Rust removal ideas...

Paul Steinberg

PCS Life Member President
Staff member
Super Site Supporter
None of these methods are endorsed as being the best way... Just showing how some remove rust ideas..

Using citric acid for rust removal

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckdMdiJlV7c[/ame]

Removing Rust from Automobile Header(Electrolysis)


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJQGXhuoeRY[/ame]

Removing Rust with Potatoes

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYgnHDB3VNI[/ame]

Removing Rust with Vinegar

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NSRPxBFnxo[/ame]
 
Half of this handlebar was left in a pan of Oxalic Acid overnight, then wiped off with a clean towel. No rubbing or polishing. A little chrome polish will get rid of what little imperfections are left.

ox1.jpg


ox2.jpg
 
More Oxalic Acid:

Before:

bjump2.jpg


After:

ox3.jpg


ox4.jpg


ox5.jpg


ox6.jpg



It's not magic, it won't remove dents, scratches or pits, but it also doesn't cost hundreds of dollars. One $9 tub of the powder will make 20-40 gallons of the stuff. You just need to find a container big enough to submerge your part in. It is the least invasive rust removal technique I have come across so far. I've done about 20 small parts in the same mix of solution now, and it still seems just as effective. The sprocket is the last part I did, in solution that has been sitting out in the open for almost two months now.
 
Todd, how long does this method take? Can you brush it on say like a body panel on a car and make it work? Where can you buy the acid at?
 
Todd, how long does this method take? Can you brush it on say like a body panel on a car and make it work? Where can you buy the acid at?

The part needs to be submersed, won't work if you brush it on. Usually you leave it in overnight.

So far the only place I've found to buy it locally is Ace Hardware. Lowe's and Home Depot don't seem to carry it. The brand name I use is Savogran Wood Bleach:

31J2Wmc9nCL.jpg


You can get it in larger quantities on Ebay. I use 1-2 tablespoons per gallon of water, so even the small quantity will go a long way.
 
Oxalic Acid

Just a quick heads up.....
PLEASE do NOT leave ANY of this substance in an area that kids or pets can have access to it.......
My wife is a Peds ICU nurse......they had a case of a 3yo toddler last summer that had access to an outside bar.....her father kept "Bartenders Friend" cleaner which contains SOME Oxalic acid under the bar.....the child ingested some of the powder and had TOTAL kidney failure within 8 hours....she was flown to Stanford Medical center...to await a kidney transplant !!!
Just dont want to see anyone get injured......
 
I haven't gotten rid of any yet, but the overly simple answer is to neutralize it with baking soda, then dump it in a safe part of your yard. Keep it away from pets and kids as you would any other chemical. Supposedly the neutralized solution is good for de-icing driveways as well. For more specific details, google "oxalic acid disposal".
 
The part needs to be submersed, won't work if you brush it on. Usually you leave it in overnight.

So far the only place I've found to buy it locally is Ace Hardware. Lowe's and Home Depot don't seem to carry it. The brand name I use is Savogran Wood Bleach:

31J2Wmc9nCL.jpg


You can get it in larger quantities on Ebay. I use 1-2 tablespoons per gallon of water, so even the small quantity will go a long way.

I have some small parts that have rust and paint, will this also remove paint? If not would it be better to remove paint first or after the submersion?
 
I have some small parts that have rust and paint, will this also remove paint? If not would it be better to remove paint first or after the submersion?

It doesn't seem to have any affect on paint, which is nice for bike people trying to clean up chain guards and frames with original paint on them.
 
I have used a product CorrosionX on the 55 it can be brushed on or sprayed on then take a brush to activate the product and rinse with water, let dry and the same co has a protective spray that is applied, will not harm wireing or paint. Very nice product.
CorrosionX.com
The avation industry and the US Coast Guard use this product in volume.
Bill
 
I learned about this a long time ago.. In fact, it was so long ago, that I disposed of the bag of powdered molassis that I had bought, not remembering what I had used it for. For some reason, I thought I was mixing it with the deer food in the winter. If I was, it must have worked, because the deer no longer come near the house.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-gBAjEga1s&feature=player_embedded[/ame]
 
getting the vat big enough to slid a pro car in may be a little expensive for the one time builder. the 1 to 3 weeks to get the rust dissolved for a man working at my pace is not a problem. I got to love that environmentally friendly speech you go out there everyday and wash this off panels and let me see how the grass does. but alter the PH and the rust is removed. now one more vat to get primer in all the places you can't then you might have something.

this is a fine example of parts worth bucks. here this man has gone out gathered parts removed the rust and sprayed on the temporary protective coating. then he resells the parts for the big bucks you hear about.
 
Good info. Thanks for for posting all these alternatives. I've been having good results with the Harbor Freight Evapo-Rust (removes rust with minimal damage to the part), but I think I'd better check out some of these other techniques. I've also been reading some methods on instructables.com (like this one), but have not tried them yet.
 
Posters on one hotrod thread thread says about 5:1 ratio, and that 9:1 might be a bit thin. I'll be at the feed store this week, and I'll see if they carry feed-grade sulphated molasses.
 
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