Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Rust Removal --without abrasives or nasty chemicals

This is topic Rust Removal --without abrasives or nasty chemicals in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Alastair Bowlie-Evans (Member # 8327) on 07-21-2014, 04:15 PM:

Guessing there's loads of older Projectors and their parts around, maybe some very rare parts that have become rusty, that could benefit from this (Not my) idea.......

Often this is only surface-rust and a good rub over with something like WD-40 will be good enough to make the part presentable.

Here's a completely safe and easy method for steel parts where rust has taken a greater hold.

I had a sprocket on this FP-23 that had suffered on one side fairly badly with rust, guess this side had been facing upwards and got wet somehow sometime.

Took it off, washed it in hot water and detergent to remove any oils or gums, then while still hot from the water, placed in a beaker with strong pickling-vinegar.

Left for 24 hours.

After this, the sprocket was again washed in hot water with detergent. There is now not a trace of rust left. Where the rust was, there is a grey/silver slight pitting, but no brown or black deposits at all. The teeth of the sprocket which looked really horrible are now nice and clean...

The rust just wiped off. It had turned a sooty black stuff that was easy to remove with just a wet cloth, with no abrasives used which could have altered the shape/dimensions of more critical areas.

I wiped the surface of the sprocket with a little oil to prevent any further rusting, and buffed off the excess--Object was to get the oil into that slight surface pitting left by the rust to give some protection..

Give it a try......

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-21-2014, 07:32 PM:

White Vinegar has always been a good cleaning agent whether it was added to Laundry Detergent for washing stained clothes to Cleaning Windows, etc. For light Rust a Mixture of Baking Soda & White Vinegar works quite well using an old Tooth Brush. 3M Scotch Brite Pads work good too. The old numbers were #7447 for the Maroon/red Pad and #7448 for the Finer Grey Colored Pad. The Finer Grey Pad will leave minimal surface scratches...

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-21-2014, 08:49 PM:

Hmm...

I had to give up replacing some brake rotors/discs a couple of weeks ago, because the bolts that hold the caliper to the axle had rusted in place so tightly that even a three-foot breaker bar with a half-inch mounting to the socket, with me doing an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation tugging the thing, wouldn't shift them. Actually I didn't pull as hard as I could have, because if the head had sheared off the bolt, I'd have been well and truly buggered. Thankfully there is still 3-4mm left on the discs and if I don't come up with any bright ideas, I'll just have them replaced at a shop.

Maybe I'll put some seriously gnarly vinegar (e.g. apple cider vinegar) in a spray bottle, apply it and let it soak in overnight. Can't see how it could do any harm.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 07-21-2014, 09:08 PM:

One needs to do a Google search on Apple Cider Vinegar and read on the umpteen thousand things one can do with the product.

Like: hard water residue on glass-like automotive glass, coffee urns and the similar: hit it with AC Vinegar since acid of the vinegar dissolves the minerals.

It's a great window cleaner as well..and use newspaper as the paper towels since newspaper has more wood fibres in it to really work the grime off of glass.

- Monte

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-21-2014, 11:03 PM:

LEO; Try this product;I have used this going back to 1960's when I was Racing Motorcycles.Just Spray the Nut,Capscrew,etc., threads generously and wait 10 to 15 minutes.I would almost guarantee you that they will break loose. Most Major Auto Supply Stores should carry it...

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 07-21-2014, 11:12 PM:

I saw a video of someone using a bottle of Coca-Cola to remove rust off a chrome bumper. He just poured a bunch of it on there, let it sit for a minute and then scrubbed it away with what looked like a ScotchBrite pad. He had the bumper looking clean pretty quickly. The acids in a bottle of Coke are pretty powerful.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 07-22-2014, 12:27 AM:

It's the phosphoric acid (which is very diluted, but there to stabilize the contents from going bad) along with carbonated water that did the trickery...

I saw that video also.

Bet Film Guard can bust a bolt and nut loose just as good and I bet that booths converted to digital has plenty on the shelves going to waste ...

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 07-22-2014, 07:31 AM:

Monte,

Most booths have intermittent oil and that stuff will go where water fears to tread. There is a commercial product called "penetrating oil" that is made for this purpose and it looks like Simplex oil.

Vinegar and baking soda are quite fun to watch but the combination of an acid (vinegar) and a base (soda) gives off Carbon Dioxide (bubbles) and leaves Water and Salt. I doubt that the combination is very effective beyond making a fun display of suds.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-22-2014, 07:39 AM:

Bobby -- I used a scrap of tin foil to clean the chrome parts on my motorcycle. Works great -- and beats the heck out of pouring Coke all over the bike. [Big Grin]

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-22-2014, 12:01 PM:

I would bet that the Scotchbrite pad was more responsible for removing whatever was on the surface than whatever was poured or sprayed on prior to Scrubbing. 3M makes a Variety of Different Pads for what ever finish is desired. The White Pad is the Finest but the 3M Number escapes my memory at the Moment.

Also 3M's Wet or Dry Sandpaper can be gotten as fine as 3000 Grit;which if you went over the clear coat surface of your paint finish and rebuffed,would look like you just had your car repainted. Just don't get carried away with the pressure and Speed your Polisher/Buffer is(Slower is definitely better-1750 or lower rpm is the most desirable). Don't use a Grinder with a Buffing Wheel(too Fast) or you'll end up with more burn marks than you can imagine on your Paint finish and you will be making an appointment with a Body/Paint Shop...

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-22-2014, 12:48 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
One needs to do a Google search on Apple Cider Vinegar and read on the umpteen thousand things one can do with the product.

It was prescribed by a doctor to my nephew for reducing inflamation in his knee joint. Weird.

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-22-2014, 10:37 PM:

Some of the things Vinegar can do are amazing. I always heard for decades from my mother that they used either A/C or White Vinegar as a Final Hair Rinse after Shampooing their Hair. She said continuous use of it will make your Hair Soft and Managable and will give it a sheen look. So I bought a Gallon of Heinz White Vinegar and mixed it 25% to a gallon of Distilled Water which I also bought(88cents) I have to say that what she said is true. If you have Dry Dull Frizzy hair; use the above as a final rinse after you've washed all the shampoo out of your hair and you will definitely see a difference after a week or so.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-23-2014, 12:18 AM:

But...

...You'll smell like vinegar...

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-23-2014, 12:41 AM:

NO VS SYNDROME HERE MANNY [beer]

Perhaps that's why they tell you to use only a Quart to
a Gallon. If a person used Straight Vinegar he might DIE [Eek!]

Bruno Mars - Claims he uses the Vinegar Rinse Religiously [Confused]

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-23-2014, 12:17 PM:

quote: Manny Knowles
But...

...You'll smell like vinegar...

Which makes it a de facto birth control device...

...unless you look like him ^^

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-23-2014, 01:21 PM:

It's the smell of trickery that makes all that rust disappear... Rust is scared to death of trickery!!

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-23-2014, 02:47 PM:

Steven Matz -- let's see YOUR hair!!!!

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-23-2014, 03:19 PM:

Do I get to be the vinegar rinse spokesman also!

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 07-23-2014, 04:00 PM:

They used to use cider vinegar to clean the ranges in the Army mess halls. Nothing beats the smell of hot vinegar fumes, except maybe the Saigon fish market at high noon.

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-23-2014, 09:01 PM:

Speaking of the Fish Market( I'm gonna get killed by any Female Readers) They've been using Vinegar in you know what for Decades regarding Feminine Hygiene. RICHARD PRYOR'S GRANDMOTHER BEAT HIM WITH ONE GROWING UP. [Eek!]

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-25-2014, 04:32 PM:

Wow, Steve! That's a mighty fine head o' hair you got there.

In the words of our dear, departed Phil Hill: "Hubba Hubba!"

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-25-2014, 06:37 PM:

These are the 3 most popular 3-M Scotch-brite pads that will do probably 99% of whatever surface finish you desire. I had a set of Center-Line Aluminum Wheels on one of my cars and after repeated washings,etc. they were dulling; Aluminum polish made them look worse as they had a Bright Brush Finish from the factory to begin with. I called Center-Line and they didn't hesitate to say that all their Brush finished wheels are finished off with a 7448 3M Scotch-brite Pad. I put the wheels on a Spin Balancer and ran the pad inside to out at about 2000 rpms and the finish came out looking just like the day I took them out of the Box. The Pads aren't the Cheapest as with many 3M Products but they sure do the desired Job your looking for.

The White 7445 Pad is really fine for minimal surface scratches..

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 07-26-2014, 08:05 PM:

Getting Rid of your RUST - JAY LENO'S GARAGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7TnNEBy3tI

I almost forgot about this Product;I remember using
it in the 60's for rusted Chrome. The Company goes
back to the later 50's. This Gentleman and Daughter
bought the Company and are reselling it on the NET.
If it is the same Formula as the Old Stuff than it is
an excellent product for Rust on Chrome...If I looked hard
enough I might still have one of the Old Original Cans
Check out the Video; Good Product! [thumbsup]