TECH: Vinegar vs Rust

Heres a simple tech using vinegar to eat rust away VERY well. Some of you have used and or seen this technique before but some my have not.

Grab some white vinegar by the gallon form your favorite grocery store and pour it in a plastic pail or tub (cheaper by the gallon or two gallon packages). Completly Submerge your rusty steel parts for about a week. Pull them out one at a time and using a wire brush rinse them over water and scrub vigorously with the brush. I like to use warm water, seems to work better and its easier on the hands. It will flash rust quickly so dry off and prime ASAP. On these peices I needed to do some patching and tweaking so I dryed them off with a towel and sprayed them down with WD40.

The first picture is what one of the pieces looked like prior to the vinegar bath. The second is the finished product. This works amazingly well.

 

I recently used this method on a '32 dash oval and was very happy with the results. I dipped it over 2 or 3 days and wire brushed the goop off 2 or 3 times a day.

Charlie

 

Have you tried it on chrome?

 

Will this work on aluminum? Like a carb or an intake? or will it soften the metal?

 

for chrome, i think it'd suck the rust out from under the plating.

as for aluminum ... how hard is it to persuade aluminum oxide off that?

 

Thanks for the info,learn something everyday.

 

After the first pieces come out can you reuse the vinegar for some more parts?

 

I recently cleaned out the inside of my gas tank on my '55 with Vinegar and I gained some knowledge with it that I thought I'ld share. Add Hydrogen Peroxide in a 4:1 ratio. You'll be surprised at how much this speeds up the process.

 

Yes, the solution is re-usable

 

I have used this as well on some small parts with good success. The soultion is reusable but WILL evaporate if not sealed.

 

4 parts vinegar or 4 parts hyd. peroxide? I'm assuming vinegar but just want to make sure.

 

I works better if you change out the vinegar. Mine always gets full of crud, grease etc and I can tell it slows down the process.
I use this on bolts and small parts. It works great. If your in a hurry it wont work overnight.

 

ratio of hydrogen peroxide to vinegar again, please?

Thanks,

-85% Jimmy

 

4 parts vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide.

 

Does this stink? Meaning will it smell up the garage and make my wife pist every time she gets out of the car to walk in the house???

 

vinegar is a great cleaner for aluminum, if ya just put it in for a short time( 15 mins) it really does a great job on it, use it straight, its a old navy trick.
jimV

 

yeah dont leave aluminum in the vinegar a buddy of mine lost a 97 top that way

 

Very little if any smell to it.

 

Very cool, I have done it with molasses before but that tends to stink. Wifey said she liked the idea of using vinegar. Hey does that make it wife approved??

 

Or you can save yourself a week of screwing around and just get a stronger acid. The Depot sells phosphoric acid in a squirt bottle so you can do large stuff. Its called the must for rust, or something like that. After you treat the metal it won't flash rust for years if you keep water off it. And phosphoric acid can't be too bad for you, they put it in Coke.

 

Another good old Navy trick is bug juice...nitric acid?

We used this on brass and stainless....you obviously skip the sugar step...

 

Do you have to neutralize the vinegar (acid) with a base (baking soda) when done?

 

Lets see phosphoric acid or Vinegar?

Vinegar seems safer to me.

Just be patient and let it soak.

 

I usually leave my parts in the vinegar solution for 2 to 3 days and blast with a hose. Most or all of the rust will just sheet off, if it doesn't I might brush it, then put it back into the solution for another day and do the same process again.

I have a thirty gallon plastic tank (foot locker) that has had the same vinegar it for five years

 

Dam I wish I could dip my whole car in vinegar

 

I left a cast iron part in for a while and it looked good but threw it back in for another few days to clean up a few more spots. When I took it out, the metal was soft. I went to clean it up and I could scrape off the surface. Left it for a few days and it got better. Do not know what was going on but be careful with cast. A couple days are fine but don't forget it in there. I kinda did. Neal

 

ANY acid will work. Chemically the acid contains H+ ions. The H+ ions cause the Iron oxide to break down intop Fe+ and O- ions. The O- ions combine with the H+ ions to form water. The Fe ions stay in the acid solution, they do not form back onto the metal. Since you are using up the H+ in the acid, it does eventually make the acid weaker and it gets "used up".

 

I never try'd using it for rust removal, but use this mixture to cause rust on metal art projects for customers.

I use it in a spray bottle and mist it on, using either the sun or a torch to help it evaporate which ends up leaving the piece rusty. The more times you do it the more "patina" you get as I call it when talking to cutsomers (who wants to pay for rust?). You can add some salt to help it along.

 

i posted on this a year or so ago, works great!!!

if metal isnt pitted it will come out like NEW ...

takes a couple days to a week depending.. but worth the wait, its free!

 

it absorbs odors.