Richard A. Snitzer

For what it is worth:

I just completed an unscientific test on rusted railroad spikes. Only part of the spikes were submerged in the products. I allowed them all to soak for 25 hours in a non-environmentally controlled enclosed garage. Outside day temp was about 65 degrees. Night temp around 45 degrees.

Results:

1. Evapo Rust
2. Ospho
3. Kano Exrust
4. Bullfrog
5. Metal Rescue

I have some good pix. Note: Ospho and Kano are tied for second. Also, I used to use field-grade molasses as a rust cleaner. Bullfrog is the ONLY product you can use against gravity and hope it sticks for a while. It looks like molasses and has a slightly less thicker consistency than molasses. Hmm.

pix: https://drive.google.com/folderview?...mM&usp=sharing

dork

How about naval jelly? It'll stick 'uphill' too, for a while.

Richard A. Snitzer

Naval Jelly was not a good as Bullfrog. That is why it is not on the list. Bullfrog has a little more "stickiness" too. Not much, but a little.

Vetteman Jack

Maybe it's just me, but from the pics it looks like the spike treated with Bullfrog was the cleanest.

Nyt_Muves

That's how it looked to me too.

Richard A. Snitzer

Then you should use Bullfrog. That is the reason for the pix. You choose.

Choreo

I got frustrated and removed all my railroad spikes from my C5 years ago.

I have had pretty good luck with Griot's Rust Remover. I had a garbage disposal where the impellers were rusted so bad they would not move. I tried everything I had with no luck. Finally sprayed the Griot's in and left it overnight, next day all the rust was gone.

huesmann

Should we assume that the "only part" was the heads?

Also, which part of the C5 is prone to rusting?

Richard A. Snitzer

1. I would hope what part of the spike is obvious, but yes, the top 1/3 was submerged in the products in the same timeframe.

2. I did this purely as an experiment and sharing the results. It was not meant to imply the vette is prone to rusting. I assume since most of us own vettes, we like to tinker with our cars and other projects. Practical applications range from nuts, bolts, saw blades, etc.

Thanx for the questions.

huesmann

My question was not if the Vette is prone to rusting, but if so, is there a part that is? I know there's not as much steel in the things as there is plastic, fiber, and aluminum, but the jacking rails are steel at least!

Bill Vett

Cleaning brake rusted rotors, cleaning under ground locations, cleaning mechanical fasteners.

mrlmd

These chemicals do not remove the rust (iron oxide) from the surface, they are "rust converters", and change it to iron phosphate, which is a chemically inert compound. These all contain phosphoric acid in their formulation. Some of the "rust converters" change ferric oxide into ferrous sulfate, which is also inert. The black coating you see on those spikes is a surface layer of iron phosphate as a result of the chemical reaction with the phosphoric acid in those different products. They stop rust, they don't prevent it, and they can be left as is or painted, that surface is like a primer and holds paint well.
Some people use coke, lemon juice, vinegar, toilet bowl rust and lime remover, oven cleaner - other acids to do the same thing, but they can also pit the surface of the metal.