CI Cleanup Work Area

[miniwoodworker]

Our first hard freeze is expected tonight. So, today I had to disconnect my outdoor sink, drain the lines, etc. It'll probably be next March or April before it's hooked up again. That was the perfect spot to clean up CI. Since it was like a potting bench, I didn't have to worry about the mess I made. Just grab the water hose for a quick and easy cleanup after scrubbing CI.

Now I have to move inside my workshop. That currently has a small bar sink, mainly for hand washing and water for a pot of coffee. I'm definitely going to need something larger than that. Before I rip it out and start over, I'd like your thoughts and ideas on how you've setup for this part of the CI cleaning process. If you had to do it over, what would you change? What's your system for storing brushes, scrub pads, etc. that you use? When I take out the bar sink counter, I'll have about 4' of wall space to do something better.

If you don't mine sharing, I'd love to see pictures of how you handle this aspect. Thanks, in advance, for any and all ideas and suggestions that you have. Will be much appreciated.

Lee

[gt]

I would look for a SS table and SS sinks first but probably quite expensive.  I clean over the two plastic/fiber tubs in the laundry room (1970s vintage) and they are permanently colored a blotchy black - destroyed in my wife's opinion.  

[Scott Sanders]

Lee,
I was looking for a used stainless steel sink with counter space.  I was going to try and use that for electrolysis, but couldn't find anything over 13 inches deep.  I didn't feel this would be deep enough to hang iron in so I went to plan B....ordered one of Perry's barrels.  In looking though, I did find some sinks at a salvage or used resturant supply business.  They ran somewhere around $100.00.  It still might be a good idea to buy one for clean-up purposes.  If you get a double sink, you could use one side for cleaning and one side for lye bath.  HHHMMMMM....now I'll have to go back and look at them again.  Thanks for bringing up the subject of clean-up.

Scott  [smiley=thinkerg.gif] [smiley=thinkerg.gif] [smiley=thumbsup.gif]    

[Steve_Stephens]

I clean up in my garage laundry sink usually but sometimes in my kitchen sink where I put a rubber mat in the sink first to keep it from scratching.  I have a round hole cut in the mat so the water will drain.  I use a plastic (nylon, I think) stiff brush with a short handle on it to scrub.  I store it wherever I toss it; usually on top of the dryer but the brush gets used around the house for other things too.

Steve

[miniwoodworker]

Thanks for your replies.  :)

Now I'm torn between a laundry sink and a twin bowl SS sink.  :-/  I can see advantages and disadvantages for both. My backyard sink is a large single bowl SS. Great for cleaning, but rinsing becomes a problem when the sink is full.

Don't have a resturant supplies place nearby. Local "junk" shop wanted $250 for a rusty commercial twin bowl sink a couple of month ago. At the time I wanted that for the backyard. They also get high dollars for used galvanized laundry tubs. (People use them to ice down beer in the summer for parties.)

I'll check on the laundry tubs at Lowes or Home Depot. Also thinking about going by Habit for Humanity as they usually have a variety of sinks. My budget is limited for this new passion of mine, so I can't put a lot into a sink, faucet, cabinet, etc.

Thanks for the idea of using a rubber mat in the bottom of an SS sink. One of those is definitely going into that backyard sink. It already shows the effects of cleaning CI in it. But a mat would let it get any worse next summer.

Do keep those ideas and suggestions coming.  :) Electro is finally setup. Two lye baths (one with pans, one with stove parts) are full of iron. I've got to get something, other than my kitchen, ready for cleaning. I make too much mess in the kitchen, especially with that wire brush.  :(

Again, thanks all.
Lee

[Paul Beer]

Lee, I use a deep laundry sink with a faucet that has the spray function with the extension feature so you can rinse etc. I keep a old enamel oval dish pan and use it in the bottom of the tub to put the soapy  water in. The sink or tub is fiber glass and are easily found at the Home Depots etc.. Have used the kitchen sink but this is much better and less mess in the kitchen. Good luck..

[Greg Stahl]

I have the same setup as Paul, a double deep 'plastic' laundry sink in the basement.  works great.

[miniwoodworker]

Again, thanks for your replies. Hope to get by Lowes or Home Depot over the weekend to check those out.

Had a thought yesterday that I'd like to pass on. May be useful to someone. When I go to one of the home improvement stores, I'm planning to pick up a painter's drop cloth. They're plastic with a non-slip side to them. My workshop has a painted wooden floor. One of those cloths in front of the sink will help protect it from those black drips and splatters. Since I don't need a big "mat", one cloth will make several of these. Should work well in the kitchen or anywhere else that cleaning CI can stain the floor.

Hope this is helpful. And, again, thanks for your replies.
Lee

[Greg Stahl]

good idea Lee.  My basement is not finished, so the splats are not that big of a deal yet.  However, with the remodel we are doing, we have moved the washer and dryer to the basement, so Becky may think differently now, LOL ;)

[Roy G. Meadows]

Lee,
My system want work for everyone, but for those that live on a creek it might be an idea. I take my pieces out of the lye bath (could just as well be electrolysis) and carry them out to a big rock beside a small creek next to our house. There I scrub, brush, rinse, and in general make a mess- but who cares. The next rain even rinses off my rock as well as the creek bank. I don't believe the rather small amount of caustic damages the stream environment significantly. There are no fish in the stream in the immediate area and it sure has not stopped the weeds from growing in the stream. After the "crud" is rinsed off, I dry the pieces and take them into my shop to brush and finish off. In the winter I just put on my coat ant rubber gloves and head for the creek. I have to make sure the snow is not too deep and the creek is not frozen solid, but this hasn't been a big problem here in Connecticut.
                                                           Roy

[miniwoodworker]

Funny that you'd mention that. We do have a stream in the backyard. In fact there are two of them. The one near the house is much smaller than the other one. That's one of the reasons we bought this property many years ago.

While I don't think it would hurt anything, I can't take the chance because I'm about 1/2 mile upstream from the water source of a nearby town. Thus, I don't want to do anything that even slightly could affect that water supply. Plus, we're in a grandfathered situation. Don't want to do anything that could have a negative effect on that status, either.

I must admit, however, that it sounds really tempting. If I had a nice flat rock that would probably push me over the edge anyway. For one thing, I love any excuse that lets me be outdoors.  :)

Lee

[Troy_Hockensmith]

Now I don't have the time to look up the facts right now but I think I read in one of the foxfire books about making lye soap. The lye was basically made from ashes. THey had a hopper they would put the ashes in and add water. It would drip out and they called it lye. It was this product they used to make the lye soap with. Imagine, animal fat and ashes to make soap.

 I don't believe lye is harmful, at least in small amounts to the envirionment. I would like to hear anyones thoughts on this.

[Greg Stahl]

Yes, lye in the amounts that would be 'adherent' to your cookware that you would be cleaning would not hurt the environment.  NaOH, which is lye, would be quickly neutralized by the acidic nature of most water found in nature.

[Fusion_power]

I have a good recipe to make lye soap if anyone needs it.

Re arranging a CI cleanup area, think of it just like a kitchen.  You need a sink with lots of light, a stove/oven to season in, and a set of lye and electro drums to clean iron.  Arrange them in a triangle so the amount of travel between is minimal without being crowded.

[miniwoodworker]

Darrel, my grandmother made lye soap, many, many years ago. I wish that I'd gotten her recipe then. At the time I was just a kid and thought her soap smelled funny. Now I wish I had a big cake of it.

Would love to see your recipe!

Good advice on the layout for CI cleaning. Wish I could follow it. My workshop is only 12'x16'. With woodworking equipment, a wood stove for heat, and now a full sized gas stove there isn't enough room to cuss a cat. Plus, I don't think the wooden floor would take the weight of those water filled barrels.

I set the lye bath up outside near the south facing wall. It'll stay hot during the summer. During the winter, between the sun and thermal mass I'm hoping that it won't freeze solid.

Had to put the electro setup on the north side, unfortunately. If I put in along side the lye bath, the battery charger would grow legs and walk off.  >:(

Sometimes I wish I could rent a 40'x100' or larger warehouse. Now I'm also trying to figure out where to put the results of this newly awakened CI collecting passion.  :-/  :)

Again, good advice. Truly wish I could follow it.
Lee

[miniwoodworker]

Update:

Went to Home Depot and bought a twin compartment laundry sink. Hooked it up over the weekend. Thanks to all the great advice I've received, I now have a good place to clean CI or anything else that's large and/or messy. Washing/sanitizing canning jars is a good example. Sure beats having to do that outside with a #10 washtub or fighting for space in the kitchen sink.

Here's a tip if you want to hook up a sink outdoors or in an unheated space. (I heat my shop with wood when I'm out there.)

Listed in order of assembly.

Copper fittings that screw onto the faucet where water lines attach. This fitting adapts the faucet to accept a water hose. Home Depot/Lowes and Ace Hwd have them.

To the faucet attach a washing machine mixing hose. This is a Y shaped hose. Attach one side to the hot, the other to the cold sides of the faucet. Reason to use this is to have the ability to drain both sides of the faucet to keep it from freezing. I made the mistake one time of simply capping off the hot side. It couldn't drain, froze, and burst the faucet.

To the 3rd "leg" of the mixing hose, attach a washing machine fill hose. This has a female fitting on both ends. Drilled a hole through my shop wall for this hose. Outside, I attached a food grade water hose from the outdoor faucet at the house. (Used food grade - available from WalMart, Lowes, etc. because I make coffee and tea in my shop.) The small amount of non-food grade hose isn't material as I let the water run awhile for drinking purposes.)

To drain, simply open the sink faucet, disconnect from the house, and pull the hose down hill a bit. The height of the sink gives enough gravity to drain the hose. Your situation may vary. By doing this I don't have to worry about the hose being plugged with ice the next time I use it.

Bought a plastic dishpan that fits in the sink for doing small items. Next time I see one, I'm going to buy a small 1 step plastic stool to sit in the sink. The dishpan will sit on top of that to help save my back.  ;)

Also found at Home Depot, along with the sinks, a wire caddy made for use with a laundry sink. It hooks on the side and rests inside the sink. Has a shallow compartment for storing sponges, scrubbies, etc. A deep compartment for tall stuff, hooks for hanging brushes, and even a bar to hang a dish cloth. If memory serves it was $7.99.

For the drain, I used a 24' sump pump hose. It attached to the drain where a p-trap is normally installed with a hose clamp. I didn't want a trap that can freeze. No, it doesn't meet code. No, I doubt that I could use it if I lived in a city with picky neighbors close by. Yes, I'm very careful about what goes into that sink. If this turns out to be a problem behind my shop, the next step in the plan will be to install a dry well for grey water discharge. Also, I plan to capture some of this water for plant watering next summer.

So, thanks to all who replied I'm now setup.

Lee

PS: Hope to have an old Magic Chef gas stove hooked up to a 100# lb tank in the next few days. That stove is probably 40 years old and has been in storage for more than 20. I did a test hookup to a 20# tank the other day, and it works fine! Cleaned it up. Put up the original hood for it yesterday. All that's left is to put a 100# tank in place and hook it up.

Getting there.........  :)

[Steve_Stephens]

And here is a non-feasible idea that may seem stupid but I got to thinking if it would work or not:  A dedicated dishwasher to clean iron.  Just fill the dishwasher with the iron, throw in a pound of lye, and run through a cycle that could be extended to several hours or more.  Why not?  Lye will probably not hurt the plastic interiors of a dishwasher or stainless steel if you have that kind.  I don't say for anyone to actually do this but would it work??  If the dishwasher has heating coils to help heat the water that would make for faster cleaning.  Maybe some kind of commercial dishwasher could be made to work well.  The lye water could be recycled for many cleanings.

Steve

[miniwoodworker]

Steve, I think I "see" the concept you have in mind. Do you think the spray action or the water heating or the combination would make this more effective than a soaking tub? The part that I haven't figured out is how to recycle the solution.

Your idea has led me down this path. Set an enameled water bath canner on a turkey fryer. Fill canner with iron and lye solution and gently simmer. (Using all applicable safety precautions, of course.) That'll get the heating action of the dish washer. And, some water movement, but not to the extent of the spray arms.

What do you think?

Lee

[Steve_Stephens]

Do you think the spray action or the water heating or the combination would make this more effective than a soaking tub? The part that I haven't figured out is how to recycle the solution.

 Set an enameled water bath canner on a turkey fryer.
Lee

Lee, I definitely think the aggitation would help clean and the higher temperature sure would.  As for recycling the solution just let the dishwasher pump the liquid into a bucket with a hose at the bottom leading back into the dishwasher for the refil cycle.  You might have to top off now and then.

I don't know what the enameled water bath canner or the turkey fryer are but that doesn't matter.  If porcelainized you shouldn't use the canner if you don't want the porcelain etched as lye with do so to porcelain.

I have, on occasion, lugged my 5 gal. lye bucket into my house and set on my electric stove burner so I can heat the lye to about 150-200 deg.  It works great and, so far, I've hardly spilled any lye.  But what a mess it would make if I spilled the bucket.

What would the Kitchen Aid repairman think when he came to fix your lye dishwasher??

Steve

[miniwoodworker]

Steve,

Here's the "turkey fryer" that I recently bought. The reason why I chose this particular one is the flat top. Some have brackets that help secure large pots of oil for frying turkeys. This one I'll use with my 20" CI skillet for frying fish. It's also handy for lots of other things, too.  ;)

Here's the link.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@1531274699.1133291339@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceaddggfkfhdmcgelceffdfgidgmj.0&MID=9876 If the link doesn't work, their model number is SQ14

Here's a pix of a waterbath canner from Target.
(Amazon)
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_13/601-0447762-4427314?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B0001UD0Q0

The reason why I suggested an enameled canner is they are much less expensive than stainless steel. Canners are also wider than most stock pots or turkey fryer pots. And, they are often at flea markets. Think I paid $5 for my largest one. Thus, it wouldn't matter if the canner became etched in the process of boiling CI.

The more I think about this, the more I think I'm going to try it. As far as I can tell, at this point, the only thing I really have to worry about (beyond normal precautions with lye)  is keeping the solution from boiling over. I'm thinking that if I put a trivet of some type in the canner and set a frying pan on it upside down, I could fill it about 1/3 to 1/2 full of solution. Then, boil over shouldn't be a problem. And, I could run it at a rolling boil, thus getting the water action along with the heat.

If it do try it, it'll be in a day or 2. Heavy rain here today with the chance of severe t-storms.

What do you think? Worth a try?

Lee

Edit: Put the skillet and especially something like a dutch oven right side up. In further thinking about it, air can be trapped underneath and that might not be too safe with lye.