We were still working on trying to clean that impossible red dirt stain from the granite lantern we bought from Mari's Garden.
As I've written earlier we first tried to clean the lantern using Simple Green just as they instructed us to do.
We spent hours and found we could only get the surface red dirt off.
Art looked online and tried the hydrogen peroxide/flour and hydrogen peroxide/baking soda paste method.
Nope. It hardly lightened the granite at all.
Someone online suggested that the color of the red dirt was from iron oxide.
Soooo....
We went to Lowes and bought a bottle of Iron Out. It had some good reviews. Nope! It didn't do a thing!
We also bought these coarse brushes and coarse sponge.
Mari's Garden had suggested we be gentle with the granite.
Well...
The time for gentle was over!
The brushes didn't do any good.
Soooo....
Art got out his mechanical sander and started to sand away the stain.
Yahoo...
It worked! (for the most part)
We're making some progress now, but we're still a ways off. There are more challenges. The roof of the lantern has a rougher texture which would make removing the dirt more difficult if not impossible.
I never tell Art anything is impossible. It just makes him that much more determined to solve the problem.
This was initially a project we were doing together, but he's taken it over as a personal undertaking.
Am I upset about not being able to spend a lot of time with him under the hot sun, grinding away at the stubborn granite stain?
Go ahead. Guess.
As I've written earlier we first tried to clean the lantern using Simple Green just as they instructed us to do.
We spent hours and found we could only get the surface red dirt off.
Art looked online and tried the hydrogen peroxide/flour and hydrogen peroxide/baking soda paste method.
Nope. It hardly lightened the granite at all.
Someone online suggested that the color of the red dirt was from iron oxide.
Soooo....
We went to Lowes and bought a bottle of Iron Out. It had some good reviews. Nope! It didn't do a thing!
We also bought these coarse brushes and coarse sponge.
Mari's Garden had suggested we be gentle with the granite.
Well...
The time for gentle was over!
Soooo....
Art got out his mechanical sander and started to sand away the stain.
Yahoo...
It worked! (for the most part)
We're making some progress now, but we're still a ways off. There are more challenges. The roof of the lantern has a rougher texture which would make removing the dirt more difficult if not impossible.
I never tell Art anything is impossible. It just makes him that much more determined to solve the problem.
This was initially a project we were doing together, but he's taken it over as a personal undertaking.
Am I upset about not being able to spend a lot of time with him under the hot sun, grinding away at the stubborn granite stain?
Go ahead. Guess.
The saga continues. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like my husband!
ReplyDeleteget a big bucket and mix water with oxyclean and soak the lantern in it. if all else fails, do the same with a bleach and water mixture. if you know someone with a power washer, that would work too.
ReplyDeleteMy husband says when I use the phrase "you can't" that means he should try.
ReplyDeleteWow glad Art is making progress.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine what would make you WANT to be out there in the hot sun grinding away at the stain. He is making progress, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteLooks better at least
ReplyDeletejust to point out, that shelf is a Lowes shelf not a Home depot shelf
Oh my gosh! Art says you're absolutely RIGHT! I'll make the correction. Thank you for pointing that out.
DeleteI think Art might have a little bit of Irish in him - tell him he shouldn't do something and he'll just go ahead and do it.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.
Good thing you are making progress with the lantern, and I'm guessing you are enjoying cooling off indoors while the rest is being taken care of!
ReplyDeleteYou are so funny...no, you aren't upset at all. Don't you have a garage or carport he can work in? I remember how hot is was in your part of the world in July.
ReplyDeleteHe's under the carport at times and under the house eaves at times. He's trying to stay in the shade as much as he can as the sun moves throughout the day. It's hot here in July, but not like Chicago.
DeleteWell, that's removing some of the granite, not just the stain. So don't let Art get close to famous stained sculptures throughout your travels! Maybe the roof is just fine as it is? Wow! Cheers from Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if we'd be getting a skinnier lantern...
DeleteThat's funny Kay! A leaner lantern! Hope it all goes back together. Linda
DeleteWhat a project!
ReplyDeleteI see Art will become proficient at tiny bits. Go, Art. You are an artist engineer.
ReplyDeleteIt keeps him busy. He is the type that has to always be busy. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteBetter he than thee. I am amazed at his determination and have no doubt he will eventually succeed.
ReplyDeleteTell Art to just sandblast it, that will remove the stain for sure and expose fresh clean marble and he can do it over a complex compound curved surface as his sander will only do a flat surface. If you don't have a sandblaster you can probably just improvise with a bucket of fine sand drawing it up through a small hose like a bit of fuel hose or something just under a air blow gun tip from your compressor. Or, if you have a pressure washer, that might work... maybe you can mix in some fine abrasive into the water if it has provision for soap in carwashing/detergent wand... like fine sand. Use sand from someplace like Lanikai, its nearly like dust.
ReplyDeletewalt
Hmmm. I was also surprised to hear your chemical efforts didn't work, I would have thought it would work just fine... I have seen surprising good results from stronger acids in situations like this. You might want to do a test spot with a strongish acid and just let it sit overight... muriatic maybe?
Deletewalt
Hi Walt! I'm so happy to hear from you again. Art was really trying to stay away from too harsh chemicals. As it turned out, using a rotary paint stripping grinding disk turned out to be the best option. I'll show the results in a later post.
DeleteA lesser (wiser?) man would simply spray paint it! Admire you, ART
ReplyDeleteI know, I know, Kay. You spend many miserable hours watching out the window, crying your eyes out because Art has taken over and you can't help. There, there, now...it will be okay. :) :)
ReplyDeletemaybe you';; have to decide you like the red anyway or paint it? lol...
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I'm quite sure this isn't just plain old dirt but I could be wrong. Maybe google cleaning stone?
ReplyDeleteSo I see that the stone lantern saga continues. I'm hoping that for art, where there's a will, there's a way. There's certainly a will!
ReplyDeleteART is an ARTist. Some tiny little thoughts he has forced into my mind:
ReplyDelete1. I guess you could also sand the Mona Lisa off the wooden panel it is painted on.
2. I have heard that the reason Tripler Hospital is painted pink is because it was impossible to keep the ubiquitous Oahu red dirt stains off the building.
3. My bulldog trinity from now on: Winston Churchill, Vince Lombardi--and ART!
It keeps him busy. He is the type that has to always be busy. Lucky you!
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