The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Vinegar rust removal

I have used vinegar to remove rust from some of my parts with pretty good success. I have a reflector that bolts to the side of the bed. It is in good shape except for the surface rust on the metal part. Has anyone tried soaking one of these in vinegar to clean up the rust. I was not sure what effect the vinegar might have on the plastic reflector. I only have the one original (actually two, the one on the other side was not rusted and I was able to mount it without any clean up) so I don't want to experiment with it. I am hoping someone else has and can share the results. If not, I will remove the rust the old fashion way. Sandpaper, brush, steel wool. Whatever else seems to work.

I've used vinegar on some rusty impact sockets I picked up at a yard sale, and also on some old wrenches. It works, but doesn't really leave a good finish that you'd want to apply paint to.

That being said, if you want to soak those reflectors in vinegar, I don't think it would hurt the plastic at all, unless it is already weathered and porous. The plastic bucket I used is pretty stained with rust

I think you'd be happier with the results using the old fashioned way.

Hands down the most amazing, safest, borderline supernatural rust remover is evapo-rust

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...32/4299617/1980/chevrolet/c10-pickup-rwd

Super safe on anything other than rust. I was blown away when I did my seized clamshell hinges. Evaporated the rust overnight and left what was left of the original paint on the hinges....

Vinegar rust REMOVER? This is curious because on the rat rod forums vinegar is the acknowledged best way to rapid rust metal to create patina. I have tried it; spray vinegar left overnight rusts metal faster than salt water.

I also use vinegar to dissolve steel wool to create fence stain. Left overnight in a bucket of vinegar, 3 pads of steel wool totally disappear overnight.

Given those experiences, I'd never put my metal parts in vinegar.

I believe molasses might be a better choice for a non-destructive way to remove rust than vinegar. Vinegar is acetic acid, whether it's white or made from apple cider. It's not as corrosive as Sulfuric (battery acid) or Hydrochloric (brick-cleaning "muratic") but it's still pretty potent. If you've got a farm supply nearby, see if they will sell you a small quantity of molasses cattle feed supplement- - - - -just don't try to put it on your breakfast pancakes!
Jerry

When I used vinegar to patina some brand new truck fenders I found that the vinegar would create rust very quickly. Unfortunately every time I tried to put on a second coat to deepen the effect it would wipe away all the previous rust! What I found after much trial and error was that the vinegar was only a starter for the rust patina but it was also a good cleaner. Now I use vinegar or muratic acid (depending on the part) to clean metal but immediately neutralize the acid with a base once the rust is gone. To create rust I etch the metal with vinegar or muratic acid and then let it sit and run water over the next day. I believe what these products do is essentially open up the pores of the metal. Once they are clean you can prep for paint. If your intent is to add a rusty patina leave it and add water. Salt water helps even more. My brand new rusted fenders were complete in three days.

I soaked an oil filter canister over night in vinegar based on the post in this forum. When I took it out the next morning I was disappointed at first glance. I could see no change in the rust. The vinegar did not dissolve the rust, at least that is what I thought. A quick wash and all the rust was gone. It looked like a new part.

I've used it on small parts with good success. Just takes time and sometimes a little scrub after the soak.

Made some crusty old original style hose clamps look like new.

I used gardening lime to neutralize the acid afterwards so it doesn't assist rust in the future.

The gas tank cleaning and coating kit I bought years ago used phosphoric acid as the cleaner. Overnight it cleaned and etched my Harley tank inside pretty well. It's not a strong acid as it's also a main ingredient in most soft drinks. Since it's pretty benign it might be worth a try for parts cleaning.

Vinager works great. Just don't forget about it lol I cleaned up several old blades using vinager, ran out of room, stick one in a different spot. Week later it had eaten through 1/8 blades.

I have found over night is good then use a scruff pad if anything is left.

I used Vinegar to run through the cooling system on my model A and cleaned out a bunch of rust. I ran clear water through a couple times then filled with Antifreeze. It was good for that. I watched a ton of YouTube tests of vinegar, coca-cola, evapo-rust, and a couple others. I settled on evapo-rust. I got a 5 gallon bucket on Amazon for less than $80 delivered. It just works faster than everything else and can be reused. Molasses brushed on and covered with plastic wrap was a second choice and may work really good on large areas where soaking isn't an option due to size.

look into electrolysis rust removal. Takes care of every nook and does no damage. Works great for me. All you need is a battery charger, some arm and hammer soda wash and a bucket. Youtube it.

What about the cranny's?

I had a chance to try EvapoRust and would recommend it for small parts that can be submerged. I was cleaning out my dad's shed down in SoCal a few weeks ago and wanted to derust a few tools. There was a rusty cake pan there too, so I used it to soak the tools in. Here's a pic of the pan (I didn't take any of the tools, mainly hacksaw blades). Notice the "beach marks" in the pan where the level of the EvapoRust was in comparison to the top edges of the pan. This was an overnight soak.

One method that worked well for me on the rear bumper on my 2000 Silverado was to use Diet Coke (no sugar to make things sticky) and wadded up aluminum foil dipped in it. I took the rust (mainly mild pitting) off quickly and the rust did not start reappearing for about 2 years.

I had treated and painted the back surface (the side facing forward) of the bumper as well at that time.

There is science at work. In addition to the acid in the Coke there is a chemical reaction between the aluminum and rust. Wadded up aluminum foil is great for buffing light surface rust. It addition to being a soft scrub surface that will not scratch the aluminum reacts with the rust to break it up.

i use vinegar on engine blocks with stuck rusted piston(s)

within a few day(s) they come out with little effort

Another report on EvapoRust.
I picked up a cute little jug (8 oz) of their gel formula and tried it out on some surface rust. The problem was, I couldn't even squeeze it out of the jug and it just rolled around like a ball of snot, barely able to spread it on the panel. I sent a message to the company asking if it could be thinned with water and they replied that they had a batch that had too much gel in it. They sent me a replacement along with a can of their Rust Block spray (which I haven't tried yet) and some EvapoRust swag. I tried the replacement gel stuff and have to say that it's not working nearly as well as the liquid does.It does stick on vertical surfaces as they claim, and does remove rust, but would take multiple applications to get good results. A wire wheel is a lot quicker, although can't reach in some places that you could get the gel into.