13, 2009, 05:06:26 PM
That ladle is made of steel and will never "Season", just use it and keep it clean.  If it gets stuff stuck to it, any pumice based powdered cleanser will get it as clean as it will ever be. Try Comet or Dutch Cleanser.   The non scratching cleansers such as Bon Ami and Bartender's Friend will prove to be useless.  Get the gritty stuff that raises hell with counter tops and keep it for cleaning things that don't need a high shine.

Three Hawks
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Post by: sse on November 13, 2009, 05:09:50 PM
Well, that's interesting.  As you can imagine, I thought it was iron.
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Post by: Three Hawks on November 13, 2009, 06:33:38 PM
Unless you can date it to before 1900 it is almost certainly steel.  Pure wrought iron is very hard to come by any more and is horrificially expensive when it can be found.  I like to work wrought  iron as it works almost the same as copper.  Mild steel is much stronger, harder and 1/10 the cost.

The ladle appears to be machine made with perhaps two minutes of hand work in the hook on the handle end.  I wish I knew a quick test to differentiate between iron and steel.  Maybe one of the blacksmiths here can help.

I have some small pieces of wrought iron and they have some interesting properties.  Breaking an iron nail by bending it back and forth is nearly impossible, plain iron cuts as easily as annealed copper with a knife, shears or a chisel, and it can be torn along its grain structure with relative ease.  Steel will do none of these things.

The Iron bits I have are a couple of hand made wrought iron boat nails, and about a foot  of iron barrel hoop I found at an abandoned homestead in Eastern Washinton.  It was identified as iron because the buried portion was rusted off showing a pronounced, almost wood like grain structure.   I'd sure like to get my hands on more of it.   Barrel hoops made after about 1880 or so tend to be mild steel.  

Very old wagon, barn and  house door and window hardware have a good chance of being iron as well.  Cast and wrought iron have vastly different properties.  Neither will arc weld for crap, but wrought iron will nearly forge weld itself if asked politely.

Three Hawks
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Post by: Pitchy on November 13, 2009, 06:48:53 PM
I`m no expert  but you check iron by the sparks it throws when grinding. Steel will have white sparks and wrought iron will be real tellow and a different looking spark. grind both and you wwill see the difference.