Collection Cleaning up an old 10 inch solid shot

[J.H. Moose]

This cannonball has been in the flowerbed of my parents' house for as long as I've been alive. My dad first got it when the park he worked at as a teenager was attempting to get rid of it and he was the only taker, nobody else seemed to know it was a cannonball or cared enough to move the heavy thing (one of his coworkers actually believed it was part of a ball and chain for some unfortunate prison inmate)
It's sat in our flowerbed for years now, braving the elements. It's been painted quite a few times over the years but that was only a temporary solution to the issue of rust. I finally decided to move it inside. After moving it onto the porch, I sanded 30+ years of black spray paint off of it, this really gave insight into how throughly rusted the ball was. After cleaning off dirt and dust I applied some Gempler's rust converter in multiple layers over the ball, letting each layer set a bit before applying the next. After treatment for the rust, the ball looked good as new! Moved it inside where it'll likely have a more comfortable life which lacks any further rusting.

 

[lupaglupa]

It looks like a fascinating door stop now. And likely a champion toe-stubber.

 

[UCVRelics]

Great Job. The Gempler's is the only thing I use.

 

[redbob]

Great job and I agree that Gempler's is the way to go.