What is it??

[Steve Little]

Vinegar also works very well, and somewhat fast. As with molasses, non-toxic to Mother Nature, and very cheap.

Thanks Eric. I knew there was talk of vinegar at some time in the past but could not remember how it was done. White vinegar? ratio? or neat?

Hi Mick. Man...I knew that laser thing was too good to be true. Were you up there for Fish's run?

I think all the springs from my earlier post are an assortment of Triumph kicker springs.

[aumick10]

Steve,
I was in Oz visiting friends and family.
Ended up in Alice shooting black powder rifles in the Australian masters games.
It rained on the west coast, south coast, east coast and the center. I am always going home at the wrong time of the year.
I am originally from warrnambool, so I cannot expect much there in the way of good weather.

[AFJ]

Steve,
Try a mixture of about 10% molasses and water. Leave the part in it for a week or more. I cover the container to prevent evaporation. Remove it and wash it off with water. A little scrubbing with a brush may be necessary depending how heavy the rust was. It will not hurt the paint and leaves a pleasant odor in the shop.

I have always used a mixture of 1 pound of cooking molasses to an imperial gallon (4.55 L) of warm water and gotten good results. The sugar solution converts red iron oxide to the black iron oxide which then can be easily brushed off. Time needed depends on the thickness of rust. Once clean, dry the parts thoroughly and coat the bare metal with oil as soon as possible since in damp air rusting could start in minutes. Or begin priming/painting if that is what will be required.
Degreasing of metal should be done first if it is a part rust, part greasy item.
AFJ

[Steve Little]

40 litre tub with sealable lid from the supermarket. Only put 15 litres of water in it to suit the 10% ratio. 3 half litre bottles of molasses. Hot tap water. And sacrificial rusty parts.
Let the experiment begin.

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[ihrescue]

Steve:

The guiding principle with the molasses and water is patience. The process works well. I found it did a nice job on small chrome plated parts and in preserving a very neglected Sportster it saved me some money on replacement parts. It did several runs of the process using a container only about 1/3 the size of your experiment. On the first round I let it sit for couple of weeks. Pretty cool as you watched because you knew something was happening based on the look of the liquid surface (development of foam) and the smell of the off gassing, almost a sweet fermenting odor. Once I ended the experiment I was concerned because it looked like the rust was still there, but what I found was it rubbed right off and left a nice chrome finish. Of course it does not take away pitting or where the rust damaged the plating but often they blemishes were tiny. But since you are using unprotected steel you should be going right down to the steel surface. Again if the rusting ate into the steel the pitting remains but after washing the rust is gone. Scrubbing does help. Later trials I would go a week and take the part out and rubbed it off, each time removed rust and it seemed to speed up the overall process. The good thing is that it is another tool in the tool box. My little research into rust removal found that the acid baths work well as does electrolysis. If I can find my trial photos I will post them. Good luck.

Mike Love

[ihrescue]

AFJ -

Your results are what I found as well. I wanted to mention a product I became aware of that appears to be designed especially for putting a protective coating on bare steel. It's called Fluid Film. I have noted through reading several build threads and preservations where the processes is not so much restoring a finings but stopping damage where it is and preventing further. When this is possible and if you are in the mindset to tolerate the patina a preserved then a coating of some protective kind to prevention more corrosion is in order. Here is a link for a guy that does a bunch of videos documenting his saves of old stuff. I think the Fluid Film has potential. I was considering using linseed oil on rusting of cast iron heads and cylinders but now I am going to give Fluid Film a trial.

https://youtu.be/kcGTi0GrkSE

Mike Love

[FNG1]

Hi Mike, we use fluid film at work to protect the underside of steel truck and railroad scales. I also use it in my unheated shop on my equipment. It takes forever to dry, so I wouldn't put it on anything you would rub up against. *Happy Holidays to all*.

[ihrescue]

Thanks for your experience on that FNG1 - Sounds like an endorsement.

Mike Love

[T. Cotten]

Thanks for your experience on that FNG1 - Sounds like an endorsement.

Mike Love

I've been working on a gallon of Fluid Film for well over a decade, Folks!

I soaked a machete and scabbard I found this morning, before I saw this thread...

It smells like wet sheep in a canvas military tent, but great for Parkerizing and outdoor storage.
(It is a heavy lanolin slime, and John Deere dealers carried it. Twasn't cheap.)

....Cotten
PS: Rob Olsen gave the tip on the VirtualIndian mailing list back in the olden days of the Internet.

[FNG1]

Hi Mike, I think fluid film is great for what it is supposed to be used on. In Ohio, people spray the undersides of their cars and trucks with it every year. I wonder how it would work on a surface that gets hot. You could put some on a piece of steel and heat to 300-400F from the underside and see what happens. It goes on foamy and thick. As Cotton said, it has lanolin in it. You could end up with coyotes chasing you.

[exeric]

40 litre tub with sealable lid from the supermarket. Only put 15 litres of water in it to suit the 10% ratio. 3 half litre bottles of molasses. Hot tap water. And sacrificial rusty parts.
Let the experiment begin.

Steve, for what it's worth; I de-rusted a 1966 Honda 450 front fender last month in a plastic tub using vinegar, and water. It took 3 days and did an excellent job. I have no idea what ratio of vinegar to water I concocted because I just dumped 2 gallons of cheap store brand vinegar into enough water to submerge the rusty part of the fender. I neutralized the process with baking soda, wire brushed the de-rusted area, washed it with detergent, then lacquer thinner, and finally shot some foo foo can primer on it.

[T. Cotten]

Steve, for what it's worth;.. I have no idea what ratio of vinegar to water.

Vinegar rules, Folks!

I go through gallons.

It cleans my galley, head, and soaked about a hundred and fifty pounds of used sprockets for my future security shutters.

But that proved the best is still appropriate blasting: Even if just hulls to remove the different digestives' residues,.. saving 'character',.. it takes more aggressive media to cut to the chase.

....Cotten

[ihrescue]

You could end up with coyotes chasing you.

HaHa - its like the Andy Griffith show character Rafe Hollister said "I wanna grease my shoes, but every time I do that. the cats all follow me."

[FNG1]

Back on topic. I don't have many oddball parts. I found these in an ammo can with some other unusual crap. PC230256.jpgPC230256.jpg

[Steve Little]

.
FNG1 I can't identify yours but whatever they are out of, it will most probably have some kind of removable cap to adjust those adjusting screws.
And these parts are from a similar ammo can in a different part of the world.

Red lense has TMC-717 SAE-STDB-62 GLO_ BRITE. IT measures 93mm diam or 3 11/16"
The steel backing plate is 98mm or 3 7/8"


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