cleaning large quantity of bolts?
- Thread starter RDW920
- Start date
Steel is a bit more tricky since they can rust if you wash them and dont dry them.
I had a misc box of old bike bolts, washers, etc.
I put them in an old storage tote. Washed them with simple green. Just filled up the tote with the simple green inside it and sloshed them all around.
I did it a few times, emptying out the dirty water and starting fresh.
I then put a beach towel on the ground on the back deck and spread them all out over it.
No rust and they came out nice and clean.
I had a misc box of old bike bolts, washers, etc.
I put them in an old storage tote. Washed them with simple green. Just filled up the tote with the simple green inside it and sloshed them all around.
I did it a few times, emptying out the dirty water and starting fresh.
I then put a beach towel on the ground on the back deck and spread them all out over it.
No rust and they came out nice and clean.
ratdoggy
Well-known member
kartracer23
Well-known member
I had every single bolt off my kart in a little plastic container. Maybe 200-300 fasteners, all covered with grease. I just set it in my parts washer and stuck the hose down in it and let it overflow back into the washer. Gave it a shake every 15 minutes or so and after about 2 hours, they came out pretty good. Dried them with blue towels.
Torque1st
MEMBER EMERITUS
Vibratory units are OK on nuts and washers but they can be hard on bolt threads.
gsport
Well-known member
just stick them in the dishwasher....
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Unless you're really into cleaning nuts and bolts 
it may be better to leave them oily and greasy until you need one - then you don't have to worry about them rusting in the meantime.
it may be better to leave them oily and greasy until you need one - then you don't have to worry about them rusting in the meantime.rsanter
Well-known member
let them sit in paint thinner
pull them out and rinse them
dry them and do a quick spray with brake cleaner to displace any last water
bob
pull them out and rinse them
dry them and do a quick spray with brake cleaner to displace any last water
bob
Ray-CA
Well-known member
That will work, but it works a whole bunch better if the items are at least grease free. I'd soak 'em in Simple Green or other de-greaser and then dry them before I put them in the tumbler. Crushed walnut shell work really good.
Ray
Unless you're really into cleaning nuts and bolts
+1 on that. I grab what I need out of my bin, shoot it with carb cleaner or brake parts cleaner and use it.
A wire wheel on the grinder will clean the threads nicely.
Jazz
Well-known member
In the past I have put pushrods and engine bolts into Purple Power over a weekend and let the soak. Shake them every now and again. Usually they don't rust while they are being soaked because rust also requires oxygen and they are submerged completely. Once they are removed (and hopefully most of the grease gone, it'll spray with brake cleaner. After they dry a bit I then spray them with WD-40. Seems to work okay though not perfect.
Soak them in vinegar for a day or two. They will be transformed, grease, oil, dirt and rust can be rinsed off with lots of clean water and a brush. A shot of WD-40 after they are thoroughly rinsed with water and dry and you are good to go.
Before.
After.
These wrenches were rusted enough to where the size stamps were unreadable. Now they can be read. Any vinegar works, white, apple, malt etc.. After about a 24 hour soak you will notice a fine dark grit begin to start floating in the vinegar as it begins to lift off the dirt, rust, grease and oil. Another few hours to a day of soaking and some of the stuff will rinse right off. A brush will take care of the rest. Rinse metal parts thoroughly with water to remove the remaining acid from the vinegar or it will continue to work on the steel parts, tools or nuts and bolts.
Before.
After.
These wrenches were rusted enough to where the size stamps were unreadable. Now they can be read. Any vinegar works, white, apple, malt etc.. After about a 24 hour soak you will notice a fine dark grit begin to start floating in the vinegar as it begins to lift off the dirt, rust, grease and oil. Another few hours to a day of soaking and some of the stuff will rinse right off. A brush will take care of the rest. Rinse metal parts thoroughly with water to remove the remaining acid from the vinegar or it will continue to work on the steel parts, tools or nuts and bolts.
Last edited:
Ahh, here we go, I found a couple more photos;
.
.
If you have an old drive line (solid rust) or U-joints laying around that is a good test if you find this tough to believe. You can make them look in almost new condition for just a couple of bucks.
.
.
If you have an old drive line (solid rust) or U-joints laying around that is a good test if you find this tough to believe. You can make them look in almost new condition for just a couple of bucks.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
I'll have to remember this
I would have never thought that vinegar would have cleaned that up that well.Scout Driver
Well-known member
If you are feeling cheap, let the bolts soak in a coffee can of gasoline for a day or so. (not that gas is cheap anymore!)
Scott
Scott
Scout Driver
Well-known member
texasOFT
Well-known member
Vinegar is an organic acid (5% acetic acid) and works very well remove hydrocarbons (oil & organic) and rust but pretty well leaves metal alone. Also use it to clean galvanized metal if you want to paint it.
Keep
Well-known member
Thats sweet, I have just the parts to test that on, bet it smells like hell in the garage though!
metal1313
Well-known member
it doesnt smell too bad actually. i buy big things of white vinegar at costco, and use it to soak tools from wrenches to little vises, and a clamp that sat on my basement floor for years, getting wet and muddy. it looks new now.
Ive got an old pair of vice grips that I accidently left clamped onto a customers inner tie rod for about 9months. I soaked them in trans fluid for a while and I got them to break free and start moving again but they look like total **** and are still tough to use. Im gonna have to give this a shot also
I use my HP washer on stuff like that, made up a basket out of perforated sheet metal to contain them. Comes out looking like new. Could take them to a DIY carwash also. Just lay them out in the sun to dry afterwards.
Long time back, used to work at an engine building place, all the re-used bolts were hot tanked then blown off with a steam hose, really came out looking like new.
Long time back, used to work at an engine building place, all the re-used bolts were hot tanked then blown off with a steam hose, really came out looking like new.
Thanks for all the feed back. I think I will try the vinegar, that drive shaft is amazing.
I like the dishwasher idea.....but would likely be living in my shop after that!
Oh also thought I would attach a pic so it better defines " a lot of nuts and bolts".
all these with the cabinet for $25
I like the dishwasher idea.....but would likely be living in my shop after that!
Oh also thought I would attach a pic so it better defines " a lot of nuts and bolts".
all these with the cabinet for $25
Attachments
travisd
Well-known member
I'd say leave 'em be - if you need a clean one, clean it when you use it. Otherwise, let 'em keep the "patina" if it's not hurting anything.
sdowney717
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2010
- Messages
- 964
real greasy stuff I tend to take a bucket, some gas and a paint brush. Let them soak, agitate the bucket and use the brush to clean up the parts.
Then I take the hose nozzle and spray them down. It helps to have a metal screen type of tray. Great way to clean dirty transmissions you need to take apart. I have also just used my pressure power washer on big stuff. Blasts the gritty oil dirt off easily.
Why do car engines and trans etc... get so dirty. The government should make a law to push better seal design at the manufacturing level to keep the oil in. If engines had better seals, think how much less oil would leak out all over the highways as people drive their older leaky cars. But I dont support forcing, fining people to make repairs, just make them better to begin with.
Then I take the hose nozzle and spray them down. It helps to have a metal screen type of tray. Great way to clean dirty transmissions you need to take apart. I have also just used my pressure power washer on big stuff. Blasts the gritty oil dirt off easily.
Why do car engines and trans etc... get so dirty. The government should make a law to push better seal design at the manufacturing level to keep the oil in. If engines had better seals, think how much less oil would leak out all over the highways as people drive their older leaky cars. But I dont support forcing, fining people to make repairs, just make them better to begin with.
1Garageman
Well-known member
Ahh, here we go, I found a couple more photos;
.
.
If you have an old drive line (solid rust) or U-joints laying around that is a good test if you find this tough to believe. You can make them look in almost new condition for just a couple of bucks.
That is one hell of a tip!
Way to go Abbott
1Garageman
Well-known member
Vinko
Well-known member
I put stuff like this is a tank with solvent:
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...a=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbs=isch:1
66HertzClone
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Ahh, here we go, I found a couple more photos;
.
.
If you have an old drive line (solid rust) or U-joints laying around that is a good test if you find this tough to believe. You can make them look in almost new condition for just a couple of bucks.
How long did that take?
About 48 hours of soak.
The old fashioned way.
sdowney717
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2010
- Messages
- 964
Looks like vinegar acid works well for rust removal.
How well would it remove layered thick rust from a cast engine block?
The risk is if it removed any metal from the ears of the driveshaft. If the caps get loose then it could rotate the pressed in u joint caps and the clips can fall out and the joint fall apart.