Old Boat Foghorn

Hello all, I've got an old foghorn which is really rusty, I'd like to give it a go at restoring it, has anyone got any tips how to go about removing the rust and dirt? I'm a complete beginner at this sort of thing so any advice greatly appreciated

Many Thanks manzie

There's quite a few rust removal threads in here, use the searchbox on the homepage to get a selection

Edited By Ady1 on 22/08/2017 08:55:34

Interesting, all the fog horns etc Iv'e come across were either bronze or gunmetal

Roy

Thanks both for taking the time to reply, I'm not sure what metal it is! will it matter to regards into cleaning? I'll see if I can upload a picture to see if that helps.

Regards manzie

Manzie, Do find out what it is made of BEFORE attacking it with anything strong as you may damage the metal if it is non ferrous.

Had loads of fog horns and steam whistles, nearly always brass or bronze or gunmetal, they look great when cleand up and can be quite valuable.

Cheers,

Martin

Welcome Manzie.

Having been at the top of the tower on a lightship when the horn was set off, I would suggest just operating it, and all the rust will evaporate into rust!

A wire brush followed by a brush on gel rust remover or converter would be a good start for a big sheet metal object, Jenolite Rust Converter might be a good place to start.

Bronze or gunmetal ones must be fairly small, a Trinity House one of bronze would cost a small fortune!

Neil

for a start try a magnet on it. If it sticks it's proably steel.

How big is it?

N.