how to get the black stuff off?

[Sqirrely]

Hey all ,
I've been wondering, after the quench , whats the best way to get the black residue off?

Thanks

[Emmons]

A over night soak in vinager then rinse with bake soda and water.  Might have to srub a little with a scotch bright, but your finishing belts or paper will last a lot longer.

James

[Wampus]

I've got a little 4-1/2" angle grinder that works well and those discs are cheaper and last a lot longer than belts or paper.  Once the hard scale is knocked off I go to the belt grinder.

[prarieboy]

I have a 6" flap wheel on My grinder @ 320 grit.I recomend a respirator too!

[Sqirrely]

Thanks everybody,

I think I'll give the vinegar a try first.

[skillet]

Wire wheel or flapper on your angle grinder. SAVE THE BELTS for grinding after that nasty scale is gone!

[Ragnarok Forge]

Vinegar works great and saves on sanding paper and belt costs.  I soak mine for two days and scrub it off with a tooth brush.  Then dip in baking soda saturated water and give a good scrubbing.  This neutralizes the acid and helps prevent rusting.  Another good trick is a bead blaster.  A wire wheel on a 3/4 or 1 hp bench grinder will knock it off as well and leave a burnished finish on the steel.

[tippit]

Jason Knight uses hydrochloric acid 1:4 water in a soak of just a couple of hours...works quite nicely.  Doc

[jvholt]

I usually do a light hand sanding with whatever grit I finished with before heat treat and quench, but before I temper it. It removes most of the hard black stuff. I also like the vinegar soak. I put a little dish soap in the vinegar and let it sit overnight then nuetralize it and scrub a little bit.