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How do I restore an iron doorknob that has been subject to weathering and salt water?

Chemistry assignment for year 12 student. Topic is called shipwrecks and salvage. I am to expose an object found on a ship to salt water conditions as if it had been sunk, and then restore it. I need to know the techniques of restoration of iron to complete the assignment.

Matt O'Dwyer
- Billinudgel, new south wales, australia
2003

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Have you tried unsuccessfully to locate books on this topic? Visit your librarian and ask him/her for help. There is a process of applying electricity in the opposite direction that electrons usually flow during corrosion, so as to try to turn back the clock. It's more applicable to non-ferrous metals (such as coins) than to iron, but it may have some usefulness. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003