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#365
Artifact
NitroxNick - 12/07/2009 1:23 PM
Category: General
Replies: 5

Yesterday I brought up an old 9 pound anchor. It’s sitting in fresh water right now. What’s the best way to preserve it? Can I just paint it with black oil based paint? It’s not valuble.
#7373
UWnewbee - 12/07/2009 3:33 PM
NICE FIND!! I know of 2 ways,, easy or time consumming (better result), The easy way you can paint it but it has to be a heavy coat, and you can use such as rustoleum catyalist paint that changes rust to steel, but first you have to clean it well, scrape or sandblast the heavy scale off. The 1 problem in this method is that depending how long the artifact was in the water the sandblasting or scraping could turn your 9 pounder into a 9 ouncer, the rusting process can still continue on the inside under the paint! The Other way (time consumming) way, an electrolysis bath which is easy to set up but timely. If you want more info drop me a line or If you find another way through other members, but untill you decide keep the artifact submerged in freshwater cause if you found it in salt water the air will be havoc on it! Ive used the electro on restoring/cleaning parts and for artifacts. Theres a aleast a 50pounder that I found in a dive, but its encrusted to rocks and one tip is broken at the shaft 38ft water, maybe thinkin its better to leave it and go back and look at it with just bubbles!
#365
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NitroxNick - 12/07/2009 4:19 PM
I found this in 12 feet of water arm deep in muck. I was searching for old bottles and got hold of the anchor. I was working in 0 viz. http://www.divebuddy.com/photo.aspx?PicID=43929"> src="http://www.divebuddy.com/members/photos/pic_10711_43929sm.jpg" border=0>
#7373
UWnewbee - 12/07/2009 8:06 PM
1 more tip,, change the freshwater a few times throughout the course of the week, after removing heavy rust/scale, heat up with a blow torch to dry it, let cool then prime & paint.
#5471
DiveBuddyChgo - 12/11/2009 1:42 PM
Soak it in Diesel Fuel for a long time.. Do the research first... Mike
#365
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NitroxNick - 12/11/2009 7:35 PM
Thanks everyone. The basin of fresh water it was soaking in is now a solid block of ice. Long Island is in a cold spell right now. And I might be diving at that same site this Sunday, weather permitting.