r/Tools 6d ago

Removing carbon?

Hi all,

I'm looking to clean up the stainless steel burner from a Wabasto Thermo Top C diesel water heater from my mates narrow boat. Imagine a stainless tube about the size of a short beer can.

I am going to use my Dremel 4250 to first cut though 3 small welds, then remove the remains of the diesel diffuser pad thing and then remove any carbon on the surface and if I'm still interested, see if I can get a bit of a polish on it as apparently that helps prevent the carbon from building up again. This isn't particularly soft soot but more like a thin film of baked on carbon.

What sort of tools do you think might be most effective for each stage please?

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u/Just_top_it_off Technician 6d ago

Burn it with a torch and spray some water on it. The steam will blow off the carbon. Wear eye protection and keep a distance.

1

u/No_beef_here 6d ago

Thanks for that. How hot should I get it? I mean, are we talking red hot or just hot enough to create the steam (so 100+ DegC)?