Rust Removal

You won't find any earth shattering original ideas for getting rid of rust on this page. My goal here was simply trying to get as many processes as I could in one convenient location and share my experiences with each one. The Electrolysis process is very cool though, be sure to check it out.

Sand Blasting

This is probably the most common method especially on large items. I have had good luck with a pressurized tank sand blaster on things like the frame and wheels. You can also get fair results from a siphon type sand blaster if the rust isn't too bad. Both of these processes are quite messy and the media goes everywhere. You will no doubt be picking it out of your shorts for a week. You can set up a temporary booth and reclaim a good portion of the media when working with smaller items but it's a little tough on a frame. As for media, I just use Black Beauty. One caution though, at the local NAPA auto they would sell me a 50# bag for $8.75. At the local brick yard I purchased a 100# bag for $6.00. And yes, I'm old and my memory isn't what it used to be, but no, I didn't transpose the numbers.

For smaller parts the bead blast cabinet works nicely. Mine is a bench top model which accommodated all the front end suspension parts. The free standing unit will handle a lot larger parts like wheels but it takes up more real estate in the shop. I put the bench top unit on a wheel around bench for convenience. I prefer to use it outdoors because the pressure going into the cabinet forces a lot of dust out around the vent and lid, especially once the media becomes dirty. Don't plan on being able to see what you're doing either. The tear off windows get hazed pretty quick and the dust fills the cabinet as well. I usually go by feel, check the work and touch up as needed. Below are photos of the unit and a before and after sample. If you spend the money for Glass Bead media, it will do a nice job cleaning up aluminum parts as well.

Sand blasting with any of the methods above uses a lot of air. You need to be mindful of the duty cycle of your air compressor. I like to give mine a break when doing a lot of blasting. And I get a break as well.

Keep in mind that the blast cabinet is just a siphon unit in a box. If you don't mind the mess, you can get the same results from a $15 Harbor Freight unit and you can blast larger items.

Chemical Removal

Some thing new I picked up from one of the message boards was the use of CLR to remove rust. CLR is readily available at hardware and department stores. It's the Calcium, Lime, and Rust remover advertised on TV. Anyway, the stuff works great for removing rust from hardware and small items. The first thing I tried it on was the manual choke bracket on my Weber DGV. I was so impressed, I started putting all my hardware into a cup of it. It will start foaming as it works and stops when it's done. I still run some pieces over the wire wheel but for the most part the stuff cleans up well. If you leave it in too long, it gets a black film on the parts but generally cleans right up. Another similar source is from Rubbermaid, found at Wal-Mart, that works equally as well as CLR.

White Vinegar was also touted to remove rust so I am tried that as well. It seemed to work equally as well but requires more time. The CLR products worked overnight where the vinegar required 2-3 nights. The vinegar, however, is the least expensive of the three products tried.

The photos below show the various liquid solutions I have tried and a hardware sampling of before and after results representative of each of the CLR products.

Electrolysis Removal

This is a pretty cool process for medium sized pieces. My first attempt at this was with the mounting brackets for the alternator/air pump. The process itself is pretty well defined in an article at Electrolytic Rust Removal which also has links to other sites with good information.

Below left, is a photo showing the setup I used. This setup is relatively crude as it was just thrown together to experiment with the process. It's a 5 gallon bucket with 4 pieces of reinforcing rod (anodes) around the inside of the bucket. I wired them together and connected the positive lead of my battery charger to them. An eye bolt goes through the wood and the parts hang from it buy a wire and the negative lead is clipped to the nut.. For the electrolyte solution, I used swimming pool PH+ in place of the Washing Soda mentioned in the other articles. Sodium Carbonate is Sodium Carbonate and the PH+ is readily available at your local pool and spa shop. Once again, this process bubbles as it works and when the bubbles stop, it's done. After using the unit for a while, I found it necessary to clean the anodes in order to get the current up enough to efficiently do the job.

Caution this process produces Hydrogen Gas as it works, much like a charging battery. Keep this in mind when it is operating. Also, avoid having your part contact the anode pieces. Although  the blue sparks are real pretty in the solution, in can be hard on the battery charger.

Below right, is a photo showing the mounting brackets I ran through the process. Basically, I just hung them as you see them by a piece of wire in the solution. As you can see, they came out pretty nice when compared to the piece next to them which represents the way they looked before.

The brake drums below took very little time to clean up, probably three hours. I have been finding that after the process stops the parts still look rusty until they are cleaned off. I have been using water and a Scotch-Brite pad to remove the residue. I let the springs cook for a longer period of time. The residue made them look like they weren't finished.

As I experiment more with this process, I plan to provide additional photos. At some point, I would like to build a larger unit and try some wire wheels that are hanging around the shop.

Mechanical Removal

I feel that I really shouldn't leave out the old standby, the wire brush. Some parts you just might not want to dip in liquid or expose to the grit of a sandblaster. An complete engine or rear end assembly comes to mind. I have had real good luck using wire brushes designed for the electric drill. Below is a photo of an assortment that cost me $1 apiece. I prepped several parts for painting using wire brushes and the spraying them down with Brake-Clean during my 76 project. Three years later, the paint is still holding up nicely.