A needlegun scaler, needle scaler, or needle-gun is a tool used to remove rust, mill scale, and old paint from metal surfaces. [2] The tool is used in metalwork applications as diverse as home repair, automotive repair, and shipboard preservation. [3] [4] [5]
A needle gun has a set of very fine chisels known as needles. [3] The tool forces these needles against a work surface at variable speeds up to around 5,000 times per minute. [3] [2] Different models offer choices of number of needles, operating speed, and power levels. [3] Many models use compressed air, although electrical needle-guns do exist. [3] [6]
In a pneumatic unit, compressed air forces a piston forwards and backwards. [3] This movement causes the needles to move back and forth against the work surface. [3]
The needle gun has advantages over other scaling tools. Its main advantage is that the needles automatically adjust themselves to contours, making the tool a good choice for cleaning irregular surfaces. [2] A needle gun can clean an area to bare metal in seconds, and compares well to other scaling tools in terms of accuracy and precision. [3]
It is recommended that before needlegunning, a surface should be prepared by removing oil, grease, dirt, chemicals and water-soluble contaminants. [5] This can be done with solvents or with a combination of detergent and fresh water. [5] Then, the needle gun is used to remove rust, loose scale, and paint, leaving bare metal. [5] It is used most effectively by holding it at a 45° angle to the work surface. [5] It is recommended that an area no larger than 6 to 8 inches (150 to 200 mm) be cleared at once. [5] Two to three passes over an area is generally sufficient to clean it. [5] Then the process is repeated until the desired area is completed. [5]
Prior to painting, it is desirable to feather any edges between metal and old paint. [5] It is also important to check the surface for oil deposited during chipping, and if necessary, clean the area with solvents. [5] Since bare metal surfaces will flash rust soon after exposure to the atmosphere, paint should be applied as soon as possible after chipping. [5] If flash rusting occurs prior to coating, further chipping, cleaning and sanding may be necessary. [5]
Because the power tool is noisy and can produce flying chips of debris as well as fine dust, PPE to protect vision, hearing, and breathing are recommended by safety regulators and tool manufacturers. [7] [8]
Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color and primer, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many colors—and in many different types. Paint is typically stored, sold, and applied as a liquid, but most types dry into a solid. Most paints are either oil-based or water-based and each has distinct characteristics. For one, it is illegal in most municipalities to discard oil-based paint down household drains or sewers. Clean-up solvents are also different for water-based paint than they are for oil-based paint. Water-based paints and oil-based paints will cure differently based on the outside ambient temperature of the object being painted. Usually, the object being painted must be over 10 °C (50 °F), although some manufacturers of external paints/primers claim they can be applied when temperatures are as low as 2 °C (35 °F).
Spray painting is a painting technique in which a device sprays coating material through the air onto a surface. The most common types employ compressed gas—usually air—to atomize and direct the paint particles.
White spirit (AU, UK and Ireland) or mineral spirits (US, Canada), also known as mineral turpentine (AU/NZ), turpentine substitute, and petroleum spirits, is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting. There are also terms for specific kinds of white spirit, including Stoddard solvent and solvent naphtha (petroleum). White spirit is often used as a paint thinner, or as a component thereof, though paint thinner is a broader category of solvent. Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) have been refined to remove the more toxic aromatic compounds, and are recommended for applications such as oil painting.
Military miniaturism is a niche within the broader hobby of modeling focusing on military subjects. It is itself a rather broad subject, dealing with any scale model of military theme. It has an ever growing range of sub-hobbies, including scale figure modeling, armour modeling, model ship building, military aviation modeling, and historical wargaming.
A primer or undercoat is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted.
Cosmoline is the genericized trademark for a common class of brown, wax-like petroleum-based corrosion inhibitors, typically conforming to United States Military Standard MIL-C-11796C Class 3. They are viscous when freshly applied, have a slight fluorescence, and solidify over time with exposure to air. The main ingredient in cosmoline is aliphatic petroleum solvent, which is volatile and evaporates over time.
Ultrasonic cleaning is a process that uses ultrasound to agitate a fluid, with a cleaning effect. Ultrasonic cleaners come in a variety of sizes, from small desktop units with an internal volume of less than 0.5 litres (0.13 US gal), to large industrial units with volumes approaching 1,000 litres.
Lineman's pliers, Kleins, linesman pliers, side cutting linesman pliers and combination pliers are a type of pliers used by linemen, electricians, and other tradesmen primarily for gripping, twisting, bending and cutting wire, cable, and small metalwork components. They owe their effectiveness to their plier design, which multiplies force through leverage.
Parts cleaning is essential in many industrial processes, as a prelude to surface finishing or to protect sensitive components. Electroplating is particularly sensitive to part cleanliness, since molecular layers of oil can prevent the coating adhesion. ASTM B322 is a standard guide for cleaning metals prior to electroplating. Cleaning processes include solvent cleaning, hot alkaline detergent cleaning, electro-cleaning, and acid etch. The most common industrial tests for cleanliness of machinery is the water-break test, in which the surface is thoroughly rinsed and vertically held. A quantitative measurement for this parameter is the contact angle. Hydrophobic contaminants such as oils cause the water to bead and break up, allowing the water to drain rapidly. Perfectly clean metal surfaces are hydrophilic and will keep an unbroken sheet of water that does not bead up or drain off. ASTM F22 describes a version of this test. This test does not detect hydrophilic contaminants, but the electroplating process can displace these easily since the solutions are water-based. Surfactants such as soap reduce the sensitivity of the test, so these must be thoroughly rinsed off.
Conservation and restoration of road vehicles is the process of restoring a vehicle back to its original working condition, whether the car is partially scrapped or completely totaled. Automotive restoration can be applied to many different eras of the automobile. Bus preservation groups aim to purchase buses of various eras to restore them to their original operating condition. Buses are often restored to the original authentic livery of their original owner.
Paintless dent repair (PDR), also known as paintless dent removal, describes a method of removing minor dents from the body of a motor vehicle. A wide range of damage can be repaired using paintless dent repair as long as the paint surface is intact. Paintless dent repair may be used on both aluminum and steel panels.
Flame cleaning, also known as flame gouging, is the process of cleaning a structural steel surface by passing an intensely hot oxyacetylene flame over it. Mill scale and rust are removed by the reducing effect of the flame and the action of the heat, leaving the surface in a condition suitable for wire brushing and painting.
ISO 8501-1 – Preparation of steel substrates before application of paints and related products – Visual assessment of surface cleanliness – Part 1: Rust grades and preparation grades of uncoated steel substrates and of steel substrates after overall removal of previous coatings
Iron, steel, and ferrous metals constitute a large portion of collections in museums. The conservation and restoration of iron and steel objects is an activity dedicated to the preservation and protection of objects of historical and personal value made from iron or steel. When applied to cultural heritage this activity is generally undertaken by a conservator-restorer. Historically, objects made from iron or steel were created for religious, artistic, technical, military and domestic uses. Though it is generally not possible to completely halt deterioration of any object, the act of conservation and restoration strives to prevent and slow the deterioration of the object as well as protecting the object for future use. One of the first steps in caring for iron is to examine them and determine their state, determine if they are corroding, and consider options for treatment.
The conservation and restoration of painting frames is the process through which picture frames are preserved. Frame conservation and restoration includes general cleaning of the frame, as well as in depth processes such as replacing damaged ornamentation, gilding, and toning.
The conservation and restoration of frescoes is the process of caring for and maintaining frescos, and includes documentation, examination, research, and treatment to insure their long-term viability, when desired.
Conservation-restoration of bone, horn, and antler objects involves the processes by which the deterioration of objects either containing or made from bone, horn, and antler is contained and prevented. Their use has been documented throughout history in many societal groups as these materials are durable, plentiful, versatile, and naturally occurring/replenishing.
The conservation and restoration of paintings is carried out by professional painting conservators. Paintings cover a wide range of various mediums, materials, and their supports. Painting types include fine art to decorative and functional objects spanning from acrylics, frescoes, and oil paint on various surfaces, egg tempera on panels and canvas, lacquer painting, water color and more. Knowing the materials of any given painting and its support allows for the proper restoration and conservation practices. All components of a painting will react to its environment differently, and impact the artwork as a whole. These material components along with collections care will determine the longevity of a painting. The first steps to conservation and restoration is preventive conservation followed by active restoration with the artist's intent in mind.
The conservation and restoration of lighthouses is when lighthouse structures are preserved through detailed examination, cleaning, and in-kind replacement of materials. Given the wide variety of materials used to construct lighthouses, a variety of techniques and considerations are required. Lighthouses alert seagoers of rocky shores nearby and provide landmark navigation. They also act as a physical representation to maritime history and advancement. These historic buildings are prone to deterioration due to their location on rocky outcrops of land near the water, as well as severe weather events, and the continued rise of sea levels. Given these conditions preservation and conservation efforts have increased.
Ships husbandry or ship husbandry is all aspects of maintenance, cleaning, and general upkeep of the hull, rigging, and equipment of a ship. It may also be used to refer to aspects of maintenance which are not specifically covered by the technical departments. The term is used in both naval and merchant shipping, but naval vessel husbandry may also be used for specific reference to naval vessels.