Laser Rust Removal

[JackLondon]

Hi team,

Wondering if anyone has any insight into / experience with the new tech to treat rust with lasers. I'm looking at a 20 yo steel hull that needs some work and wondering if owning one of these machines would be a game changer and elevate the merits of steel due to this new found ease of maintenance.

Or am i dreaming?


Cheers and fair winds.

[BillKny]

Why would "lasers" be any better than grinding or sanding? I am always suspicious of "magic".

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by BillKny

Why would "lasers" be any better than grinding or sanding? I am always suspicious of "magic".

Watch some videos. It actually looks like fun and fast.
The machines aren’t cheap.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by BillKny

Why would "lasers" be any better than grinding or sanding? I am always suspicious of "magic".

Grinding, wire brushing, sanding, will all damage the metal in the process of removing the rust. Lasers don't.

It's also remarkably easy work by comparison.

I recommend doing research on it. Education is the enemy of suspicion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACGSzBXKONo

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Jack.

[Sailmonkey]

Half a million USD for the unit that seems to work! It’s really cool technology, but that’s a lot of yard labor to chip and grind!!

[nuku34]

I owned a steel yacht for 17 years and I know all about rust!

Internet search reveals that laser rust removal is not recommended for large surfaces (takes too long). In addition, you will be painting the steel after removing the rust. To do a good job of painting you need to a have a "profile" on the steel surface (that's a certain amount of roughness for the paint to "key" into). Abrasive sand blasting gives you that profile.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Half a million USD for the unit that seems to work! It’s really cool technology, but that’s a lot of yard labor to chip and grind!!

There's also the cost of grinding disks and sanding pads and wire brushes, plus the cost of wear and tear on your body.

And besides, just return the laser gun when you're done and say it wasn't the right color

[tkeithlu]

That's pretty superficial rust. Abrasive blasting is messy, but cheap, and has been doing the job for a century or so.

[hpeer]

No one tool does it all.

My new go to tool is a Tercoo Rotary Blaster. I bought one disk, then bought 2 more as spares. But the original disk is still working fine, so it lasts a long time. The faster the drill RPM the better. It is effective but also gentle removing no excess steel. It is really good for small touch up work.

https://tercoo.com/en/

Besides the usual suspects I also use an oscillating tool a lot. I put in an old blade an then work with the blade corner, sort of a one pin pin-gun. A little tedious but is pretty effective at getting into corners.

[tkeithlu]

We can add a wire brush on a grinder to the list. The only reservation is that if you are going to paint the item, lightly sand it by hand as well, because the wire brush leaves a very slick surface. I bead blast small parts that I can get free in a blasting cabinet using glass beads.

[hpeer]

Each to his own, I have never found the wire brush terribly effective …. Except on skin and meat, very good for that. I have a variety and have used them, but less and less. I agree about the slick surface comment. Basting is also good, but damn messy. But what isn’t?