Rust remover show down! (New update video!)

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 17, 2012
Messages
21,660
Reaction score
19,024
Location
Broken Hill, Australia
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Just wanted to share this video by Project Farm on YouTube.
Very cool channel that tests a lot of products, and very thoroughly, including oil additives and the like, in fact one of only 2 channels that I support on Patreon every month.

This video in particular would be very helpful with rust removal on bike parts, only thing I wish he had tried as well is Molasses, my Uncle swears by it, but I have suggested it to him for a future video, so it may turn up somewhere.

Anyway, enjoy:



Edit 08/08/2019:

He made an update video and included molasses:

 
Last edited:
Krud Kutter is a 25% solution of phosphoric acid as its active ingredient. I'd like to see a head-to-head match between it and another phosphoric acid product called Sterosol Milkstone Remover.

Project Farm's only objection to Krud Kutter is the price per ounce. Sterosol is DOUBLE the concentration, in a container 16X the size. At $13 a gallon, each ounce would set the buyer back a dime--a nickle, if diluted with a matching jug of distilled water.

I've used vinegar often myself, but it requires more than simple soaking. One must agitate the parts, or at least give an occasional scrub with a wire brush as the work progresses.

Here's links to the data sheets for both products:

http://www.mcoe.us/view/1710.pdf

https://www.stearnspkg.com/images/s...REMOVER-AND-ACID-RINSE-DAIRYLAND-AM10-SDS.pdf
 
Krud Kutter is a 25% solution of phosphoric acid as its active ingredient. I'd like to see a head-to-head match between it and another phosphoric acid product called Sterosol Milkstone Remover.

Project Farm's only objection to Krud Kutter is the price per ounce. Sterosol is DOUBLE the concentration, in a container 16X the size. At $13 a gallon, each ounce would set the buyer back a dime--a nickle, if diluted with a matching jug of distilled water.

I've used vinegar often myself, but it requires more than simple soaking. One must agitate the parts, or at least give an occasional scrub with a wire brush as the work progresses.

Here's links to the data sheets for both products:

http://www.mcoe.us/view/1710.pdf

https://www.stearnspkg.com/images/s...REMOVER-AND-ACID-RINSE-DAIRYLAND-AM10-SDS.pdf
I will pass that information along to him, very cool!
 
Used muriatic acid to clean up motorcycle gas tanks that were rusty inside. I use vinegar on some rusty stuff now as I keep it around to clean my coffeemaker. Couple of years ago I dissolved a rusty old bike chain cause I forgot about it and left it for about a month! Over 10 years ago I was given some expired coke syrup and I applied to a rusty truck body let it turn black, then wash and painted it. Never rusted thru and I still have the truck. I would like to know how the different methods affect thread fit and strength of fasteners though...
 
I use to use Ph Down powder for aquariums. It was phosphoric acid and cheap and cheap to ship as it was a light weight powder. Worked the best and was cheap. It's no longer available. Animal feed molasses and cheap generic on sale Coke work but work so slow that a big pad of floating stinky mold rot formes at the top. It's too expensive for a frame dip. My latest experiment involved a half cup of Iron Out powder rust stain remover in four gallons of water and a quarter cup of Spick and Span household cleaner to remove the soaked in blaster. I tried it for the first time last weekend. Very rusty parts scrub right up in 48 hours with this stuff. It's $4.00 on Menards web site for 28 ounces of powder. Watch your hands as it turns them into prunes if you get them wet with the stuff. I have only tried it on a very rusty gooseneck, kick stand, crank and bars. I'm curious to see what others find using this product. Looks like it might be the cheapest alternative and works faster than anything else I have tried. I used a hand wire brush at 6 hours, 40 hours and 48 hours. I then washed, dried and used 2 coats of Penetrol drying oil. I have another posting under Iron Out on Bike Talk on these forums where I posted my experiment. I could find no info on the net for using this product for anything other than removing rust stains.
 
Last edited:
Oxalic acid, wood bleach is still my favorite. Best balance of consistency, cost, timeliness. Least harmful to chrome, paint and decals. $8 tub and I used it for 2 years on over 20 bikes, still have a little left.
Tried vinegar, Molasses, evaporust, reverse electolysis, coke and aluminum foil.
Citric acid is supposed to be similar results as oxalic acid, but I have not tried it to compare.

I follow with baking soda and water, then soap and water, both are basic PH and neutralize acid. Wax with your favorite car wax, if youre preserving heavy patina with little paint left, Johnsons paste wax is a good heavy wax. "Drying oil" coats can also be used. Ive used danish furniture oil, just because it was on the shelf.
 
Last edited:
Oxalic acid, wood bleach is still my favorite. Best balance of consistency, cost, timeliness. Least harmful to chrome, paint and decals. $8 tub and I used it for 2 years on over 20 bikes, still have a little left.
Tried vinegar, Molasses, evaporust, reverse electolysis, coke and aluminum foil.
Citric acid is supposed to be similar results as oxalic acid, but I have not tried it to compare.

I follow with baking soda and water, then soap and water, both are basic PH and neutralize acid. Wax with your favorite car wax, if youre preserving heavy patina with little paint left, Johnsons paste wax is a good heavy wax. "Drying oil" coats can also be used. Ive used danish furniture oil, just because it was on the shelf.

I tried oxalic acid but it leaves a green residue that won't come off, even with wire brushing. Others have had the problem too. I don't know why some get this but I won't chance it again, ruined my stuff. I used pure oxalic acid powder but perhaps these is something in Lake Superior water that has been city treated to cause this reaction. Have you had any experience with this problem or know what it is?
 
I'm trying Iron Out again. Continuing the experiment. I have emerged a 1940s seat for 3 days. It looks to me that Iron Out lifts the rust. The water bath gets full of disolved rust, but the top of the water is full of floating rust chunks. You have to wire brush it as it doesn't disolve rust as well as acid, but almost as well. I'm going to try a follow up with acid some day.
1546921802965-1300154586.jpg
 
It works best on parts that aren't painted. Wire brushing leaves a smeary mess. Next I'll wash it.View attachment 88321 View attachment 88322
I continued the Rust Out experiment. Result it's not as good as any acid. After cleaning I'm going to try to soak the seat parts in white vinegar to see what the result I get. I have a steel chainwheel and steel gooseneck in the Rust Out now to see if it works as well as on my earlier bars
Just wanted to share this video by Project Farm on YouTube.
Very cool channel that tests a lot of products, and very thoroughly, including oil additives and the like, in fact one of only 2 channels that I support on Patreon every month.

This video in particular would be very helpful with rust removal on bike parts, only thing I wish he had tried as well is Molasses, my Uncle swears by it, but I have suggested it to him for a future video, so it may turn up somewhere.

Anyway, enjoy:


I have bought gallons of horse grade molasses at farm stores and used that. It's slow and you get a huge floating pancake of mold on top. It is faster than cola.
 
I plan on using an OA bath on my Underrated buildoff bike. I plan on using it mainly on the painted parts since the chrome is peeling a lot and isn't going to look good no matter what. My question is when using the OA powder, How much do you mix per gallon of water and how long to you usually soak? Here'sa pic of what I'm starting with.
Thanks.
003_zpsiqdgv8vg.jpg
 
I have a 38 to 41 Schwinn New World. Problem is it has been brush over painted in the distant past with with orange paint. Nothing touches this paint, it is like the old black English roadster frames, not even aircraft remover softened or even marginally lifted it. I started electric wire brushing and that did't remove it. I used a sanding wheel and that got a lot of it. Hand sanding removed a lot more. I put the unsanded fork in a bath of cleaning vinegar (6% acetic acid) to remove rust and almost all the paint came off. It did a good job of cleaning some of the grease off too. I think that there may have been a little rust under the paint and this lifted the paint. I was able to easily get it off with a hand brass brush. The few spots that remain probably had no rust? So I decided to try this on the frame. I'm currently soaking, by rotation, the head tube, BB and stays to get off the remaining orange paint in hard to reach areas.
IMG_1348.JPG

IMG_1349.JPG

IMG_1350.JPG
 
I wonder about old school naval jelly...
There's a small tub of it in my other garage I've been meaning to try. It says it's for rust removal.

Carl.
 
I wonder about old school naval jelly...
There's a small tub of it in my other garage I've been meaning to try. It says it's for rust removal.

Carl.
Naval Jelly has phosphoric acid in it. I tried Naval Jelly, Birchwood Casey Gun rust remover, Rustoleum rust treatment, and some other stuff that comes in half gallon cans. All this stuff is expensive to use on a large area. The best I have found is Oshpo Rust Converter, designed as a pretreatment for painting steel. It comes in half gallons and gallons and is like water but is concentrated Phosphoric acid. I get it at the local Ace Hardware Store. I sand off as much rust as I can, and then apply Ospho with a rag, wait 24 hours for the tackiness to go away and apply again. Use rubber gloves as it burns to beat the band. The rust turnes black, which is iron phosphate instead of iron oxide. Then after another 24 hours I rag a light coat of Penetrol drying oil, followed 24 hours later with another light coat. No need for etching primer as the metal is already etched and then I paint it with primer. The Penetrol keeps it from further rusting until I can prime it. We have a lot of bad weather I sometimes I can't prime it for quite awhile. My 1900 bike was gone over with steel wool and hen treated with Ospho and Penetrol. No paint as I waned to keep it original. The black on the frame is converted rust.
91152_5308a4986533f4dcfd0d0a4677f1699f.jpg
 
I tried oxalic acid but it leaves a green residue that won't come off, even with wire brushing. Others have had the problem too. I don't know why some get this but I won't chance it again, ruined my stuff. I used pure oxalic acid powder but perhaps these is something in Lake Superior water that has been city treated to cause this reaction. Have you had any experience with this problem or know what it is?
Likely too string of a mix. You have to brush the parts off every few hours, it attacks the rusty areas and has a yellow film in those areas, I dont know what it is. Wiping it away during the process prevents staining.

I dont like to reditect threads, but i learned about oxalic acid here and this has a great write up.
https://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=351132
 
Last edited:
Off topic project. Working on derusting the frame on a truck, not taking the truck apart. Im considering citric acid mixed into molasses. Both will derust, i want to use the molasses to get it to cling and stay wet long enough to do some work.
Considering using a 1 gallon garden sprayer, thin the molasses just enough to get it to spray, not sure on amount of citric acid to mix in.
It'll all get power washed after, dont mind several applications. Trying to avoid grinder, wire brush work under a vehicle...what a horrible day.

Anyone mixed citric acid with molasses or have ideas to get it to stick and stay wet, theres some info on using wall paper paste powder but i think it will dry out too fast.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top