Removing Rusty Screws from Driftwood

[librarygirl]

Hi everyone,

I did some searching but can't find a solution to my problem.

I found this awesome piece of DW at my LFS yesterday (pic below). It is attached to a very large pice of what I'm guessing/hoping is slate. It's currently soaking in a large tub of hot water and will be soaking for the next few days. No tannins have leeched yet (good or bad?), small particles of wood is coming off.

On the bottom of the slate are two screws that look brown and rusted. I've tried removing them with various screwdrivers but they won't budge. (pic below) I want to replace them with stainless steel screws as I'm not sure the current ones are safe to use. Any thoughts on how I can do this naturally? I've tried hydrogen peroxide but so far that hasn't worked.

Also the "slate" piece worries me a bit. I noticed a white spot on the piece when I turned it over and turns out it looks like white marble (pic below), so not sure if the slate is actually slate at all and whether it's actually some type of marble covered with something else?

How worried should I be and what can I do to fix this? Thanks in advance.

 

[OasisKeeper]

Yeah, that does look like marble to me. If you don't care about save the base, I'd take a chisel and a hammer to it and split it around the screws. Then you should be able to get some pliers on the screw heads and hopefully, get them out.

 

[jetajockey]

I'd probably just coat them with epoxy and try it out, I don't think it'd cause a big issue but then again I am a minimalist.

 

[librarygirl]

Yeah, that does look like marble to me. If you don't care about save the base, I'd take a chisel and a hammer to it and split it around the screws. Then you should be able to get some pliers on the screw heads and hopefully, get them out.

I guess that would work but then how would I attach another piece of slate? The DW isn't sinking on its own and I don't have a drill lol. Thanks for the thought though, I'll keep it in mind if nothing else works out.

 

[librarygirl]

I'd probably just coat them with epoxy and try it out, I don't think it'd cause a big issue but then again I am a minimalist.

Hm, that's an idea. So is there a certain type of aquarium epoxy? Should I cover the base too just in case something funky is going on with the covering/marble underneath?

 

[Wy Renegade]

I'd probably just coat them with epoxy and try it out, I don't think it'd cause a big issue but then again I am a minimalist.

Probably be my approach as well, although I would probably use silicon rather than epoxy. I don't believe the marble will hurt anything, and it will most likely be buried in the sand so you probably won't see it.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I'd agree that a dab of silicone or epoxy should be fine... though I'm not sure how that marble (or marble look-alike) would look in a tank.

 

[jetajockey]

The only thing I'd be concerned with is the rusty screw itself. If it's well embedded into the wood, then I wouldn't worry too much about it leaching out from the top side, so just covering the exposed part of the screw on the bottom would be the extent of what I'd do.

I wouldn't do anything to the marble itself, it shouldn't leach anything that I know of.

I just use regular epoxy resin, I don't know if they make one specifically for aquarium applications. Once it hardens it's good to go. Another option would be silicone.

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks to you both. I'll probably bury the "slate" under the sand so I wouldn't see it anyway. I just wanted to make sure it's safe and it's not going to alter PH. Is there a certain type of Silicone I should use? (That's probably a dumb question, just wanted to be sure!). Thanks again.

 

[Deckape]

Just hit the marble with a hammer. A chisel isn't necessary, IMO. Then twist the screws out with Vice Grips. Nice driftwood. You found an awesome piece. As Jeta said, covering the rusty screw head with epoxy glue will prevent further rusting. I would take that route. But I know how you are

 

[librarygirl]

The only thing I'd be concerned with is the rusty screw itself. If it's well embedded into the wood, then I wouldn't worry too much about it leaching out from the top side, so just covering the exposed part of the screw on the bottom would be the extent of what I'd do.

I wouldn't do anything to the marble itself, it shouldn't leach anything that I know of.

I just use regular epoxy resin, I don't know if they make one specifically for aquarium applications. Once it hardens it's good to go. Another option would be silicone.

I just double-checked the base and there is a small space between the slate bottom and the bottom of the DW where the screw is visible.

 

[librarygirl]

Just hit the marble with a hammer. A chisel isn't necessary, IMO. Then twist the screws out with Vice Grips. Nice driftwood. You found an awesome piece. As Jeta said, covering the rusty screw head with epoxy glue will prevent further rusting. I would take that route. But I know how you are

As I just mentioned above there is a space between the bottom and the DW where the screws are visible so if they are rusted as well I'd be worried about that. I'm all for breaking the bottom but then that leaves me with not being able to attach another pice of slate since I don't have a drill. Or would silicone/epoxy work to attach a new slate piece?

And um where would I find a new safe piece of slate that's large enough? The ones I've seen at PetCo are fairly small so I may just need a few of them. Maybe that's the best/safest route.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Can you screw it back in tight? As for the silicon ~ GE type 1 or 2 provided you don't get the tubes that have the antibacteria/antimildew additives. Other than that Aquarium silicon if your LFS has it available. Personally, even if you get the old screw out and reattach the driftwood to something else, I'd still apply the silicon just to be safe.

 

[librarygirl]

Can you screw it back in tight? As for the silicon ~ GE type 1 or 2 provided you don't get the tubes that have the antibacteria/antimildew additives. Other than that Aquarium silicon if your LFS has it available. Personally, even if you get the old screw out and reattach the driftwood to something else, I'd still apply the silicon just to be safe.

Nope, the screws won't budge either way. What do you think of what I mentioned above: breaking the slate, trying to pry out the screws and re-attaching it to new slate with silicone?

 

[Wy Renegade]

I find it unlikely that the slate will stay on with silicon. I would break the skate off, try and unscrew the screws with vice grips or pliers (most likely they are glued in somehow) and then try attaching the new slate with epoxy.

 

[OasisKeeper]

Just remember there is no mechanical problem that brute force and ignorance cannot overcome.

 

[librarygirl]

I find it unlikely that the slate will stay on with silicon. I would break the skate off, try and unscrew the screws with vice grips or pliers (most likely they are glued in somehow) and then try attaching the new slate with epoxy.

That sounds like the best idea assuming the slate actually breaks when I hit it.

1. What's the best brand of Epoxy to use that's safe? Can I get something at Home Depot or does it need to come from an LFS (if so I'll probably have to order it online as I've never seen aquarium epoxy in the stores here -- although I admit I haven't actually tried looking for it either lol).

2. Should I try slate from a place like Home Depot or stick to the slate pieces they sell at places like PetCo?

Sorry for the questions, I'm just overly paranoid and want to make sure I don't hurt my fish. I also want to get this done today so I can continue to soak the DW as I'm getting new fish and plants in a few days and want the piece ready by then. Thanks.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Why not just put some silicone in the gap between the wood and this mystery substance that it's fastened to? Seems like a lot less work to me.

 

[librarygirl]

Why not just put some silicone in the gap between the wood and this mystery substance that it's fastened to? Seems like a lot less work to me.

I like this idea! So would this one be safe to use: Silicone II 9.8 oz. Clear Kitchen and Bath Caulk-GE5040 24C at The Home Depot

Sorry again, just want to be 100% sure I'm getting something safe.

 

[DragonFish71]

Honestly, I don't think you need to worry one bit. Bury it in the substrate, which is what the base is meant for, and enjoy. It's a beautiful piece.

I have two pieces (different tanks) of DW screwed to slate (well, one piece I'm not sure is slate it looks like yours) The one piece that looks like marble had been in tanks for I believe 10 years now (I adopted from a friend along with her tank.) She had no issues, and I'm not having any issues other than now the wood is soft and spongy and breaks off easily.

If you want to replace the screws they do make acrylic screws, which can be found at any hardware store. We use them for a few DW attachment projects and have no problems.