Thread: Rust Removal?

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Much of my shop equipment and tools have acquired a nasty layer of rust.

Any magic potions for easy rust removal?

I would like to avoid using muriatic acid as recommended by some.

Do products like "Oxysolv" really work?

Follow up:

Any tips for rust prevention?

WD-40?
Cosmoline?

I've been told that antifreeze is also a great rust inhibitor!

Your thoughts?

Wasn't familiar with Oxysolv, so did a little research. It seems to claim that it turns the rust to zinc/phosphate. To do that, it would have to have zinc and phosphorous in it. The phosphorous, would need an activator, so it sounds like part, if not most, of it is phosphoric acid. They claim that it's non toxic, and since phosphoric acid is in most soft drinks (that's what disolves a nail in Coke if you've ever heard that story), and zinc is a mineral common to vitamins, it's probably feasible, but dosage has a lot to do with that.

Naval Jelly, Rust Mort, and most "common" rust removers available to the public contain phosphoic acid. For treating bare steel body parts I buy phosphoric acid straight and make a diluted mix to spray on parts prior to painting.............basically a home brew of Rust Mort without paying for the packaging.

A wipe down with steel wool or a fine scotchbrite pad will probably remove most light surface rust. Make sure to wear chemical resistant gloves and eye protection. Rinse off with water, which could be sprayed and wiped off if the tool or equipment wouldn't take well to flooding with a hose. Sometimes just some elbow grease and a light abrasive pad (again, gold scotchbrite might be enough) is best.

Then coat with a light oil, e.g. ATF, hydraulic oil, or WD40. The WD is easy to apply, but costs more because you're paying for the aerosol, and you'd still end up wiping down the excess.

Don't know about the antifreeze. Sure it's got corrosion inhibitors in it, but it's also water soluble, so over time I would expect the absorbed moisture to promote rust. A lubricating oil, such as ATF, has corrosion inhibitor too, and won't absorb moisture.

Knowing that your shop space is huge this might not be economically feasible, but maybe you should get a (or several) dehumidifier. I keep one running in the shop year round. If it's not doing me any good, at least I feel better about it.

Haven't heard from you in a while. Did you make it on the HGTV show, and are you nearing the end of the make over?

The construction is complete!

We moved in July 4th!

The house turned out fabulous and now, I can start on getting the shop all set up.

Unfortunately most of the equip & tools, though covered, got rusted. That's one of the benefits of living here in Wisconsin! Temperature changes begets condensation...and that promotes rust!

Was hoping there was an easy solution; Wipe on - Wipe off!

Thanks
Tom

PS. HGTV will schedule the "Shoot" in spring.

I'll keep ya posted

Soak them in white vinegar. Cleans em right up.

Dean

To remove rust from small parts, I connect them to the negative lead of a non-automatic battery charger and place it in a bucket of water with another sacraficial piece of steel attached to the positive lead. Then, I add Arm and Hammer washing soda until it starts to bubble. Let it sit for a while and you're done. The tools with a light coat of rust will be stripped clean and the heavy stuff will be converted to a black substance that doesn't spread like rust anymore. I believe it's a similar reaction to what occurs when you use a chemical like rust seal.

bob parmenter you said "quote" Then coat with a light oil, e.g. ATF, hydraulic oil, or WD40
i suggested in a post the other day that wd-40 was ok to use to brake rust loose and i though i was going to be tared and feathered for suggesting such a thing. at least 6 poeple posted to say that wd-40 caused more rust than it got rid of and should not be used for that. i was about to throw all my wd-40 away. glade to know im not the only person around here that still use wd-40 sometimes.

I've been told that painters HATE WD40!!!

They claim it is the biggest contributing factor to "Fish Eyes" when painting.

What do I know!

Painters are a cranky lot!

Let's backtrack a bit. My intent in this thread was to recommend the WD (along with the other products) for coating stored tools after the de-rusting. I know some gun owner guys that use WD to protect their weapons and to prevent rust while in storage, and they seem quite happy with it. I'm sure those that believe it "causes" rust have their experiences, but may not be accounting for other conditions. It's basically a light petroleum oil with a petroleum distillate as a thinning agent. There may be other things in there, but the label doesn't give a clue if it does.

As for Tom's comment about fisheye in paint, there are many more products that will contribute than WD. The fisheye comes about from surface or product contamination wherein the contaminant "pushes" away the paint film, causing the fisheye (looks like a small crater in the surface). If someone were to spray WD, or any other aerosol lubricant for that matter, during the prep phase of the paint process, or near the air intake of the spray booth or area during application, it could cause fisheye. But so can sloppy preparation by the painter. If he doesn't do a thorough job of wiping down with a "prep-sol" type product before spraying, any oil can contaminate the surface. Another source is oil from the compressor if the air system doesn't have adequate filtering. That'll blow oil right into the paint as it's applied. What's even worse than WD is Armor-all, or any other detail product that contains silicones. Silicone is much harder to remove than petroleum lubricants. Some of the "wax type" surface products (they actually identify themselves as Non-wax, typically sprays) contain silicone. Another way to get silicone in the mix is by using rags that have been run through the dryer with a softener sheet, those contain silicone.

Here's an interesting picture for you. You're all set up in the hobby shop to do a little spraying. You've rigged up an exhaust fan, with filters, on the shop door and a filtered intake panel in the shop window. You think you've done a pretty good job of creating a Rube Goldberg spray booth. But the world is conspiring against you. Across the shop is one of your rides that you cleaned earlier in the day, and of course you Armoralled (or whatever your favorite tire blackening agent) the tires to make it look sharp. And as you're getting ready to spray the parts you've just carefully prepped, the wife starts to dry a load of laundry, and the dryer vent just happens to exit the house near the window you're using for your air intake. Add to that, your loving progeny is out there spraying WD40 on his bicycle chain because you've taught him the importance of maintaining his ride too. Now, when your freshly painted part has a surface that looks like the face of the moon, who ya gonna blame?

WD 40 is supposed to displace water.

Not sure if it's true but I heard that WD 40 contains fish oil.

Hmmmm?!?

Local fisherman claim that by spraying their artifical lures with WD 40 actually ATTRACT fish!

But then again...I don't know any honest fishermen!

Since I don't want fish or fish eyes I've been using oysolve for my de rusting delimna and a light coating of ATF for prevention

Hey Ohekk, as a painter of 35 years I guess I need to throw out the GALLONS of WD-40 I got then...I love the stuff, coat down engine blocks, heads, cranks, don't fish- but if I did I'd use it on lures too.
Bob's right- we are a cranky lot, but that's because everybody that comes into the shop has to put their damn hands on everything & spread oil around. We actually hate silicones because they are hard to get to release from the painting surface's....stuff just penetrates everything, and does cause fish-eye &/or pealers, so if you use it to do any body work then make sure you "boil" it out with alcohol before you do any body repair, or it will come back up.
As for rusty tools.....just get them greasy, ahhhhh use them and the rust goes away.

If ya got chrome tools like sockets, rachet's and wrenches, Turtle wax chrome polish and rust remover works fairly well. I think it contains a light acid but, the container dosen't say. PB Blaster, a lubricant and rust inhibitor, is the best nut buster I have seen, it's powerful, it'll eat a styrofoam cup. It eats rust, I'v also used that to remove rust and coat tools for storage, it also works well.

im not trying to start anything but it amaze me how opinions can change in a few weeks on this forum. you'll were talking about wd-40 being a ok lubricant for rust prevention, which i agree with, and everybody mostly did on this thread tonight and a couple weeks ago i recommended it on another thread to a guy and you would have thought i had told him to killed somebody. if you have time read this thread then click over to this other thread and just see the dif. opinions on the same subject.

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...ht=stuck+motor

Originally posted by DennyW
I had some rusted tools, and I didn't want to grind then, or sand them, so, I used Navel Jelly. I use WD 40, and Blaster, among others.

all thats good, but what i was talking about people on the other thread was saying wd-40 would make them rust, and thats hard to belive.

Originally posted by DennyW
Well, what happens is if the coating becomes to light, and catches any dust material, it will then absorb moisture.
I use WD 40, Blaster, motor oil, trans fluid, for cleaning and removing light rust. But then I dry them. Even some damp conditions with light oil on the tools, they will rust from handleing, because of the acid in your hands. So I always clean and wipe them dry.

ok denny ill be sure to wipe them next time.

I Had Found A Pair Of My Wire Cutter That My Son Never Seen But I Found Them Laying In The Dirt By His Car Any Way They Were Rusted Shut I Threw Them Into My Parts Washer They Sat There For Three Months Finally Got Them to Where They Would Move Used W-d 40 Until They Would Open And Close Like They Were Meant To Then Ran Them Through The Wire Brush To Clean Them Up Now Every Time I Grab That Pair Of Cutters I Make Sure My Sons In Site I Spray Them Down And Wipe Them Dry And Put Them Away Of Course With A Few Choice Word My Sons Never Ask To Use Any Of My Tools