Folks Of Interest Dip Tank-- update 2-5

I saw a buddys a year ago and wanted one. He had really good results. So I ended up buying a fuel barrel for $100 off of craigslist. I`ll post results later. People think it`s a smoker. Which is a good thing. I know there is a molasses dip, but I thought it would be too hard to clean the parts after soaking. I`m talking about items like car seats with springs. Normally, sand blasting costs about $150 to do front and rear seats and takes at least a couple weeks for my regular guy to get to them. Well worth it, I have a blast cabinet my self, but takes forever. Hooking the parts up to a battery seems impractical. I`ve only played with my tank a couple days with mixed results. I have some seats that date back to 1933 soaking now. I might need to add more component for a stronger dose. I did have real good luck with a chrome 53 Chevy grille tooth that surprised me. I`ll post pic`s later.

 

What is your chemical component?

 

I've talked to several guys thru the years that use the black strap molasses and they all said the easiest thing to do after soaking is a tarp in the truck bed and a quick trip to the car wash for the high pressure soap and rinse.

I'd like to build a tank myself. Others say the solution lasts a real long time if you keep it closed.

 

Here's my dip tank. A couple of sheets of leftover OSB and some 2x4s. I lined it with an old pond liner and set my entire disassembled '27 roadster body in it. 20 gallons of molasses and a whole lot of water later 90 years of rust turned to near virgin sheetmetal. I'm gonna dunk both of my '54 Ford seats in it next. Seat springs are really rusty so we'll see how that goes. With molasses all you have to do is hose it off after dunking but, dry it and get some primer on it quickly.

 

Dang, I've got a 250 gallon stove oil barrel laying out by the scrap pile doing nothing except taking up space. I haven't stopped by the local feed stores to check on the molasses though. If the sugar factory was still going it would probably be easy to get.

 

@evintho....How long was the process?

 

I think I left it in about a week.

 

make sure everything is submerged. a buddy did this but had 6 inches of steel sticking out and it pitting real bad. he had a lid on it so my thought was that the humidity is what caused it. i thought i read it works better in the summer due to the heat. either way, it stinks...real bad

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-how-to-get-rid-of-your-old-molasses.1057347/

 

My solution I use does not stink. I have a neighbor next door who mows her yard twice a week. She would freakout if it did. I thought I would have to use an apron and rubber gloves up to my elbows, not the case.

 

So what is your solution?

 

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Yeah what is your solution, I have all the stuff to put together a tank like @evintho and am wanting to do this this fall to some bits I have...

 

I like to drag threads out a bit. It seems some only last a week. I use Sodium Hydroxide. I learned this from Bill in Bellevue in Nebraska. The same town where @Rocky lives. Remember his thread. Bill has a 100 gallon tank and he used two 5 gallon pails of the stuff mixed with water. It is a lye based powder. He put a set of doors(33 Willys)in his batch and they were clean in 6 hours. The doors looked brand new as the metal was shinny. His fenders took 4 hours. I think my batch is a little weak as I need a couple more pails.

 

I used 20 gallons of feed grade molasses. Got it at a local farm and ranch supply store. $11 per 4 gallon jug (but probably cheaper in your neck of the woods). I mixed it in at 7 parts water to 1 part molasses. It didn't smell at all. When I was done I simply unscrewed the back panel of the dip tank and let it all drain out down the hill. Didn't attract any varmints either!

 

The doors and fenders were rust free so it sped up the process. The lye based product also is used in cleaning out drain pipes in your house. So it`s safe to flush down the drain.

 

What do you use to neutralize the sodium hydroxide after the work is done? What do you do with the leftover liquid? And, can you keep the tank inside, or will it let the caustic solution vaporize in the air and cause other items to corrode?

 

First question-- haven`t got that far yet. I will check with Bill in what he does. 2nd question--I plan on using this often. Bill has had his batch for over a year. 3rd question--I have a 300 gallon fuel barrel with the top cut in half and hinged. And is sealed tight when shut. It`s kept outside.

 

I"ll bet an old hot tub would be usefull in this endeavor.

Oldmics

 

Yes and you would have a pump.

 

Update. Here is my tank. An old fuel barrel. I cut the top so it hinges. I used an old seal off the rear hatch off an Explorer. It blends right in with my gas pump.

 

Okay, I learned it does NOT work on rust. But it does strip paint and nasty under coating off of a guys 58 Pontiac hood. I let it soak in the tank for a week and then rotated it. My friend was real impressed as it saved him lots of time. We have his fender in there now. @alchemy To Neutralize it, Bill said to use vinegar. Here are some pic`s of some really dirty pieces I let soak in the tank for 10 minutes. I pulled them out of the tank and rinsed them in a bucket of water and wiped them off with a beach towel. The really nasty ones, I went over with fine steel wool to clean them up a bit. Spent very little time doing this. I spent about 4 hours claning lots of bits and pieces I had laying around. Mostly hood and trunk emblems. And tail light housings.

 

So what do you think. I was impressed. It also works on worn out rubber tail light gaskets.---------It does eat up aluminum.

 

Since it does not work on rust removal. I bought another tank. In it I will use Citrus Acid and water. My friend did a test run with good results. He is bringing me some this Friday. We will see what it does with rusty seat springs.

 

It would be good to add a pipe thread bung so you could add a hot water tank immersion heater. Warm solution will work much faster.

The alkali will also eat up pot metal.

Years ago I had a summer job dismantling and cleaning engines in a hot tank, at minimum wage. It was a great job.
When the parts came out, I pressure washed them with straight water. I wouldn't use vinegar, as a trace left will encourage rust, whereas a trace of alkali won't.

Where I work now the cleaning department (not me) first cleans the parts in alkali, then derusts them in "inhibited" hydrochloric acid, then puts them back in alkali overnight to make sure all the acid is neutralized.
I think the commercial alkali cleaning solutions have some corrosion inhibitors added because we can have cast iron and steel parts hanging around indoors for a long time with no hint of rust reforming.

It's very important to have the parts completely disassembled for cleaning, otherwise small amounts of cleaning chemicals will get trapped in the joints, seams etc. and are virtually impossible to completely remove. They will slowly ooze out over the years, causing corrosion.

 

It also works well for dissolving human bodies, favorite way to remove unwanted revenuers from your property. Be seriously careful with that stuff!

 

We took the hood from the Pontiac to the car wash to do the final cleaning. I have not used the vinegar yet. It didn`t look like we needed to. The hood did not flash rust either. As sandblasting does. Thanks for the info.

 

Why not just use molasses and not have to deal with caustic and toxic chemicals afterward? Pour it on the lawn when you are done?

 

For what it is worth, I've been derusting Studebaker parts and I've used electrolysis, this is a warm weather outdoor endeavor (saying that I've cleaned my container up and put it away for the winter) Here is a link to the procedure and science (and safety issues) that explains it far better than I would. http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp I used a 55 gallon plastic drum and fabricated 8 anodes on a ring that sits on the circumference of the barrel. I used a 200 amp charger set on 40 amps, I am old and want things done quicker than what 10 amps would do. Your trickle charger won't cut it.

 

That's a nice electrolytic tank. I read the linked article which is well done.

I like your 45 gallon version better, because trying to do this in a five gallon bucket would provide just too little room.

Bulk washing soda can be bought at some farm supply stores in fifty pound bags much cheaper than the small boxes. It is sold as "soda ash". Same chemical.