Using White Vinegar for Rust Removal

[lavron]

You know how I like to deal with rust I have de-rusted a few bolts with white vinegar now and have been pretty pleased with the results.

It is easy and cheap and I thought I would do this quick write up on how to do it, I will apologize for the fuzzy picts but I am going to blame my cell phone camera, sometimes it wants to focus sometimes not, I think you will get the idea.

This is just one bolt I did, if you had a hundred you might want to find a different way, but several go pretty fast, I guess I am a little particular and want every little thing to be clean as I can get it, won't make a hill of beans in the long run if you do this stuff or not, just some of the stuff I do Anyway this is the bolt that secures the anti-lock sensor to the top of an 8.8 (yes the one we don't use, more on that at another time) it was not all that rusty and I did some far worse but didn't take the pictures to show.

This is the bolt after I had degreased it, I then dropped it in a jar with some undiluted white vinegar and left it overnight (24 hours is better), I then scrubbed it with the brass brush that is pictured and the second bolt is after the brass brush, finally I used my Dremel brush to clean it up the rest of the way (the two fuzzy pictures at the bottom) it only took a few seconds to run the rotary brush over it and I did not apply hardly any pressure.



I wore a glove while using the Dremel on the hand that held the bolt because I didn't want any wires that might dislodge from the brush in my fingers

You can also drop them in baking soda and water for a bit if you want to neutralize the acid of the vinegar, I have just been rinsing them and wiping them with machine oil when I am done.

This is a really easy way to clean up bolts, I keep thinking I want one of the abrasive tumblers to clean up bolts but haven't decided I need one that badly yet.

I would like to figure out how to do the black oxide on the bolts but I thought Caswell's kits were a bit pricey.

See Ya,
Mike

[mopar 346]

A buddy uses vinegar and lemon juine and get great results. I have a black phosphate Eastwood kit and it works pretty well and I don't think was only expensive or I wouldn't have purchased it, I've had it for probably 25 years or so. I do bolts on a wire wheel on a grinder using different things to hold them at different times and then soak them in metal etch and prep from Home Depot (cheap osphose), then run them by the wire wheel lightly and paint to whatever finish I want. A different friend has gotten really good at reapplying all the phophate finishes starting with the Eastwood kit but has gotten neck deep in other things to go with it and spent a lot of time and money figuring it out but it can be done at home with great results I'm just not going to put in the effort, I'll buy them in the correct finish if need be (too lazy I guess).

I have often wondered about a tumbler as well but not bought one, when you are doing a fair amount of bolts the time saving would be immense to just put them in and come back a day later and take out perfectly clean bolts, I have just never really been around a home unit so not sure how well they work. Maybe someone that has one will chime in.

[popscomet]

BACK IN THE 90'S WHEN I built my comet,I took everybolt under the hood to work and wire brushed them or dipped them in the cleaning vat,they all looked new ,before the engine was set in ,I crawled into the engine bay and hand painted every bolts and brake lines across the fire wall,,with a clear finger nail polish,,,,lasted for awhile before I would have to touch up...wouldn't do it now,for 2comets,but it paid off,for awhile,helped win several under hood awards .....pop

[mopar 346]

Never thought about clear fingernail polish, I'l have to try that.

[popscomet]

MANY yrs ago.OL POP use to keep his comet in high detail statues,,but thru out the yrs it has slipped away from me.....don't know if it's age or maybe the new has worn off the comet,,,and I have so much other stuff going on,,,I still care and drive the comet as not to hurt it or tear it up,,but it's not the center of attratraction for me as it once was,,I hate to say it ,but it's the honest truth...I have not started it since bringing it home from PF last june...it sits in the garage in the dark,,I try to never let sunlight on it,so's it won't fade the paint...pop

[lavron]

Just a quick post on some tools I put in vinegar, two pairs of old pliers and a crusty file, one plier is a cheap pair of big ones from India, the other pair is a standard sized that say Cee Tee Company on the side, made in NY U.S.A. The file is a Nicholson.

The small plier and file came out really good, the India pliers have some bad pitting on them but came out clean as well.



It worked good and overnight.

See Ya,
Mike

[Rocket989]

Now I'm tempted to try Coke!!

Pop - Makes sense to me...you've got a ton of Fine Fords and racing with the kids, etc...!! It takes A LOT to keep anything in "show" condition!! Right now, I wouldn't even try...kids are more important! Comets are the best looking cars ever. Some time spent hibernating won't change that!

[lavron]

Now I'm tempted to try Coke!!

Well it is supposed to work good on chrome.

I think white vinegar is my choice over molasses for at least small things because it works so much faster, I imagine it might be a bit more caustic than molasses so you would need to monitor it on delicate parts closer.

However, I think if I had left that carb in molasses long enough it would have completely dissolved the body.

See Ya,
Mike

[poboyjo65]

Mike It's the same way with carb cleaner,overnight is about as long as you want to soak a carb,no more than 2.