Lock Cleaning

As I said in the last post, I wanted to clean up the heart shaped lock.



Jon Harris of the Triangle Relic Recovery and Historic Preservation Association told me how to do it through a process called "electrolysis".



I did some research on the Internet and came up with a homemade system to remove the rust and corrosion from small parts and objects.





It was actually pretty simple to construct.

All you need is a battery charger, a bucket, 4 or 5 metal re bar sections, some wire, wire nuts, and alligator clips to hold the parts in the solution.









Here, a piece of a Southern Cross is being "de-rusted".


Notice the bubbles ensuring the process is working. You need to get metal to metal contact with the piece and the alligator clip for it to work.


Time in the solution will vary depending on the amount of rust.





The lock was left in the solution for about 4 hours.



It was removed and brushed with a steel bristled brush and the rust flakes fell off like they were never there.



The lock was then allowed to dry and sprayed with WD40 to prevent rust


After cleaning, the brass shank revealed the lock manufacturer.

Wilson Bohannon Co.
Marion Ohio U.S.A.

I will do some research to see if they are still in business and to see what information I can get on the lock.