They look at ya kinda wierd when you buy 15 gallons of vinegar at Wal-mart...

Well, I dont know about that , but , I placed the lid on my metal barrel(a union 76 15 gal. barrel) so , I guess it cant get out to do any damage...

 

Just tell them curious folks your pickling your car to preserve it.

 

You might line the barrel with a thick trash bag or sit it on something, just incase it cleans the seams of the barrel and then leaks ALL over your floor. Just a thought. I know they sell those GIANT plastic barrels at the local Pepsi Co bottling plant real cheap.

Chris

 

They never look at me funny when I go in to buy that much....but then again, everybody thinks I'm a big douchebag anyway

 

An acid resistant plastic container/drum may give faster results and doesn't develop leaks after a while. Acid corrodes any and all metal eventually.
Always treat the rusted parts with a mild baking soda solution after the acid bath, to neutralize the acid that remains in the metal.

When buying vinegar look for the acid concentration %, that is sometimes printed on the label. Some brands are more diluted with water than others.

 

Nice, make sure and tell them they are organic.

 

What I buy is the 5% acidity distilled white vinegar. I thinks the most common white vinegar is 2% acidity. Some stores in this area carry the 5% but others don't.

 

Slowly we all learn about the almighty vinegar!

 

When I was a kid my older brother cleaned wheat pennies in vinegar but he added salt, probably made it more acidic. I bet this would speed up the cleaning process.

 

I use a $4 WalMart plastic storage tub, snap on lid, easy to store and light weight.

Pull and wipe down daily to expose new rust. Works great.

 

Threads like this are why I spend so much time on this site. I had no idead that you could use vinegar for anything other than pickling, stinking, and killing gnats. This will help me out immensely.

 

I've always used swimming pool acid, mixed like 10 to 1 with water. Works in a few hours

 

This is totally off topic....an old wood finisher told me this....red cider vinegar with metal shavings in a container( I used shavings from a brake lathe) let it percolate for a few weeks and drain off the liquid to use as a wood stain. I hand distressed the wood first...A cedar gate I made for a Santa Barbara style home....Stain the wood (I used a small pump sprayer) do not get any on you, and then make a paste of cement/water (like pancake batter) and cover the wood 100%....let dry and rub off with a nylon brush....a lot of work, but the look is old and weathered.....you results may vary......

 

Is this tank just straight vinegar, no electric current? I've seen it done with electrolysis using phosphates and a battery charger, and met a guy who dipped a whole roadster in a molasses mix in Australia, but never seen this vinegar treatment, I'll be real interested in seeing the final result.

 

Straight up.....like whiskey

 

I want to repeat what I posted about this on another thread. Do not let the vinegar leak on to a concrete floor and stay. It will eat the top smooth surface away! I now have a 4" rough spot right in the middle of my nice concrete garage floor!

 

It's possible. I always have kept a sheet of plastic over the vinegar to stop any vapors from escaping. Then there is a lid over that.

I've put items that were too long for my tank; which had a portion of the part sticking up with a sheet of plastic over the whole setup. The vapors would start rust on the portion that was out of the vinegar.

 

Thats a nice looking finish, in the pics it looks a lot like the finish you't get using a pickling solution from BM. Have you tried that?

 

What do you do with the vinegar when you're done with it? Is it safe to "pour down the drain"? Do you have to take it somewhere? How many times can you use the vinegar before it's time to swap it out?

 

I use a plastic drum with deluted muratic acid works in minutes

 

Test the vinegar with a PH test strip you can get at garden stores.When the PH changes it's time to dump.You can neutralize it with lime and dump it on your property,or down the drain if you have sewers .Or use it on salads "geez honey,this salad dressing tastes like a hood hinge"

 

I have some brand new HD clutch plates that got some surface rust on them...can they be soaked safely or does the vinegar attack clutch lining (I have no idea what the lining is made of)....

on another note, dont use the wifes frying pan to soak small parts, she doesnt like that...

 

I need a tank to park my 53 Ford in B4 I start on the floorboards Some of the rust still feels solid ???

 

Pour the unwanted vinegar on weeds..

 

Vinegar works really good on steel metal parts that rust . I would leave that part in for at least 5 to 7 days but doesn't hurt to check in a few days . Around where I live and I am sure many can get these as well , we have farmers selling the Thick Blue 55 gallons barrels for trash and anything else you could use them for . They are less than $10 and comes with a lid . I am going to get one of those to dip some parts in to clean up . Then if need be , I can always finish it up in the media blasting cabinet .
Does anyone know which vinegar works best ? White I mean I see some with different things mixed in it or is the cheaper the better stuff to use ?

Jim
Everyone have a Great Thanksgiving !

 

Well, as you can tell from the pics , I used the cheapest stuff I could find , and was told that it didnt really matter....

 

Cool! I've used vinegar to clean the scale out of radiators. But never rust removal!

 

Very interesting post. I think a small experiment is in hand with a rusty bolt. Cool post

 

Should send this to Myth Busters !!

 

this is no crap story, when I was a wee lad, my mom (she used to hot rod and race 1/4 mile) soaked a clutch disc in vinegar overnight, she said it made it grab better. dunno, but i do know the clutch was installed and abused heartily.