Metal Cleaning Using Vinegar?

The vid below appears to be a fair comparison between options.
Note that most UK supermarket chains do stock molasses but it takes time to do the job. Never tried it, but it'll be on my list

I just use cheapo generic white vinegar from the supermarket in half-gallon plastic bottles for threepence ha'penny. Seems to work fine. Some things take overnight, others a few days if the rust is heavy and deep.

I can’t see the disadvantage of using a brass wire wheel, brush or Dremel attachment (or a combination) to abrade the rust away. It’s much quicker, and doesn’t saturate your parts in acid. You seem to need to neutralise the acid with another chemical, abrade the remnants of the rust, buff the surface and coat with oil or WD40 to preserve the finish, so using acid just costs more and takes much longer to achieve exactly the same result.

The rusty old tools I have derusted with vinegar would have needed more than a little bit of wire buffing. And I never have neutralized with chemicals etc. Just washed in water then WD40, which all tools need anyways in a humid climate. Found it much quicker than using the wire wheel on my 8' grinder when doing a whole box full of tools from a garage sale etc. I did it many times when I was setting up my workshop from scratch almost exclusively from garage sales, on everything from Starrett scribing blocks to Stahlwille spanners.

For a one-off I might use the wire wheel. But I hate the way it sprays muck everywhere, including all over me. Vinegar is much more civilized for the big jobs.

If it works for you like you say, then it seems ideal. I tried the technique on the woodworking pins because I thought it would be much quicker and easier using a liquid to put them all in together, but it just didn’t work - the opposite in fact because the bright pins I’d already done went rusty. I’ve now tried several methods and they’ve all failed miserably. I guess everyone has their go-to methods and gets the hang of their foibles.

Not suitable for everything, but try lemon juice.

Ocset double strength no added sugar 1.5 litre was on bogof so I got some.

Tried on rusty box lid. Submerged in the neat juice.

After a while, even the old goldish coloured hammerite was coming if as well as the corrosion.

It took a few days for every last bit of paint and corrosion to disappear leaving a paint ready surface, after a rinse and quick drying.

Will post a few pictures later.

RAF cosford use lemon juice to clean the wreckage of a wartime me110 ? Found in the channel.

Back later...

Well that worked, second attempt...

Try lemon juice, double strength, neat...

Back later with pictures...

Steel box lid paint ready after a rinse and quick dry...

I was thinking it may be down to the type of vinegar used. Gourmet malt vinegar and fine pickled onion solution vs the roughest cheap generic white vinegar. (Matches my taste in wine!) We don't know what additives the gourmet food products might contain. The generic white vinegar is sold for use as a household cleaner so it is "pure".

Farm supplies Molasses is £9.50 for 5L

RAF cosford use lemon juice on the me110? Wreckage liberated from the channel.

Ocset double strength lemon juice was on bogof, so I got some. Tried it neat on a rusty steel tool box lid, submerged.

Later that day noticed it's taken off some corrosion, and the old peeling goldish hammerite.

Left it overnight and it's working well. Abraded steel to speed things along a bit, no elbow grease, and a fresh " charge" of juice.

It removed all old paint and most of the corrosion. Repeat and leave for a day, only about 10percent to go.

Repeat process, all corrosion gone and steel paint ready after a rinse and guick dry off.

Painted with no frills Screwfix red primer.

That was about 5 years ago.

Will post pictures of before and kids condition today, this afternoon, Gosh, it's afternoon already !

Later today...

I have experience of using vinegar and I liked it, you have to maintain your expectations of how long it takes. Overnight soakings and changes of liquid may be required.

For examples of variable results see my video:

vice restoration video

Times: 01:10, 14:46, 26:43, 29:11

What didn't make the cut was that it took several days to etch out the vice jaws, which were clogged with debris and rust. The crap loosened and came off and they came up almost as good as new which was amazing and very worth while as quality jaws are very expensive - if you can get them.

A big part of this film demonstrates the maxim of not using chemicals if you don't know what you are doing. There might be a bit of that in the posts above.

I am probably going to try some other techniques for other items, I think its a matter of horses for courses and you need to experiment to find the right technique and product for the application and your patience.

Sorry admin, cross over between posts and getting, please remove duplicate post..

If anyone tries removing rust with Molasses in the UK, can they report back how well it works please?

The particular type of Molasses used to remove rust in the US and Australia may not be readily available in the UK. UK supermarket Molasses is a human-grade foodstuff sold in small quantities - not particularly cheap, but why not if it works. Many different types of molasses. I suspect rust removing Molasses is the lowest-sugar type used in Cattle Feed. Also available in the UK but sold in bulk as far as I can tell. Not sure I want to own 1300kg of sticky rust remover.

Why do you chaps want to mess with Vinegar, Citric Acid and Black Treacle when the UK is full of Motor Factors all selling several different commercial Rust Removers and Rust Protection products? And I've heard a rumour they can be bought on the internet too. Is it the romance of rolling your own special mixture? If you want something traditional try:

Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing.

Or Snake Oil...

Dave

Citric acid does the job, but leaves everything dull grey with a layer of black crud.

Neil

SOD - animal feed molasses available in 5L in farm shops (Wynnstay group for instance @ £10.50). So that’s 50L slow de-rust solution if you have a large object to process.
Cane molasses or beet molasses best??

pgk

Edited By pgk pgk on 30/01/2022 17:56:08

because they are just phosphoric acid in buffered solution at ten times the price or chelates (an organic process even more expensive eg Evaporust)

We tried molasses in the Men's shed a few years ago. It only worked if you got the dilution right as per some recipe found on the internet and went mouldy.

Wire brushing is good but some nooks and crannies are inaccessible.

As I keep saying just get some liquid phosphoric acid and only use it by brushing it on not dunking things. I got 500ml at an ME exhibition about 20 years ago and it only ran out a couple of years ago and I do far more derusting than most model engineers I know.

A saturated solution of salt and vinegar will remove zinc plating from nuts and bolts.

I have had excellent results using Shield Technology's RESTORE.

I put it in a heated Ultrasonic Bath to sped up the process

MC

Phosphoric acid is still easily available online and not expensive . As stared above it not only removes light rust but converts deep rust to a phosphate that won't rust anymore.

There are moves afoot by our nanny state to stop us buying things like phosphoric acid . Sulfuric is already banned . Buy any Chemicals you use now before they are banned under the explosives or poisons act .

I have on order some Oxalic acid which they say is good for rust I will try it.

I have not ordered it for rust removal but for working on some wood so as I will have it will experiment