dunno.. it's very fast as is.. just a few hours for most things i have done. in a ultrasonic cleaner it would be awesome though
Rust removal, better than evaporust and 10x cheaper..
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Rishi
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yes, it would. In the winter months, the garage is cold and the derusting process is much slower. When the parts are small enough for a pyrex baking dish, I've baked them in solution in the oven at 150* for 30 minutes, and I leave the dish in there a few hours as it cools. The wife won't approve, so be discrete.
Rishi
Well-Known Member
I enjoy the built-in heater of my ultrasonic cleaner for many things. But I've been leery putting acids in there, concerned they may react with the stainless steel tank. The formula (100g citric acid/40g washing soda/1L water) described by the youtube video in the OP is still a pH of around 2. Only half (more or less) of the acid is being neutralized.
Hey this brings up my next question is there a simpler formula like a cup and a half of this and 1/2 cup of that, or do you really need to measure it out on a gram scale? Does it need to be that precise?
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Yes you can use a cup method figure 1 cup citric and 1/2 cup washing soda 1 quart water
Rishi
Well-Known Member
No, it doesn't. FYI, you're neutralizing about half the acid - putting in half as much without washing soda might do the same thing.
I have a digital kitchen scale, and I use it to measure flour when baking bread or biscuits, over using the scoop. So I can easily measure in grams. I may be a geek, but when sharing the formula, I felt using weights was best, ya'll can work it out.
I think snake's formula is too strong. 1 cup of citric acid is about 240g.
So, a "cup formula" (makes 1 gallon) might look like:
2 cups Citric Acid
1 gallon Water (distilled is best, reverse osmosis, or tap water, take your pick)
1 cup Washing Soda
To make a quart:
1/2 cup Citric Acid
1 quart (32 ounces) water
1/4 cup Washing Soda
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Thanks guys for simplifying the recipe, I will give it a try and report back!
I decided to test the citric acid mix against Rust911 as they cost almost the same. I had another set of the same parts I used before. These were much more heavily rusted and pitted. Rust 911 states that it should be used above 65 degrees so I placed the container I used in my furnace room. I used the same batch of citric acid as before because the video creator stated that there was little, if any, change in the strength of the mix after using. I did not attempt to move this container filled with 10 gallons of citric acid from my garage into the house for obvious reasons (I’m a klutz). Therefore, the solution was about 33 degrees in my garage as shown on my laser thermometer. I’m guessing the solution would work better/quicker at a higher temperature.
I submerged both pieces for 48 hours. The citric acid solution worked very well again, even with the cold temperatures. Rust 911 also worked pretty good but, the solution was spent after this use. As you can see in the images, once the Rust911 solution turns black, it’s all done. There was some small rust left in the deep pits on both pieces. The Rust911 turned the small amount of remaining undercoating into a sticky mess while the citric acid removed most of it. I then submerged both pieces into the citric acid solution again for 48 hours and they came out rust free. There is some undercoating/factory paint left in the deep pitting.
Before:
Rust911:
Citric acid:
After 48 hours: (the surface rust on the citric acid side is because I didn’t dry the piece thoroughly before taking the pic the next day)
Rust911 solution all done:
After another 48 hours in citric acid:
I submerged both pieces for 48 hours. The citric acid solution worked very well again, even with the cold temperatures. Rust 911 also worked pretty good but, the solution was spent after this use. As you can see in the images, once the Rust911 solution turns black, it’s all done. There was some small rust left in the deep pits on both pieces. The Rust911 turned the small amount of remaining undercoating into a sticky mess while the citric acid removed most of it. I then submerged both pieces into the citric acid solution again for 48 hours and they came out rust free. There is some undercoating/factory paint left in the deep pitting.
Before:
Rust911:
Citric acid:
After 48 hours: (the surface rust on the citric acid side is because I didn’t dry the piece thoroughly before taking the pic the next day)
Rust911 solution all done:
After another 48 hours in citric acid:
Rishi
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing the photos.
Did you degrease those parts before soaking?
Tell us, did you have any black residue on the parts you needed to clean off, after treating?
I find the citric acid solution leaves behind a black coating, that cleans off pretty easily using my hands running the part under fresh water. Other rust-acting solutions with phosphoric acid, by comparison, also turn the parts black, but cleaning the black off takes a great deal more effort and requires a wire brush.
I, too, treat my parts in the winter garage using the citic acid solution. It takes longer, but I don't mind.
Seeing the Rust911 turn black, I'm curious if it did NOT leave a black coating behind. It may have something extra to keep the black in solution.
Thanks for posting the results
Mine also get almost like a black slime but it comes right off under some water..
I used GooGone to remove a few big globs of undercoating. I spray it on heavy, cover in Saran Wrap and leave overnight. The undercoating then comes right off with a plastic scraper. That’s the only thing I did before dropping them in the solutions.
I also get a black film on the parts after soaking. I give them a good rinse under a faucet and wipe down with my hands and then dry with paper towels and a heat gun . I find that anything left on the parts comes off pretty easily.
The Rust911 residue comes off easily too. No staining or anything.
I also get a black film on the parts after soaking. I give them a good rinse under a faucet and wipe down with my hands and then dry with paper towels and a heat gun . I find that anything left on the parts comes off pretty easily.
The Rust911 residue comes off easily too. No staining or anything.
Rishi
Well-Known Member
Inspired by @ct71rr before and after, I just did a choke assembly in the the citric acid solution. I could have soaked it longer, and gotten it cleaner, but I was in a hurry to make these photos. I soaked for about 2-hours at 65*F ambient
edit: If these results seem dramatic, bear in mind it's all about the severity of the rust on the part being treated. The guy in the youtube video
is conducting tests on lightly rusted sheet metal. They will come out pretty nice no matter which treatment regimen he uses.
I will post something soon, on a more heavily (and thicker) rusted part, to show the results (hopefully good) but less dramatic.
The choke assembly (pictured above) looks dark and severe, but the rust wasn't that bad. It wasn't that thick, or very deep (in terms of microns). But I will go on record and say this: if there is a shiny metallic surface to be saved, to be preserved, the citric acid solution from the youtube video does a better job than many other (phosphoric acid) OTC products.
edit: If these results seem dramatic, bear in mind it's all about the severity of the rust on the part being treated. The guy in the youtube video
is conducting tests on lightly rusted sheet metal. They will come out pretty nice no matter which treatment regimen he uses.
I will post something soon, on a more heavily (and thicker) rusted part, to show the results (hopefully good) but less dramatic.
The choke assembly (pictured above) looks dark and severe, but the rust wasn't that bad. It wasn't that thick, or very deep (in terms of microns). But I will go on record and say this: if there is a shiny metallic surface to be saved, to be preserved, the citric acid solution from the youtube video does a better job than many other (phosphoric acid) OTC products.
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that's kinda amazing
true but i did use it on my bumper brackets and it worked well.. i still had to chip off scale though, i don't think anything will remove scale.
Update: A month later and my mix is still working. This part wasn’t as rusty/pitted as the last parts I tested but, the solution worked just fine. I let the part sit for about a day and a half.
Before:
After:
Nice!
Before:
After:
Nice!
I have the citric acid and the wash soda 10 lb ea. Have not tried it yet, would like to figure out a way to thicken the mixture so it can be brushed or sprayed on large areas like an entire body shell, and stay put long enough for it to remove the rust. Any of you chemistry eggheads have any ideas?
I did some chemistry in high school but it is not helping.
I did some chemistry in high school but it is not helping.
I would try corn starch.. before the soda.. then the heat from the soda should help the starch thicken it... i would try a small batch first. Also.. if you put it down on something and want it to stay, cover it in plastic wrap so it can't evaporate. I do that for grout in bathrooms...
Thanks! Thats what I was thinking, something food grade so I can pressure wash it off without creating a hazardous waste site.
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