Radiator Rahab Notes

TK_2

I just finished restoring and installing 14 old radiators. I have written up some notes on radiator rehab at

http://fuge.port5.com/Radiator%20Rehab.html

I would welcome comments and/or corrections.

Thanks.

- TK

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Looks very nice to me.

A couple comments:

1) You can strip a radiator with a pressure washer with zero-degree nozzle. Surprisingly fast and especially good for radiators that were previously bronzed.

2) You can make your own "bronzing fluid" by using boiled linseed oil and cobalt drier. I used a scant ounce to 8 ounces of oil. Dust free quite rapidly, but it does take a few days before it's hard enough to move/install. Once heated it seems extremely durable.

p.s. Still love all those bell curves in this radiator profile...

TK_2

Cast iron radiators

That is a great radiator profile! It is nice to hear from someone else that has restored old radiators.

Thanks for the input. Have you tried to pressure washer on painted radiators? Is cobalt drier the same as Japan drier? What proportion did you add to the linseed oil?

- TK

Mike T., Swampeast MO

All my radiators were painted multiple times. The zero degree nozzle on the pressure washer removed everything down to the original bronzing. Since rads are rather difficult to clean, I'm guessing that later coats of paint don't adhere particularly well.

Not sure if Japan drier and cobalt drier are the same thing but did find that Japan drier usually contains cobalt. You can find cobalt drier (it's a very thin, dark blue liquid) at any art store. Cobalt drier is frequently used by artists to speed the drying of some oil paints. They use it in extremely small quantities to avoid cracking. Didn't have any problem using nearly an ounce of drier to 8 ounces of linseed oil.