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Vinegar for rust awesome!

mad57

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Well i read it here , not sure on org poster but i tryed it i soaked these socket strips in vinager for 2 days, every time i looked at them they still had rust so i left them, yesterday i said well it didnt work i started taking them out well the rust just wiped off, i just assumed that it would dissolve it off but just as easy it wiped off with a towel. thanks to the o.p. good tip heres a pic of after ..they were covered with rust i still cant believe it.
 

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ddawg16

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Works on any rust....

But it will also pit the material......I would suggest soaking for an hour or so...then wipe....repeat as necessary.
 

slicktoptt

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

It will also disolve oxide and cadmium coating on bolts. I threw a few semi-rusty bolts in some vinegar and it took the rust and coating off.
 

TheGrooveking

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I wonder how it works on tool steel :headscrat

Yes, at a few shops I've worked at the pickled the steel prior to starting to use the steel. They've used a mild muriatic acid, to vinegar to some commercial mixes. The great thing about the vinegar is that you could pour it down the drain, but be careful, in some towns it's illegal to pour any quantity of low or high ph liquid down the drain and those same towns have limits to the amout of ferric(iron) material too. The swing in ph or increase in metal content kills the bacteria used to digess waste at the water reclaimation stations.

TheGrooveking
 

Scramblur

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I'm sure vinegar would cure cancer. I love the stuff. If you have a wart, put a small piece of cotton ball or q-tip end soaked in vinegar under a bandaid for 5-7 days (chage it once a day) and it will be gone. I read this somewhere a long time ago and tried it. Amazing...
 

swharris

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Well i read it here , not sure on org poster but i tryed it i soaked these socket strips in vinager for 2 days, every time i looked at them they still had rust so i left them, yesterday i said well it didnt work i started taking them out well the rust just wiped off, i just assumed that it would dissolve it off but just as easy it wiped off with a towel. thanks to the o.p. good tip heres a pic of after ..they were covered with rust i still cant believe it.

Happy for you the rust is gone, but those are my least favorite socked holders. They twist and bend and the sockets just flop of when you carry them.
 

Andamo

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Hope you don't consider this as off topic, but I use a jug of vinegar mixed with a cup of salt and a tablespoon of dish washing soap as a weed killer. Since we have a well for our water supply, I don't want to be spraying chemicals around. I spray the weeds when its sunny and it does the job quite well.
 

Shadowdog500

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Thanks for pointing the vinegar trick out.

I have to agree with swharris. Those are also my least favorite socket holders.

Chris
 

tcianci

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Great job! The reason those strips rusted in the first place is the quickie "flash" plating that they get when they're made so you will need to hit them with something that will seal the surface to prevent them from rusting again. I have a few of those strips and like others said, they are rather flimsy, but I chopped off the handles and screwed through them right into the top of the roll around box and now I have "socket stands" that keep all the sockets organized and upright while somewhat re-configurable. The hat shaped cross section of the strips allowed me to screw them down with short zip screws that are used for drywall framing and the individual socket holders can still slide around on the strip as needed.
 

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Mickey O

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I hate the smell of vinegar, never liked the stuff on food (in Europe they put it on chips (fries) all the time, yuk) and then I had to drain (using a mop bucket) and cut up a 2 story tall tank full of it, I'd be happy to go the rest of my life never having to smell vinegar again.
 
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Bull

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I like the smell, actually.

I use a combination of white vinegar, citrus degreaser, and water in my HF ultrasonic cleaner. It rules.

I also have a medium sized container of vinegar on my workbench for soaking big wrenches. At the moment, I have been alternating soaking each half of a rusty 1/2 drive socket set box in it. It isn't the quickest method, but I like it a lot.

Also, I don't think the vinegar pits the metal. The rust pits the metal, and so when the vinegar kills the rust the pits are left behind.
 

Art From De Leon

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Also, I don't think the vinegar pits the metal. The rust pits the metal, and so when the vinegar kills the rust the pits are left behind.

I also think this is the case, as 'consumer grade' vinegar is far to weak to damage steel and iron.
 

Call me the Breeze

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Hope you don't consider this as off topic, but I use a jug of vinegar mixed with a cup of salt and a tablespoon of dish washing soap as a weed killer. Since we have a well for our water supply, I don't want to be spraying chemicals around. I spray the weeds when its sunny and it does the job quite well.
I was thinking of trying this. Is there a difference in performance from white vinegar or the cider vinegar?
 

dan76

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I was thinking of trying this. Is there a difference in performance from white vinegar or the cider vinegar?


I'll suggest purchasing white vinegar as it's less expensive and available in gallon containers. It's a useful product. I use it when cleaning glass, as a weed killer, to clean tile floors, a cup in the windshield fluid reservoir with water during warmer months and now I'll try it as a rust remover.
 

Bull

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

For a weed killer, what kind of sprayer do you use to apply it? One of those scuba-tank looking things with the wand and hand pump to build up pressure?

I have an old one from my dad, and the spray is weak and pathetic. It would take me forever to spray the parking area around my barn this way, which is what I need to do.
 

biker

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Works awesome removing water spots on your car too.


Please tell us how you use vinager on a car!! How do you apply vinager on a car?? Will vinager hurt polished metal?

If you leave vinager in a steel drum will vinager eat a hole in the drum? :headscrat
 
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chopper1

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I hate the smell of vinegar, never liked the stuff on food (in Europe they put it on chips (fries) all the time, yuk) and then I had to drain (using a mop bucket) and cut up a 2 story tall tank full of it, I'd be happy to go the rest of my life never having to smell vinegar again.

Yummmm. Vinegar on sliced cucumbers and french fries. :drool: Ya can't beat it
 

Falcon67

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Cider vinegar is for sippin', white is for all kinds of stuff. I use it in the washer as a clothes rinse. No gummy towels, no smells, no mold issues.
 

Abbott

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I'm the guy that posted about using vinegar for removing rust. I use it all the time and it works great. Just rinse thoroughly with water when done soaking or the acid in the vinegar will continue to act upon the metal, then a shot or two of WD-40.

The post was here http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58935

vinwrench.jpg

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I prefer (and use) white vinegar.
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Bull

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I do find the black residue that it leaves behind to be a bit unwelcome. I rinse the tools under water and scrub with a green Scotchbrite pad, and they still do look dark.

Better than rust, though.
 

Call me the Breeze

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

Personally the cider vinegar seemed to work better for me.

Sweet Fairlane. My 66 Galaxie is black. Always loved those 60's Fords

Thanks guys for the info... will take a shot at it ... the before and after shots, especially the drive shaft ones are amazing.

We've had the Fairlane for 11 years now, I would like to see pictures of your Galaxie
 
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Shadowdog500

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I do find the black residue that it leaves behind to be a bit unwelcome. I rinse the tools under water and scrub with a green Scotchbrite pad, and they still do look dark.

Better than rust, though.

All of the after shots in this thread show shiny metal. How dark did yours get? I know evaporust (from HF), turns things black.

That corvette output shaft turned out unbelievably good. I have to try this.


Chris
 
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Bull

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

All of the after shots in this thread show shiny metal.


Yes, I know. Not sure what the secret is :headscrat

I'll try to grab some pics later today of some pliers I've cleaned up in my ultrasonic cleaner with a degreaser/water/vinegar combo. They get pretty dark.
 

loj

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

I hate the smell of vinegar, never liked the stuff on food (in Europe they put it on chips (fries) all the time, yuk) and then I had to drain (using a mop bucket) and cut up a 2 story tall tank full of it, I'd be happy to go the rest of my life never having to smell vinegar again.

I'm with you on the smell of vinegar. I think it's one of those rare things where you're either wired to like the smell or it makes you gag. It reminds me of when my grandparents used to clean the coffeepot when I was a kid and if you don't like the smell of vinegar, the smell of it running through a coffeemaker is terrible.

That being said, the results are compelling. I haven't tried Evaporust, but the smell of vinegar is sure better than an oxalic acid solution.
 

Bull

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

All of these pliers were cleaned in my little HF ultrasonic machine using similar mixtures of water, some type of degreaser, and white vinegar. When I got the pliers, they were all dirty and rusty. I don't know what color they were when new, but the vinegar seems to have blackened them a bit, don't you think?

100_4557.jpg


100_4559.jpg


100_4558.jpg


The green Scothbrite takes some of it off. A wire bristle brush takes off more, but leaves scratch marks.
 

Abbott

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Re: Vinager for rust awesome!

All of the after shots in this thread show shiny metal. How dark did yours get? I know evaporust (from HF), turns things black.

That corvette output shaft turned out unbelievably good. I have to try this.


Chris

With white vinegar parts come out a dull metallic color. I usually soak stuff for 24 to 48 hours with a couple of quick wire brush clean ups during and at the end of the process. I then rinse them thoroughly with plenty of clean water, set them aside to dry them lubricate them to prevent rust. Vinegar is an inexpensive and friendly (to your body) way to clean rust off of metal. I regularly clean up bolts and nuts, parts and tools with it.
 

Indy_500

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Ok i'm hooked. I took my moms vinegar which was old and the stuff that came out was weird. like it was white chunks of spider-web. anyways, there was just a lil bit left so then i used that up, put some tools in an ice cream pail, then headed off to wally world and picked up 2 gallons of vinegar for $3 :beer: I then paid for it in quarters that i found in my sister's vehicle, and around the house :lol_hitti i've now had the tools sitting in a FULL bucket of vinegar for 20 min. and i had a couple tools in it with just a slightly filled up bucket for an hour and i took one of them and wiped em off and off came ALL of the rust!

vinegar001.jpg


vinegar002.jpg
 

Packard V8

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In a bunch of yard sale stuff was this little Hyde - USA pry bar, but it was solid rust. As you can see, after a couple of days soaking in vinegar, there is a lot of rust removed.
PICT0006.JPG



Memo to self - do not ever again let wife see her Corningware plastic lid being used as a de-rusting vat!


Washing with water, scrubbing with a 3M pad, a lick on the wire wonder wheel and it is good to go.

PICT0010.JPG


jack vines
 

mooman

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Has anybody tried vinegar on friction slides? I've got a SO box resto going on and was wondering what to do about the slides.
 

billspit

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Gee whiz, I tried some of my daughter's left over vinegar (she had a gallon) on rusty stuff and it didn't do diddly.
 

38Chevy454

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The active ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid. Any type of acid will remove rust. Be sure to wash them real good afterwards with clean water. The fresh metal surface is real active and can rust again quickly.
 

Bull

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Gee whiz, I tried some of my daughter's left over vinegar (she had a gallon) on rusty stuff and it didn't do diddly.

Perhaps you were too hasty. On dirty or heavily rusted parts, you need to just forget about them in the vinegar for a good long while. Measured in days, not hours.

The active ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid. Any type of acid will remove rust. Be sure to wash them real good afterwards with clean water. The fresh metal surface is real active and can rust again quickly.

One of our members here says to use baking soda and water to clean the parts and help prevent rust. I have not done this yet. I dry them with a paper towel and then blast them with WD40, which is mostly effective although messy.
 
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