Citric acid can be bought from drugstore (they use it in jelly or such to adjust acidity) but it is very expensive there. Therefore Finnish rodders buy it from some agriculture-store. It is not expensive. Officially it is used as pigs obstruent! I dipped those parts in citric acid for overnight, next day brushed 'em with wirebrush and flushed with water. Then again back to citric acid over night and wirebrushed + flushed it next day. Flushing is important, you'll want to get all acid away, otherwise steel will turn to yellow. You can't use this method on all parts because of hydrogen brittleness. So no pedals, frames, brake drums, engine blocks or such to citric acid!!! And yeah, parts should be clean -I've cleaned 'em with fuel- because grease will neutralize acid. Ratio was 3% Parts must be dried soon as you get them flushed, I quess you guys know why... I made this video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xpwaKhfpueE
Super cool video tech! Thanks Otto. I just used the same method to clean my model A windshield frame. Works great! --mika
Great video, I was tappin my foot the whole time I was watching, kept waitin for Granny and Jethro to pop out of somewhere. Where do you buy that citric acid, kinda looked like Tang.
This is a trick the can collectors use as well. You get lots of debate among these guys as to which one works better, citric or oxalic. I think the "oxalic" guys have the edge on the debate but each one has it's fans.
When I was in the Air Force we used to use aome stuff called Citri-Clean to wash the aircraft. That stuff would clean baked dried bird guts off an aircraft in no time. I remememer getting that stuff on my skin, if would buuurrrnnn! I thought of this idea as well... Maybe it's about time I look that stuff up. Thanks!
HaHaHa... Burned you too! I used some on a rag once to clean a cowling and then not thinking stuck it in my back pocket and drove across the ramp only to find my a$$ on fire a few minutes later (not really, but that's what it felt like) That stuff left my left cheek red for a week Citric Acid works good for cooling systems too... Used it in my flathead and made a 20F temp drop in traffic. 500gr diluted in clean water. Don't leave it in longer than overnight or it'll attack the copper real bad!
it's also used in food processing we used it as a color and freshness presevative in crab processing in Dutch Harbor
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