The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Rust remover Vinegar

I have been looking at a lot of the information on the site learning how to repair my 65 Gmc I was on a members web site and they have information on using vinegar to remove rust with pictures and it works very good I am cleaning all the bed rails that are for the wood floor in the bed the repair them I will be able to use then instead of buying new ones
THANK TO THE MEMBER WHO THIS ON THEIR WEB SITE

Mix the vinegar with molasses, 10 parts vinegar to one part molasses, works great. But you have to leave it soak a few days....

So for those who come and find this thread later and wonder what is what...
Acetic acid is the active ingredient in Vinegar and it forms Iron Acetate when it comes in contact with steel.
When someone can post a link to a study showing the beneficial effects of Iron Acetate as a protection layer against rust or improved adhesion for paint I'll stop calling BS.

Iron Phosphate (formed when phosphoric acid contacts steel/rust) and Zinc Phosphate on the other hand have been proven to work... even with Epoxy IF properly treated.

I'd avoid Vinegar for those reasons if planning on a quality restore... rattle can and rustoleum guys can disregard this suggestion.

as someone who actually makes vinegar, I can advise that the real action of acetic acid/vinegar is "corrosion" - it's one of the most corrosive substances you commonly have around, it even eats concrete, and makes a good weed killer so if you feel inclined to use it, make VERY sure you flush the piece well with lots of clean running water to get every trace of it out of any nooks and crannies

Bill [aka the squeeze]

I agree with all of the above. Vinegar is acid, so sure it will clean metal, but if not neutralized, it will be a problem down the road. Phosphoric acid is one of the few exceptions and thus you see it as the main ingredient in most pre-paint metal prep products.

It was hard for me to locate phosphoric acid in bulk. I eventually was able to get an industrial dishwashing detergent company to sell me a gallon. Phosphoric acid is an ingredient in their commercial dishwashing detergents. I recall it is about 85% acid by volume. Good stuff. I haven't used it often, but plan to wipe down the interior of my doors as it is nearly impossible to media blast and/or paint properly. Haven't decided yet, but will maybe wipe on a paint of some sort as well. I can get my hand/arm in the door, but not any spray equipment.

is that the same thing as ospho?

Ospho is a brand name for Phosphoric acid, with some additives

Bill