Rust removal

[RivNut]

I was going through a box of old seats looking for something to use until I get one reupholstered. I found a good cover but the hardware was rusty. I mixed one cup of mollsses - the kind you get at the farm store - and mixed it with nine cups of water. I tossed the hardwate into the mix and let it sit for about 36 hours. Here are some before and after pictures. Kind of bluish because of the flourescent lighting.

 

[RivNut]

I did some more today. Different products. Pads made from folded aluminum foil sheets, SOS pads, and water dripping from the hose. Washed it down with the SOS pdas then rubbed it with the aluminum foil. Before:

After:

Still a long ways to go and I couldn't get into the tight places. Didn't want to make an all day project of it (yet) but I wanted to get an idea of what was lying in the future. Oxalic acid and/or a molasses bath lie ahead once I finish some others that came prior to this one. This took me about 45 minutes. Great day for doing it to.

 

[us56456712]

6 years ago I soaked a very rusty pitted seat pan in horse molasses. I didn't dilute it. I used a 5 gallon plastic bucket and kept it in the garage. It took a month but it got all the rust off, all the way into the pits. I had to occasionally scrub every few days with a wire brush. The down side was that it formed a huge pad of mold on the top. It is cool up here, 50s - 60s at night and that may have slowed the process down. I have also used cheap on sale cola and that works the same in about the same time frame. Now I use vinegar and then Ospho. The vinegar will creep under the chrome plating and much of it will fall off so I wouldn't recommend vinegar on nickel or chrome plating. Vinegar will remove all the nickel. Some steel will easily deeply pit in vinegar. Old lucky 7 seat posts will be badly damaged and ruined by vinegar as it removes far more than rust. You can see deep vertical streaking pits or the gain in the metal after a vinegar soak. Never soak skip tooth chains in vinegar either, you will be left with a bunch of small pieces. That bike turned out nice.