rust and penetrating oils

[T. Cotten]

BoschZEV!

And just to make my posts clear,
Rusteco did not meet my needs.
I was disappointed.
(Even though I probably received it free as a sample,.. I have to call it as I see it.
Internal tank cleaning is always a big bite to chew, I admit.)

....Cotten

[BoschZEV]

I make a distinction between "free" and "effective".

I completely agree. All I'm saying about Rusteco is that it was free and is effective. Whether or not there are other substances that are even more effective, faster, more reusable, etc. hasn't been an issue with me, because the stuff certainly has been effective enough for my needs.

[T. Cotten]

BoschZev!

I make a distinction between "free" and "effective".
(Can't believe I would have paid for it, but I might have...)

It is true that white vinegar is not free on the market, but cheaper, and multipurpose;
Not bad on a salad mixed with a little canola oil as well. (Spices help too.)
It enhances the other flavors without interference.

Molasses may prove even better.

But we will need reproduceable experimentation to be certain.

As they say on TV: "Results may vary."

....Cotten

[BoschZEV]

My sample of Rusteco worked every bit as well as white vinegar (which I use daily for many tasks.)
But no better to my observations; Certainly not as re-useable as claimed.

My Rusteco was given to me for free. I suspect someone like you will appreciate that because of that fact alone it works 25% better than it would had I paid for it...

I've used a few gal. at a time in gas tanks after which I returned the remainder to the 5 gal. container. Other than that I used smaller quantities (also returned to the main container). It still works fine after 20 years but because of this type of usage I can't say myself how reuseable it is. That is, if the amounts I used lost, say, 25% of their effectiveness before I returned it to the main container, the overall drop of effectiveness wouldn't be noticeable to me because of the way I use it.

[T. Cotten]

BoschZev!

My sample of Rusteco worked every bit as well as white vinegar (which I use daily for many tasks.)
But no better to my observations; Certainly not as re-useable as claimed.

And Ricmoran!

Six months!
I have a relatively light beard myself, but....
Is this CORTEC VpCI like dry ice?

....Cotten

[BoschZEV]

How many of you have actually tried the molasses soak?

I may have. About 20 years ago someone gave me 5 gal. of something called Rusteco that I strongly suspect is just molasses. They're still in business and the MSDS for it says its only ingredient is "Liquid Extract from organically grown plants." The results from it are just like people describe as the results from molasses (or treacle, as the English call it, also used for de-rusting).

In any case, whatever is in it the Rusteco it works great for removing rust without any damage to the base metal. I've used it on the insides of motorcycle gas and oil tanks (after first using a solvent to remove the oil from the inner surface), surface rust on a vise for my mill, rust on the slide bar for a taper attachment for my lathe, and no doubt a few other things. In the case of light rust on a complex object (e.g. a tilting mill vise) I soaked a thin rag in the stuff and stuck it to the contours of the rusty piece. It only took a few minutes to remove the rust, after which I slid the rag over other contours.

[ricmoran]

For razor blades I insert mine after drying into a CORTEC VpCI 126 zip bag. Typically get 6 months out of one blade shaving daily. The best was one year with a freshly produced bag.

In the left hand you have a green pill, and in the right hand is a red......choose wisely because once taken your life will drastcally change. More Matrix funnies.

[T. Cotten]

Cory!

Please note that I used the term "quality" razors; BICs and other dimestore disposables will show regeneration proportionally less to match their initial short life.
Those who see me bleeding at D-port see the results of a brand new one!
I am a horrible cheapskate, and have found proper use of quality razors make them much more economical in the long run, inspite of the initial high cost.

Many of you know that a razor should never be rinsed with hot water.
The metallurgical reasons for this are genuine.

....Cotten
PS: This enormous edit window is great! (too bad it only works on one of my old PCs.)

Back closer to original topic, Folks,

How many of you have actually tried the molasses soak?
(One fellow suggested that it must have sulfur in it.)
Since feedstores are now extinct even in my agricultural region, I haven't investigated.
(I'm too cheap to buy it at the grocery...)

Thanks in advance as always,

....Cotten

[c.o.]

This has been the most civil debate I have witnessed on this board in quite sometime. I have enjoyed it thus far... as far as razor blades go..... after two or three shaves, it's discard time. I just can't stand scraping until my face is raw! Good thing I leave them in the drawer from September to April or May..... Having said that, just for giggles, the next time I go on a stint of making myself respectable I might just save one back for awhile and do a little "experimenting".

[BoschZEV]

Relying on white papers and scientific goobly **** does not hold a candle to real life experience, but I know I am wrong with that thesis as well.

Just wondering if writing on paper and sending snail mail worked, why bother with a computer? After all the web was invented by Al Gore and is just another unimaginable thorn in old beliefs!!

Yes, of course you're right. The internet and the computer were invented by regular people relying on real life experiences, not technically educated people and scientific goobly****. How could I have thought otherwise?

[T. Cotten]

BoschZev posted: "and time is lost by doing experiments for which the answers are already known."

So much for reproduceable results....

.....Cotten
PS: Damned if I don't use Gillette Mach3 myself!

[ricmoran]

Well, a frozen speedo core to it's casing sat for a few hours that was treated with CP-90 ended up becoming usable and free to be removed from the casing. The cable sat in a shed and had been exposed to acid rain for only who knows how long.

Guess I can chuck that up to another failure as I think someone is writing from the Matrix and it is not me.

Relying on white papers and scientific goobly **** does not hold a candle to real life experience, but I know I am wrong with that thesis as well.

Just wondering if writing on paper and sending snail mail worked, why bother with a computer? After all the web was invented by Al Gore and is just another unimaginable thorn in old beliefs!!

[BoschZEV]

Little is lost by experimenting.
Unless you fear it will shake the foundations of your faith.

I disagree on both counts. The information I posted has nothing to do with faith, and time is lost by doing experiments for which the answers are already known.

I've lost as much time on razor blades as I care to so the floor is now all yours to continue this as a monologue if you wish.

[T. Cotten]

Please consider for a minute, Folks,..

Chipping an edge requires either hitting a very hard object, or embrittlement from work-hardening.

Work-hardening is of course, part of the process of producing an edge, and intrinsic to the stropping process.
If the palm of the hand can be a strop, the face is not that different.

Just like breaking a steel wire by bending it repeatedly until micro-cracks oxidize so the metal no longer has affinity with itself, a precise edge that has rolled and sprung back is going to eventually fatigue, and repeats accelerate it.

I never said the edges were immortal, just that there was little reason to toss them before they were actually exhausted.
Like a motorcycle, there is little economy in discarding them before their time.

Little is lost by experimenting.
Unless you fear it will shake the foundations of your faith.

....Cotten

[BoschZEV]

p.s. I searched an academic database for technical articles or book chapters on the wear mechanisms for razor blades. Trying to filter out hits from non-technical magazines almost certainly eliminated relevant technical material as well, and I would have to go to the library to read the actual articles. But, the on-line abstract of one that appeared in the Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference on Composites, Advanced Ceramics, Materials, and Structures succinctly describes how the razor blades they tested wear:

Blade wear occurred by the formation of edge chips

Since missing chips can't heal themselves, the "improvement" T. Cotten reported that he felt with his used razor after letting it rest for six weeks was psychological. However, it will be better if he continues to believe in healing because if he accepts the scientific evidence he will have to spend money on new blades. It will be cheaper if he denies the science.