Cleaning metal
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Cleaning metal
A while back a forum member recommended soaking my seat rails in white vinegar to remove rust and old paint without damaging the metal. Would this work to clean my control arms and steering knuckle pieces? Is there a risk of it damaging the machined spindle surfaces? I want to get everything really clean and degreased so I can paint with something durable like POR-15. Might as well go the extra mile while the stuff is in pieces.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 162
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Originally Posted by I'm Batman
A while back a forum member recommended soaking my seat rails in white vinegar to remove rust and old paint without damaging the metal. Would this work to clean my control arms and steering knuckle pieces? Is there a risk of it damaging the machined spindle surfaces? I want to get everything really clean and degreased so I can paint with something durable like POR-15. Might as well go the extra mile while the stuff is in pieces.
Here are some links describing what electrolysis is:
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/ru..._derusting.htm
http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp
All I needed was a plastic garbage can, some old sheet metal, a battery charger and some soap. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to take paint off like sandblasting can, but it's amazing how well it works on rust (and even grease to some extent).
Before:
Making rust soup:
After...all rust moved from control arms to donor metal, no elbow grease required. The black color is iron, which is rinsed and powder coated/painted right over:
powder coated and on the car:
I did this for the drive shaft, half shafts, steering knuckles...even my original jack. I wanted to do my frame this way, but I didn't have a spare swimming pool lying around...
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
I've got a media blast cabinet in my dad's garage, but the new compressor isn't hooked up yet, and the old one is dying.
Would something more agressive like muriatic acid be safe for the knuckle parts and seat tracks?
Would something more agressive like muriatic acid be safe for the knuckle parts and seat tracks?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,850
Likes: 959
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
Originally Posted by rick1500
When I did what you're doing, I used electrolysis and they turned out great. I was then able to just fire up my Harbor Freight powder coating gun, pop them in the oven I found on a curb for 30 minutes, and put them on the car after they cooled.
Here are some links describing what electrolysis is:........
Here are some links describing what electrolysis is:........
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,614
Likes: 7
From: South Florida
POR 15 adheres to the rust, even if you blast it you'll have to flash rust it over night. To degrease the parts, put them in a dip tank and let soak and scrub.
Brake parts cleaner works great and will remove some paint...it leaves the surface without any detergents or oil so you can paint. My engine builder had me spray down my block once it was prepped to paint, to ensure no grease and to leave a clean surface.
Brake parts cleaner works great and will remove some paint...it leaves the surface without any detergents or oil so you can paint. My engine builder had me spray down my block once it was prepped to paint, to ensure no grease and to leave a clean surface.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by 69427
Thanks for the link info. Looks like an interesting method.
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Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,213
Likes: 643
From: Orange County Ca
One consideration is time. If you need it fast, you have to use more agressive techniques. Sand paper if real rusty, wire brush, liquid rust remover, etc. Muriatic acid will work, but be real careful and watch closely. Rinse and wash thourghly. Most rust removers use phospheric acid. The higher the content, the better they work. There are also rust converting chemicals. You remove all the big crud, the paint on the conversion stuff and it converts the rust to a hard, stable surface to paint.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,008
Likes: 38
From: Space Coast Gator Territory
Originally Posted by rick1500
I literally just soaked them overnight, wiped them down, and powder coated them. They went from looking like unearthed fossils to better-than-new in a day with no chemicals, scrubbing, or sand flying everywhere.