another-user

i was probably about the most sceptical person out there when i was told white vinegar could be used to eat the rust away. well, it works. slowly, but it works none the less.

this is after about a week of soaking, and haveing the loose scale brushed off every other day.





i cant complain for a 3 dollar metal etching.

Jughead

old news.

7t2vette

Thanks for the tip. I have also used CLR to soak parts in, it works a little faster than the vinegar, and is fairly cheap.

R Baker

Friend of mine uses a molassis solution. Works great from what I have seen.

Secret Squirrel

What he said

NHvette

Old News ??
WTF is that ?

Are you folks unhappy that others are learning what you already know ?
Have you been on the Earth too long to tolerate others discoveries ?

Back to topic:

Now that you are happy with Vinegar, do yourself a favor and find
some Phosphoric Acid treatment. Home Depot near me has it in the paint
department in a gallon jug (by Stripkleen). It will do the etch you show
in less than an hour. Warm a bowl in the microwave and it works much faster.
PS - do not put parts in microwave - just solution.

Eddie 70

I have used the vinegar trick myself after someone posted about it on here. The only problem with the vinegar for me, is the smell. Blahhh

1971Coupe

never tried it, but....

Vinegar naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new store bought spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most areas of your vette. Vinegar is a great natural cleaning product as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Always test on an inconspicuous area.

Lemon juice is another natural substance that can be used to clean your vette. Lemon juice can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. Lemon is a great substance to clean and shine brass and copper. Lemon juice can be mixed with vinegar and or baking soda to make cleaning pastes.

Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as commercial abrasive cleansers. Baking soda is great as a deodorizer.

72LS1Vette

I used vinegar on some small parts a couple of years ago and it worked nicely. The only thing I didn't like was that the parts oxidize almost immediately after they dry out. Not a problem if you are planning to paint with a rust treatment but I don't know how well regular paint would bond.



Rick B.

Scott Marzahl

It is simply Acetic acid which is considered a very weak acid when compared to Phosphoric or Muratic for removing rust. That's why it took a week to remove the scale instead of a few hours with one of the other mentioned acids. After removing from your acid solution, neutralize with a baking soda and water mix. The best thing is to treat it afterwards with PPG metal prep or phosphoric metal etch.

68/70Vette

The good thing about acetic acid (vinegar) is that it works really slow. Also, you can dunk your bare hand in it without worry of getting an acid burn. So, after the part is in vinegar, you can conveniently stick your hand in the solution, pick your part out and inspect it, and then drop it back in if need be. Since it works slow, you can usually just leave parts in overnight without worring about the acid overly attacking the metal.

I used vinegar to derust up my rear axle bearing assemblies and some other parts. I got a strange look at the grocery check out counter when I bought about 8 gallons of vinegar!

jrzvette

When i first started working on cars, about 45 years ago, a lot of people said that Coke or Pepsi was great for freeing rusted bolts or nuts. I don't know if that was an urban legend as I never tried it, but I've never drank Coke or Pepsi since either.

Scott Marzahl

The reason Coke or Pepsi will work is because they are loaded full of phosporic acid, just look at the ingredients. Thats why pediatric docs tell you not to let your kids drink sodas, it eats their young bones.

68/70Vette

Actually, the carbonated beverages also contained carbonic acid also. However, the phosporic and carbonic acids are pretty weak and shouldn't really be a danger. Your stomach already contains acid that's a lot stronger than the acid in these beverages. I think stomach acid is akin to hydrochloric acid.......Not to be too disgusting, now you know why vomit has a sour/bitter taste.

I think to problem with young children and phosporic acid, is not the acid, its the phosphorous. Phosphorous weakens growing bones.

Secret Squirrel

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1660721

RIJVETTES

Last week it was the benifits of Murphy's Soap on interior leather. Today its vinegar and muric acid on metal. You guys are a wealth of information. I'm finally making up for all those wasted hours in high school chem class. Good info. Thanks.

82MDVette

Not exactly the proper response
I too had never heard of this method. Unfortunately I am way past the point of using this on my current project. I will be using this on future projects. I am always looking for methods of cleaning parts that are environmentally friendly.
Thank you for reposting this tip for the many of us that had never heard of this!

AzMotorhead

I've used all types of acids Muratic is very fast 7 neutralizes with water but if your not careful it can damage the part.
Molasses is also a good slow one also. problem is the smell and you have to add a touch of bleach or it will grow mold

srs244

the reason this happens (and it would happen after bead blasting or vibration cleaning also, etc) is that you have opened up the pores on the metal surface and if not treated almost immediately will begin to oxidize.

72ls5fla

Hey ..

Len found this great rust remover from a guy in NJ.
I bought 6 gallons of the stuff - WORKS GREAT!
Removes rust only - paint and inspection marks stay on!

Not an acid, and really environmentaly friendly.

Forgot the name - maybe Len can post a link.

Bill