Technical Concentrated Chelating Rust Remover on Jay Leno's Garage

I remember what I forgot about molasses that I read elsewhere: it doesn't really start working until the mixture turns rancid - hence the "put it in a field because it stinks."

Any confirmation on that?

 

I have used the molasses bath before. Put 8 parts water to 1 part molasses in a 55 gallon drum. It does work, but it does indeed stink. Works better in summer when it can heat up. If I had very crusty parts, I would take them out after a week or two and clean the crud off of them then put them back in. Its a slow process. I found out with a set of heads though that the process will leave pits in some machined surfaces. But done properly, parts come out as clean as a baby's butt......you know, before the diaper thing happens.....

 

The pits in the machined surface, I'm hoping that is because it was a rust pit and not an attack on good cast iron?

So you wouldn't recommend me doing this in my home's heated basement, huh? Hum, maybe I could find a 5-gal with a lid where I could make an exhaust hose and run out the window.

I do keep my garage at 45* and I have one of those electric dip sticks that might keep it a little warmer. (could still do the "exhaust" hose too)

 

No way would I put that mess inside my house. When it stinks, it smells like an overrun septic tank.

 

Yeah.... I think I'm going to try electrolysis

 

Keep that thought buddy. You are probably the only one in America that thinks that way.

 

X 1,000+

 

I was thinking about the molasses not workig "until it went rancid." I wonder if putting some yeast in it would speed up the process? (I'm guessing that mold is a good thing actually - does the bacteria eat the rust???)

 

Citric Acid !

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I haven't tried it on anything automotive related, but at work we periodically have to clean crud out of our boilers. We bring in a tanker full of tetraammonium EDTA, which is a chelating agent. Its fairly benign stuff because it is used in foods, but has to be 300 degrees to activate. It leaves a white metal surface. Occasionally we use citric acid for cleaning, but it is more for oil residue. I've never looked into buying smaller quantities, but its not that expensive. Now you've got me thinking...

 

I have tried the molasses and works great. Not real fast but very thorough.
As I understand it, you need 70 + degrees temp for it to activate.
So winter time is not ideal. I had a small plastic barrel out back in my uncles yard.
I kept a lid on it, skunks kept getting into it and eating the stuff.

A article I found on the net, talked about kids that got a large hot tub for free off of craigs list, they pooled their money and for $300 worth of molasses from the feed store, they were dipping body panels all summer long.
And it is environmentally friendly when time to dump it. The sugars will act like a fertilizer on the ground.

I give molasses a thumbs up.

 

Works for me. And doesn't stink. The second pic was rinsed off at the car wash and left to dry. And the metal was left untreated for 4 months.

 

Just wondering, what is the post-molasses life like on the metal? I mean, does the citric acid actually stop oxidation, too, or just change the rust to another color? Gary

 

^^^^^ ? For light surface rust, this was in my tank for 15 minutes.

 

Watch this, very informative,