Tech: Raising the DEAD in Dr Bluto's lab

This is about finding chassis numbers!

It's simple but please do it in a well vented area and wear a lot more protection than your normally think you need to

You'll need

A copper pot scrubber

A battery charger

Some battery acid in a plastic pot

What to do:

Clip one end of the charger's cables to the frame

Put the pot scrubber on the other cable

You dip the scrubber in the acid and gently stroke the area of the frame where you think the numbers should be..... each stroke in the same direction. Between strokes have a look see how your doing

OK This sparks and fumes

It takes some time don't hurry ............. and it's messy AND YOU GET ACID EVERYWHERE!!

But if there are numbers there....... even if they have been ground off they will show up

Good luck and please face mask, rubber gloves, and a lab apron at least... and make sure your buddies looking stand back

 

Very cool, and dangerous to boot!

 

Kick ass. Do they do that w/ guns that have the serial #s ground off

 

How does this work? I'm curious. Does this show residual stresses in the metal from stamping in the numbers or what?

 

Only a mad Polack would think of this.

thanks Jim.

 

that shit is all CSI and stuff.... remember to rinse well, real well, with baking soda and water afterwords... the frame and you...

 

When I was a kid I collected Buffalo nickels. Having only a kid's allowance I could not collect the best, so the ones I got frequently were very worn. The numismatist's store sold some acid in a small dropper bottle that could be used in the same manner. A drop on the date area, wait a minute, then rinse. It ate away some of the surrounding metal, but the date would show because the compressed molecular structure was still in form below the surface.

Forget the battery charger, and try just a dropper bottle first. May be a lot easier.

 

I imagine this has to with electrolysis, metal transfer, oxidization, magnetic fields, compressed molecules and stuff

isn't it cool how fun and danger are so often both parts of the same event

 

Doesn't work with steel wool...... only a copper pad

And it doesn't work without electricity........ believe me I would love to see it work without all the sparks and fumes...... it doesn't

 

Then you need stronger acid! Muhaahaahaa! (rubbing hands together)

Not that there's anything wrong with sparks.

 

I"ll try this, it sounds safer than the Electrolux, pan of gasoline and a long extension cord experiment.

 

Bluto..Does this work with numbers that were beat the shit out of by the body being loose and hammering on them for who knows how many years?

Im currently uncovering ..or should i say trying to un cover 3 of my missing numbers on my A frame so far Ive nbeen lucky with phosperic acid and a small brush, but where they are beat to death like with a ballpein hammer its hard to read..or near impossible.

 

This works if the numbers have been ground off

So you can clean the area with emery paper to kindda polish the hammer marks out a bit

You have to take your time the acid isn't strong

In one case I had a chassis # that had each number drilled out and filled with weld Norhing brings that shit back Sometimes there are large $$$$ involved with a recovered number I think in that case it meant a million or so
plus braggin rights

 

Its worth a try..its not like I can fuck em up any worse than they already are!

 

Here's the pseudo-scientific deal with why it works.

Stamping the metal has a forging effect. It compresses and refines the steel's grain structure under each letter and number.

Corrosion (ie rust or battery acid) attacks primarily on grain boundaries.

The refined grain area under the numbers corrodes at a slower rate than the surrounding metal because it's grain boundaries are smaller and denser.

This is why we've seen TV & movie cops use acid to trace a gun number, grinding will not hide the numbers unless it's superheated to the point of ruining the metal or like 3-4X the depth of the numbers

Bluto, out of curiousity, which electrode goes where? With DC current it should matter. Musta been cool to do with all the sparks and fumes!

 

Shifty

I have always put the - on the frame but I don't think it really matters much

Just don't slop acid all over the place just go easy, light pressure and one direction only

That's what works the best.

 

Will this work on a frame that is pitted from rust? It is sandblasted and there is no visible sign of #'s at all. Seems to me that the pitting would make the stamped #'s "disapear" for good.

 

Reread the above

 

Bluto, I LOVED chem class.........I'm gunna do BAD BAD things in the garage.

 

I am still a little fuzzy on this but is it safe to guess that it will work on a pitted frame?The refind grain structure?

 

You should find that the acid indicates the stamping, as the rust is removed. It does depend upon how deeply the stamped region extends.

 

Thanks pitman. I am worried that it will be pitted to deep. Oh well never planned on finding them numbers until reading this today. No huge loss, I'll try anyway, making sure my mother doesn't catch me playing with acid and sparks!

 

I didnt see this first time around, thanks!!

 

Thanks Bluto. I've tried several other ways. Now I have another to try. I've recovered all but two of the numbers. Hope I haven't screwed things up too much. Norm

 

Bringing this back up! Is battery acid (sulfuric?) the only kind that will work? I ask because I have phosphoric and muriatic on hand...???

 

funny this antique shows up...lol that deal wont always work, but its cool to watch the cops try and do it... had some detective buddies try and raise some numbers on a rusty model a frame....didn't work... cool to watch though...

 

use sulfuric acid ( battery electrolyte is 33% you can use stronger and the frame should be negitive on the grounding to pull the metal away from it . for firearm tracing we use nitric acid which you do not want to use unless you have been trained on how to use it as its worse than sulfuric as it fumes .

 

Cool. Thanks!