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I want to paint the tracks on the BARV so they aren't such a nice retro Airfix Sherman silver colour.

The unforeseen problem with driving on the beaches in Normandy was that the sand got everywhere, and as we were staying in a static caravan, I didn't have any facilities for removing them and cleaning the sand off, so over time the sand has hardened into something which laughed in the face of my manual or electric wire brushes.

Looking on the trasure hunting forums, it seemed that acid was the way to go, so I have been cleaning them with a solution of acetic acid and water, in an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner:


After three session of 8 minutes each, then drying and a quick brush over to get the film off, they come up nicely:

Shame there has to be 320 of these buggers on a Sherman

Adrian.

Nicely done!

Stainless Steel Pin tumbling is also a great way to clean parts. A bit of acetic acid and water and a rotary tumbler setup... cleans, polished, deburrs without causing material loss.

But those ultrasonic cleaners are outstanding!

Cheers,

RPR

Oddly enough I did invest in a Discovery Channel rock tumbler a while ago - £5 from Ebay


I was going to try it out last night but I seem to have thrown the 5V power supply away at some point

Adrian.

Adrian
I'm amazed the salt water didn't do more damage. White vinegar works great in this application. I would also use a dry spray lube <not a grease> on the track pins. This will extend the life of them.
Bob