At 10:50 PM 7/13/2006, David C. wrote:
>I've had pretty good luck removing rust with citric acid, assuming the part is
>small enough to submerge in a bucket or big pan. I use it to remove rust from
>old tools. It attacks the rust but won't hurt the base (ferrous) metal. I
>use an enameled turkey roaster on a gas hot plate, heat the water and mix a
>saturated solution of citric acid (available on line and from brewery supply
>houses), adding the dry citric acid and stirring until it won't dissolve any
>more, then add the part, get it boiling again, then remove from heat and let
>it sit anywhere from a few hours to overnight. Clean with a green scrubbie or
>a light wire wheel.
I recently got some Krud-Kutter brand "The Must for Rust", which is a
phosphoric-acid-based solution in a pump
spray bottle. It worked better than I expected. I got it from McMaster.
(Their NJ warehouse is 20 minutes from my home,
and they even have Saturday morning will-call!)
Doug Braun
|