Removing Rust from Found Objects without Scrubbing. Last Updated: Oct 3. A few months after I sold my first horse, I was walking through the pasture and found a shoe he’d lost sometime in the preceding year. Although it would be a nice keepsake and something I could use to create an equestrian project with sentimental value, it was covered with layers of rust. Thankfully I’d been experimenting all winter with using citric acid to clean rust off garden tools that I (oh- so- irresponsibly) tend to leave out in the elements. Turns out, the basic combination of citric acid, water, and time completely removes rust from metal. I was pretty thrilled, especially after trying to remove rust from tools with caustic chemicals like CLR and The Works without luck. A common ingredient in canning recipes, citric acid is an organic acid a little stronger than vinegar, depending on the concentration you mix it in. Supplies You’ll Need: A bucket or plastic container large enough to hold your rusted object(s)Very hot water. Pure Citric Acid – You may be able to find citric acid locally, but it’s usually sold in small packages by the ounce. Amazon has 5 lb Bags of Citric Acid for a much better price that anywhere I’ve found locally. Scoop the powdered citric acid carefully into your bucket. I add about 1/3rd cup of powder per gallon of water, but you can use more or less depending on how rusty your object is and how quickly you need results. Fill your bucket with very hot water and stir to dissolve powder completely. Add your rusty object. Leave the bucket to let the rusty object soak. After 1. 0- 1. 5 minutes you’ll see bubbles forming on the surface of the object as the acid reacts with the rust and creates gas. The citric acid solution will slowly turn yellow as the rust dissolves. Next, Soak your object until you see visible results. After a day you may want to remix your citric acid solution (it will slowly lose acidity as it breaks down the rust) And if you are a fan of instant gratification as I am, you may want to do a bit of scrubbing to speed the process. Scrubbing is optional, but speeds the process up significantly. The acid will loosen before it completely dissolves the rust, so a lot of the rust can be wiped off after an hour or two in the solution. How my rusty objects looked after 2 hours in the solution and a quick wipe with a paper towel: Then a 3. The remaining rust in the grooves of the horse shoe bothered me, so I remade my solution and let it sit overnight (In this photo you can see the rust sediment settled in the bucket)When you are pleased with your object’s new, bright finish, dry it completely and apply a protective coat. You can apply clear coat / lacquer, or just spray with cooking oil and wipe.! If you’ve cleaned up a keepsake horseshoe or bit, I have a few tutorials on how to display them: Related.
ANY COLA WILL WORK even PEPSI, Diet Coke just isn't sticky If you want to keep your chrome. Intro: Removing Rust With Citric Acid. This is one of the easiest, safest, and least abrasive ways to remove surface rust from old steel tools. Supplies: Citric Acid.
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November 2017
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