Molasses bath made me a believer !!

i will be doing a gas tank in the next few weeks, as for chrome i can't see it hurting it but i'll try to find a rusty chrome part to put it in there.

 

DrFreeze, THX for your thoughts! Yes, I think I'll EXPERIMENT with less important iron-base parts AND something chromed, before taking the BIG plunge!!!

GREAT THREAD!!!

 

CADILLAC AL - That's exactly what I've been using for years...from Tractor Supply. I use it full strength, or I use the blast cabinet. For blocks, heads, etc., they go into a steel 55 gallon drum with water, Washing Soda, and a 12 volt battery/batterycharger. I've also tried running the battery/battery charger through the Mik Stone Remover. BLASTS the rust right away.....

 

I did this also with a flathead, two to be exact. I had the same thing happen to me. The pitting seemed to me to be areas in the blocks where there may have been impurities in the cast iron. It is more than just some small pits. It is like the molasses is eating into the surface. On my blocks, it happened mostly towards the one end of the deck on one side. I had to have it resurfaced to clean it up. If I did it again I would protect any machined surface with grease or leave the heads on until after it was soaked.

I soaked a couple of blocks, and a few other items. Now I have a rim in it and it isn't doing much of anything. Probably used up and needs to become fertilizer.

I used a plastic 30 gallon barrel. If you find the right style, you can cut the top lip off and the top end will fit back into the barrel making a nice cover.

Just a response on vinegar. I soaked a timing cover for a flathead in vinegar and it made the cast iron soft where I could scrape it off with a screw driver.

Neal

 

Do you think it would unstick a motor? I have access to a V8-60 that was used as a ranch irrigation pump and is stuck pretty good, I would like to make it a runner again just for the hell of it.

 

To answer a few questions, I've thrown in rusty chrome pieces and found that the chemical chases the rust, includung where it's porous/rusty under the chrome so you get clean metal where it's bare, chrome left where the base metal is good and flaked off chrome where there was rust under it.

I've found that rusted up nuts/bolts/bolted together panels/plugs etc are easy to undo after a good soak as there is no more rust binding everything.

 

I don't get it....you use the month old moleasses on your pancakes?

 

Sweet Solution to a Nasty Problem.

 

I picked up a Pontiac 455 this summer that had been sitting out in the weather without heads and almost broke my wrist trying to knock the pistons out without much success (broke some of them before giving up and the rings were still fused to the block with rust). Dropped the block in molassess mix for a few weeks (about 5 parts water to 1 part molasses) and when I pulled it out the pistons just about fell out when I tapped on them.

I've since stripped the block completely and it's now back in the molasses to finish cleaning it up. I'll try post before/after pics when I pull it back out.

This definitely isn't something you can do to a complete motor and hope to get running again without a rebuild - as mentioned in previous posts, bearings, pistons, etc. will probably be toast if they are soaked in the molasses.

 

I was going to also..but the wife feel asleep while I was reading this thread...

 

howdy back there,

yes, you can treat your chromed steel parts in the moslasses solution. It will eat on the rust while leaving the good chrome alone.
We did it on a set of early falcon hubcaps which turned out great.
No damage to the factory chrome at all.

Just keep in mind the molasses won't add new chrome where it had been damaged by corrosion; and such areas will rust again if subjected to moisture and air. Cover the back sides with paint, and apply some wax the shiny outer side to keep it decent looking.

 

X38 and SixFink: Gentlemen, THAT is invaluable info!!! I hope other guys can reference this and SAVE a boatload of dough on rechroming!

BTW, YES. I do paint exposed steel, and give old chrome a pretty frequent waxing. Maybe my car won't win in a show, but I want it to look decent going down the street AND put of a total re-chrome for a few more years! THANKS again!!!

 

LOTS of great info!... but my question still remains-

Will molasses do damage to valve seats (enough to ruin them) and if so, is there a way to coat machined surfaces so that the molasses doesn't create pitting?

 

As in my case i'll be putting in hardend valve seats so pitting would not be a problem , but if your not going to put seats in the head a good valve job will clean the pitting up .

 

I have a gas tank that sat for ten tears with a few gallons of gas in it. Now it's thick and dried would this do anything to that stuff or any other ideas?

 

Grind the valve seats after you soak the block, or heads, depending on what you are working with. The quality of the material in the valve seats should not be affected by the molasses. To protect areas from the molasses, cover it with grease or vasoline. Something that won't be affected by water. If the molasses can't get to it, it should be fine. The areas where I saw pitting in the cast iron seemed to be of poorer quality in the metal.

Neal

 

If you are concerned about protecting surfaces that you don't want pitted try brushing a coat of rustoleum or other protective paint over the surfaces before soaking.

Just an idea. I'm going to have to experiment with this process.

 

... that's funny

nice trick to remember too

 

Mac,
Two things to remember:
1. Molasses only removes the rust.
2. Molasses only removes the rust.

Peace,
Chaz

 

Thanks guys!

 

ModernArtist, and as the other guy pointed out: Molasses is the ENEMY of aluminum.

 

Not true . . . and I speak from first hand experience! The pitting I've seen was in non-rusted areas -- even the heavily ported intake ports that we'd just completed and were as shiny as can be.

 

Will it remove grease, paint, etc? Or should I soak it in lets say, maple syrup first?

 

I have a stuck 39 ford trans,if I soak it in this stuff will it harm the syncros,etc?

 

molasses will attack aluminum and zinc including the zinc used to make brass.

 

I did a '30 Ford gas tank with the 4/1 mix. Filled the tank to the top. Let it set a week. BINGO Nice and clean. Used the feed store molasses. Its cheap, not toxic, smells nice and it WORKS

 

1st Mole....... I smell pancakes.
2nd Mole...... I smell pancakes.
3rd Mole.......I only smell moleasses
Couldn't help myself good thread

 

SoreBack! LOL! LONG time since I heard that one!!!

 

Thank the Lord for UncleRichard! Finally, somebody who's done a whole gas tank. Mix ratio and time in bath! THANKS, Uncle! I need to DO this to my DeSoto.

 

what effect does temperature have on the process. i would like to clean some parts over the winter, but don't want to keep the drum in the garage due to the smell. and there's always the possibility of sub-freezing temps.