Molasses bath made me a believer !!

just a quick note to all don't get it on your clothes or bare hands ! , the stuff is like gear lube ....muther f%$$%# the old lady is not happy right now ................
Silent rick i was thinking the same thing wonder if the fermentation will be like a antifreeze or could you put alcohol in it with out a chemical reaction (i skipped that day of class) . i could tell you the sauce is pretty cold right now and i soaked my heads for a week and just took them out and there spotless , iv'e read that if you use a aquarium warmer the stuff will work better .

 

it would suck if you had to chip away ice to get to your part. remember when curly fell asleep in the back of the ice wagon?

 

What was the product? Was it caustic (Could I use it at home?)

 

Do you just use straight phosphoric acid or should it be diluted? And will it take off paint?

 

Boozer... I have had an electrolysis set up in my shed running on parts and panels for years. YES, it does work , but I doubt your gas tank looks anything like shiny metal on the inside unless you had put a wired up anode inside somehow??? For Electrolysis to work properly the positive and negative charged steel / anodes need "to be looking at each other" in the tank.
Closed containers will not 'derust' inside.

(This note was in no way meant to hijack this thread.)
normal programming will now resume.........

 

After reading these posts I decided to give it a try. Only i have a 57-64 Olds/Pont 4.88 Positraction 3rd member that had light rust on the gears and machined surfaces from sitting for so long unprotected. I got it cheap, and will probably have to rebuild it anyway, so what the heck. Washed it off in solvent, then with the garden hose, and tossed it in the 3:1 molasses tank. After soaking for two days, most of the rust is gone, and the yoke can be turned fairly easily now. Before, it was very difficult to turn, and got harder to turn where the rust was "thicker'. At least it's clean now if I have to tear it apart for a rebuild. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

What about axles and spindles ,,is it safe on the the bushings and bearing surfaces ?

 

Recycle that molasis.... run up another batch of rum after ya get all the parts clean!

 

Damn good thread...thanks to everyone who's put in there $.02...

I like the idea of running grease over the surfaces you don't want the molasses to touch....I will be doing all the parts for my 331 Hemi when the time comes.

 

Here's the first hand experience, damn near cried when I saw this. 40 hours of hell with a die grinder... decking cleaned the deck but I had to go over the ports and transfer areas again and consequently nicked the fresh deck in a few spots. Thank god It left the mains alone.

pictures are not loading, I'll get them in when the problems are resolved

 

here are the pics

 

Man that block is GORGEOUS. I made it my background!

 

Wait tell you hear it run . . . it barks and snarls like a mean old Junkyard dog with a bag tooth!

Chris has done a heck of job on all the porting, relieving, polishing, etc.. I told him "I'll teach you how to do the first port . . . you get to do the next 15!". Forty hours and a DAMN good job later, he truly appreciates with it takes to build a real full-house flathead and how great the results can be. Also, he really understands why you don't want to destroy a great block by over-boring it the first time . . . leave room for a few more rebuilds (for you or the next guy).

 

Dont like sticky fingers? Maybe the smell on a hot day is a little too much fur ya?

White Vinegar. Soak yur parts in white vinegar, you'll be blown away how clean it comes out the other side.
Fine thread nuts and bolts... clean.
Backing plates, so clean you can see Henry's name on them.
A tin, ready for working.

When you use Vinegar the part turns black and sludgy. Pull the part out and pressure wash the mung off it and you've got a real pretty, rust free part ready for working.

It works so well, I'm building a bath large enough to lower an A sedan into.

 

I think what you're seeing is where oxide had already formed but hadn't completely converted over to rust yet. I'm willing to bet that all of the surfaces that you ground did not develop this pitting, nor did the bearing surfaces because they were protected from the elements by bearing...just what I'm thinking

 

Man I wish I had some rusty parts to try this out on.

 

So since i started this thread I've been testing alot of things , I've realized that the longer you soak cast iron it starts to pit . I soaked my block for 1 month and had some surface pitting most all other parts that i tested was in for 2 weeks and i think that would be enough time for a soak also the longer the fermentation the fast the stuff works and temp has no effect on it . as for the smell well let me just say it permeates into you clothes and the old lady makes me strip before coming into the house . I've looked into most remedies for rust removal and seamed like molasses was the safe one to go with I've read about White Vinegar but it is a acid and needs to be neutralized after soaking .... I want to thank all you guys for the input and keep it coming hope this answers most questions

 

Your right, vinegar is an acid, that in part is why it works well, so is sugar in the molasses. Because of this, they both need to be neutralized and they are both neutralized by washing away with water. Like any open metal, once treated and washed, the part needs to be sealed with primer or lubricant.

Soak a rusty nut and bolt for a day or two and look at your results, I think you'll be pleased.

 

Okay, all this talk about molasses has me hooked. I think i'm gonna try this on my model A cowl. One question though. The "A" pillar is hollow. After all the rust is removed, how do you get any rust prevention inside the pillar?

 

Just pulled a 235 chevy head outta of a 10-1 ratio molasses bath No pitting on the surfaces were noted...other than were it was pitted from rusting.

Before




After

 

not true... I had to rework all the intake ports and deck transfer areas, all of which had received much grinding...(see pictures 1&2)

I have no clue what rely happened, just a warning, this is possible...

 

That last before/after shot is amazing. You're like a freakin' infomercial. Just a thought, has anyone tried a brush-on solution for really big parts that will never fit in a vat? I have a whole roof skin for my '64 wagon that is really solid but has a skim coat of rust covering the whole thing. I didn't want to grind it for risk of warping so after reading this thread I thought that maybe a guy could brush on a solution over a period of weeks (or months, since it's outside and cold) Then clean it off and prime. Thought I'd run it up the flag pole.

 

I want to build a tank with a hinged cover to do my molasses derusting in.I was thinking about using some square weave fence wire as a form and covering with fiberglass cloth and resin . The other thought I had was building a box out of plywood ,using fiberglass cloth or tape, and resin to waterproof the seams and coating the whole inside with marine epoxy . I had thought about just lining the box with thick plastic drop cloth..but I'm afraid of the plastic either tearing or disinegrating.Input anyone ?Thanks.
Steve (V7)

 

This is a great thread and I'm anxious to try this out, but my question is; what do you do with the used solution when you're through with it?

 

Like has been stated previously, pour it on the lawn - preferably right before it rains.

 

I have some rusty diff parts sitting in a bucket of 5:1 right now. They have been in for a couple weeks and I have taken them out twice and can't believe how they are coming out. The side bearings were seized solid and they are now starting to move, so maybe another week or so and I should have usable diff parts again.

I'll post some before and after pic when I get them out and cleaned up.

 

Before anyone pours this stuff on you lawn or uses it for other purposes have you ever wondered what happens to any metal removed from the part? The Zinc or lead or what ever has to be in the solution in some form?
Is it chemically transformed into some inert property?
Is it now to acidic or alkaline for you grass?
Will the metals build up in you soil or get into your water supply?

I am not a tree hugger at all but I would worry about the disposal of the used product and it appears that no one has tested it to see what the composition is.

Scott...

 

We just used a big trash can and lowered the block in with an engine lift. It was super easy this way. The plastic method would only worry me because I just know that I'd find a way to puncture the damn thing and watch my "witches brew' leak all over the damn place!

 

Information like this is why I finally bit the bullet and became a member. You can't read shit like this in a magazine. Thanks guys.

 

Not sure if I've posted on this thread before--but yeah, that shit totally works.

I cut it one-to-one, and it's a really cool, organic way to go.

Just make sure your pail or bucket or whatever doesn't have any holes in it. Learned the hard way on that.