Vinegar Rust removal

[wallfish 17,111]

I've been using vinegar to clean rust from the inside of gas tanks and it works very well. Since the vinegar was just sitting in a bowl after recently doing a tank, I decided to throw in a rusted pulley which shows the results much better than trying to get a pic of the inside of a tank. These 2 pulleys looked just about identical before soaking one. I let it soak for 2 days and wiped it off with a cloth. Using baking soda afterwards will neutralize the vinegar's acid. 

There are quite a few other posts on the subject, just type "vinegar" in the search feature.

[posifour11 723]

Wow! Any type?

[doc724 925]

It had occurred to me to try this.  It sure beats wire brushing.  I am going to try it on a more heavily rusted part to see how well it works. 

[AMC RULES 37,141]

Good tip John.    

[varosd 1,185]

just put a deck pulley into some white vinegar, we see in a couple days    Science is cool!

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Vinegar cleans up copper/brass as shiney as a new penny.

I just used vinegar to clean up the male & female plugs for my motorcycle trailer before last weeks motorcycle trip.

A "Q" tip helped to get into the very small sockets on the male and to get all around the pins on the female end.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,363]

John-

Not like you to remove the rust !! You are a rust man at heart for sure !! lol

[wallfish 17,111]

Forgot where I heard or read about it but I remember it as cider vinegar working the best but any type will probably do.

 

I do like the rusty stuff Steve, just not inside my gas tanks. Or on pulleys LOL

 

For cleaning out gas tanks it helps to add a handful of screws or two, depending on the size. I use sheet rock screws because they have sharp edges. Shake and swirl them around every once in a while to scrape the rust off too.

[Coadster32 793]

Pretty darn good results there!

 

I also learned recently that citric acid cleans things pretty good as well. Cheap and a little goes a long way and you don't have to kill yourself either.

[Patrick Reese 40]

Good tip. Not a Wheelhorse, but I have a Bantam with a stuck steering yoke. Soaking with PB Blaster, heating and beating with a block of wood and hammer only netting tight limited motion. I was thinking of using the vinegar or even muriatic acid to dissolve the rust. Anyone have any luck freeing frozen parts with acid?

[doc724 925]

Update:  So I tried the vinegar idea on a rusty bracket.  I put it into a can so the whole part did not fit in.  Got a bit impatient and pulled it after 36 hours.   The result:  The rough rust was diminished but not completely removed in teh area that was submerged.  More importantly, the weakly adhering paint was attacked and easily scraped off.  The conclusion:  Worthwhile and cheap alternative to sandblasting but you have to be patient and still does not do a perfect job, but certainly good enough and better than sanding.

 

I wonder how Coca-Cola would work.  Maybe it is an urban legend, but I heard that that studd will eat at the paint on your car if you left it there!

Edited October 31, 2013 by doc724

[JC 1965 1,530]

Wow !!  Great tip guts. I'll have to try this the next time I need to remove rust. Thanks for the info.

[Gunny 240]

After reading, I also tried this.  Have a variety of parts soaking now.  Vinegar is much cheaper than the other rust remover I've been using.  Will update on the results. 

[Wishin4a416 2,191]

Thanks Wallfish! I stopped at Walmart after work and have a bunch of small parts soaking right now.

No Bubbles yet but hope to see some action by morning.

[flyovrcntry 115]

I have used it on gas tanks with good results.I was told apple cider vinegar is best,so I've never tried white vinegar.I think I saw a video on youtube about this.

[AMC RULES 37,141]

Haven't tried it myself yet...    

but I've heard tell...molasses works better than vinegar. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq5IUiYMhRM

[doc724 925]

Another update:  I put 5 parts into a shallow plastic bin, covered them with vinegar and waited 36 hours.  Took them out and put them in a laundry sink and proceeded to rub them under cold running water with a kitchen sponge (the kind with the slightly abrasive pad on one side).  I achieved 85-100 percent removal of rust and paint.  The only down side of the vinegar "clean" is that the steel is so clean it will begin to tarnish (rust) right before your eyes.  You have to get the parts out of the water and dried pretty quickly.

[Patrick Reese 40]

Another update:  I put 5 parts into a shallow plastic bin, covered them with vinegar and waited 36 hours.  Took them out and put them in a laundry sink and proceeded to rub them under cold running water with a kitchen sponge (the kind with the slightly abrasive pad on one side).  I achieved 85-100 percent removal of rust and paint.  The only down side of the vinegar "clean" is that the steel is so clean it will begin to tarnish (rust) right before your eyes.  You have to get the parts out of the water and dried pretty quickly.

I wonder if a wipe down with WD-40 (Water displacement formula 40) would prevent the reformation of rust from the water until they could be properly wiped down with a prep treatment before painting or priming.

[AMC RULES 37,141]

I stripped this engine shroud down to bare metal almost two years ago.

Once finished I mixed up maybe a table spoon of the Eastwood Metal Wash in a spray bottle, mixed with warm water, and sprayed down the tin. Don't wash or wipe it off...just let it dry...leaves behind the white, powdery, zinc phosphate material you see here...which is what prevents the flash rusting from happening. Manufacturers label claims up to three weeks of protection, but...like I said...this has been down in the basement for about two years now. Just hit it quick with a scotch brite pad, and you're right there ready for paint again. 

[KC9KAS 4,741]

At my work place, after an acid bath for derusting, the parts are dipped into a caustic (sodium hydroxide) bath, then a water rinse.

This stops the flash rust, but needs additional products to keep rust down long term.

[doc724 925]

Thanks AMC Rules.  I will have to get myself a can of this Eastwood Metal Wash!

[Martin 2,133]

zinc phosphate is a sealer. we use it in our washers on the paint lines. i would try more of a mist with the spray bottle, thin it a little more.......

the brown in your pics, craig, is whats known as 'phosphate burn', just a little too much concentration. light blow off with air would help a little too.

you want a real light gray color on there.......

 

 

hey, i liked the molasses video, darn aussies with their holden toranas........

Edited November 4, 2013 by Martin

[AMC RULES 37,141]

I've had that little can since around 2005, which did the whole Javelin exterior, as I was stripping one panel at a time, before going into the paint booth. It's done numerous tractor parts along the way too, including another RJ frame, and differential I stripped early this spring...probably still have about 1/2 of the can still remaining, so...a good investment here, as a little bit of this stuff goes a long way.    

Edited November 5, 2013 by AMC RULES

[Terry M-(Moderator) 2,177]

So Craig, not to sound dumb, but , you just mix it up,spray it on and let it dry?  ok, I get that part………Then , when you want to paint you just scotch brite the piece(s) clean, then its ok to prime , paint or powder coat???  sounds too easy.  is it?  

[AMC RULES 37,141]

I showed you the scotch brite process only because the piece has been sitting so long.

I wanted you to see that the condition of the metal I cleaned two years ago is basically just the way I left it. 

While the zinc-phosphate coating the metal wash leaves behind does promote paint adhesion, the main purpose of this step is to buy yourself a little time, if you know it's gonna be awhile before you actually are able to put the part into paint. 

No matter what process you use to strip and preserve a part...before painting, you always have to clean the part with a quality automotive wax and degreaser.