Before:


Oxalic Acid + water = Crazy easy rust removal! No scrubbing @ all, just mix
and let soak!

Dan Gorsline.

Use with caution, Oxalic acid is very toxic.
Andrew Campbell.



I'm in the process of cleaning/restoring a Logan 825 lathe, Enco 6x26 knee mill, and many assorted tooling pieces that had been sitting in the previous owners garage. Somehow they "appeared" in my shop back in January!

So far I'm using white vinegar and salt followed by water/baking soda rinse followed by HOT water rinse. Non-toxic and safely dump on my gravel driveway. Does a great job! In between the first two steps some light fast brass wire brushing, or even wiping with a towel, knocks off any rust that the vinegar hasn't taken off. I usually start a batch of parts one weekend. While they don't need a full week, life happens and I usually can't get back to them until the next weekend. No parts have suffered as far as I can tell from the extended soak.

I do have some metal prep and etch from Home Depot which is essentially phosphoric acid. I have not had to resort to that yet, but again it is safe and easy. It too would be followed by water/baking soda rinse followed by HOT water rinse.

I have also purchased two carbon rods from McMaster to set up a reverse electrolytic rust cleaning tank. Uses simple washing soda. Again, safe and easy to use and dispose of. Just beware it will generate hydrogen so open area away from ignition source is required. If hydrogen embrittlement of a part is a concern then a 30 minute bake in kitchen oven at 400°F will resolve the concern.

In all cases once rust has been removed by the one of the cleaners above, the "cleaner neutralized" in the baking soda rinse, and the part hot water rinsed/heat soaked/dried I follow up by coating parts/surfaces to be bare metal with automatic transmission fluid. I have wax available for applying to bare metal tooling surfaces as well. As weather warms and I can get outside I'll be priming/painting the surfaces that will not remain bare, none of which I have started to clean/strip yet.

In all cases I wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, long pants, and side shield safety glasses. I'll use splash proof goggles when getting to the phosphoric acid or electrolytic rust removal.

I'm doing this cleaning/stripping/rust removal all in basement, one small half gallon or gallon tub of parts at a time. So far no complaints from my SO about odors so that is a plus as well.

I do have a 20 gallon parts washer with mineral spirits in the garage that I can use to preclean any really dirty/gunked up parts, along with the garden hose and common detergents for dust/dirt removal, and a vacuum cleaner for dust/debris clean up (along with mouse nests and droppings in drawers!).

Bradly Chubb



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