Keith Starosta
12-30-2007, 2:31 PM
Five years ago, when I inherited my Dad's shop after he passed away, I brought home a few things that were pretty unique. One of them was this...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2179/2146940141_e65148892a.jpg
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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2320/2146940293_9a6c45d430.jpg
My Dad once told me that this set of concrete stamps belonged to his grandfather, who was a civil engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation. He was one of the designers of the Davidson Freeway, which is the oldest freeway in the United States. As far as I can tell, these stamps are in the original box, and still are pretty gunked-up with concrete dust and dirt.
I didn't think much of these, until I was showing them to my father-in-law yesterday. He made the comment that I should try and clean them up a bit and see what they look like. I wasn't expecting much when I pulled out my Dremel with wire wheel, but got a bit of a surprised when I saw some shiny, brassy-looking color below the grime. So at that point, I fired up the bench grinder and spent a couple of minutes at the wire wheel. BOY, was I shocked with what I found!!!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/2147734390_a3fca15daa.jpg
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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2203/2147734596_9689d0c953.jpg
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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2147734116_21bf15f010.jpg
I did some searching based on the markings on the stamp, and found the website for Schmidt Marking Systems. They claim that, "...Geo. T. Schmidt, Inc. has been a worldwide leader in permanent metal marking machines, technology and services for over a century." Sounds like I got the right place! I'm going to contact their public relations department to see if I can find out more information about this set of stamps.
My question to you guys has to do with how to get all of the dirt off of the stamps. The wire wheel and Dremel do a pretty good job, but I can't get the grime out of the crevises. Is there something that I can soak these things in? I want to make sure that I don't damage the stamps, but I'd love to get them all sparkling again.
Thanks for your help!
- Keith
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2179/2146940141_e65148892a.jpg
.....
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2320/2146940293_9a6c45d430.jpg
My Dad once told me that this set of concrete stamps belonged to his grandfather, who was a civil engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation. He was one of the designers of the Davidson Freeway, which is the oldest freeway in the United States. As far as I can tell, these stamps are in the original box, and still are pretty gunked-up with concrete dust and dirt.
I didn't think much of these, until I was showing them to my father-in-law yesterday. He made the comment that I should try and clean them up a bit and see what they look like. I wasn't expecting much when I pulled out my Dremel with wire wheel, but got a bit of a surprised when I saw some shiny, brassy-looking color below the grime. So at that point, I fired up the bench grinder and spent a couple of minutes at the wire wheel. BOY, was I shocked with what I found!!!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/2147734390_a3fca15daa.jpg
.....
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2203/2147734596_9689d0c953.jpg
.....
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2147734116_21bf15f010.jpg
I did some searching based on the markings on the stamp, and found the website for Schmidt Marking Systems. They claim that, "...Geo. T. Schmidt, Inc. has been a worldwide leader in permanent metal marking machines, technology and services for over a century." Sounds like I got the right place! I'm going to contact their public relations department to see if I can find out more information about this set of stamps.
My question to you guys has to do with how to get all of the dirt off of the stamps. The wire wheel and Dremel do a pretty good job, but I can't get the grime out of the crevises. Is there something that I can soak these things in? I want to make sure that I don't damage the stamps, but I'd love to get them all sparkling again.
Thanks for your help!
- Keith