Vinegar Tool Derusting?

jeepnut24 · Mar 23, 2010

I have noticed this suggestions in various rusty tool threads. What is the proper process to do this? How does it compare to evaporust both chemically and in effectiveness? Any precautions?

Ive got a rusty old vise that Im going to try and remove the rust on and both of these seem to about the same $$$ with evaporust being only a bit more. Ive heard molasses works as well, but that is harder to get in vise sized quantities.

russlaferrera · Mar 23, 2010

Clean all the grease and paint off that you can. Place the vice in a bucket. Fill with white vinegar till the vice is covered. I would cover the bucket and place outside in the sun, as warm/hot vinegar works better. Check the progress every day or every other day.

mkdive · Mar 23, 2010

I say spend the buck and get it hot dipped/hot tanked!

dkroth · Mar 23, 2010

Jeep,

I just compared Evapo-rust to vinegar myself. A gallon of white vinegar was about $2.50. 1 qt of Evapo-rust was $9..95 at Autozone. Harbor freight has a gallon of Evapo-Rust on their website for $19.99, which would become $15.99 with that ever-present 20% coupon.

I scored two Proto 6" c-clamps off Craigslist last weekend. One went in vinegar and the other in Evapo-rust.

In 24 hours, the vinegar cleared about 80% of the rust. It came off in little flakes that fell to the bottom of the bucket. Scrubbing with a stiff plastic brush removed more rust, but some "flakes" remained. The vinegar turned the screw and handle of the clamp black. Scrubbing did not change that.

The Evapo-Rust worked much more quickly. All the rust was removed from the other clamp in about an hour. Brushing and rinsing seemed to brighten the clamp a little as well. The vinegar clamp went in the Evapo-rust to remove the remaining rust. An hour there and it was also 100%. The black handle and screw remains, however.

I called an industrial supply house today to see if they could get me a 5 gallon pail of Evapo-Rust. Still waiting for a callback. If I can get it for $80 or so I'll jump on it. Otherwise I'll check my local Harbor freight for the gallon jugs.

For me, the vinegar takes too long, is not effective enough, and has side effects. Evapo-Rust works well, but is almost 10x expensive when bought in gallon increments. A 5 gallon pail would last me years, so the extra cost is inconsequential.

YMMV.

mkdive · Mar 23, 2010

Also keep in mind EVR can be reused.

jeepnut24 · Mar 23, 2010

mkdive said:
I say spend the buck and get it hot dipped/hot tanked!

That involves the time to find one locally and where as HF is a stop on the way home from work. Im lazy... :bounce:

All · May 11, 2013

The vinegar might have been more effective if generous amounts of salt were added to it.

It works for the English. Great Britain is often socked in grey fog mist, which wreck's havoc on British innards. They add salt and vinegar to their fish and chips, and clears them right up. Ok ok, an irrelevant comparison, posted in jest. But Margaret Thatcher was known to have the inner constitution of iron, and she lasted for decades... so there may be a correlation.

I had some very rusty chains that I wanted cleaned up. Impossible to wire brush the nooks and crannies of chains between the links. I soaked them in a couple of gallons of white vinegar with some success. I added an entire cardboard cylinder of salt and saw incredible success. Absolute transformation of the chain, from rusty brown to a clean grey silver. Quite seriously.

All · May 14, 2013

After this thread, I've gone and purchased Evaporust, and did a side by side comparison between it and a vinegar salt brine. My results are the exact opposite of an earlier poster, in that I found vinegar and salt to be far faster and more effective than Evaporust.

I'm running out of rusty parts to test. I never thought I'd be able to say that.

All · May 14, 2013

The question is, if salt causes rust... how is it that salt cures it?

AmericanPreferred · May 14, 2013

Some folks here have been finding Evaporust on clearence at Lowes less than a buck a gallon.

ganymede · May 14, 2013

I've been using vinegar .
It's not perfect but works well enough and too convenient and inexpensive for me to switch.
Just make sure you rinse it off . I always scrubbed loose rust away with a soapy brillo pad while rinsing under a faucet. That can eliminate some of the blackening effect that others mention. Also not leaving in too long. Sometimes only a few hrs is enough.

Wi Fire 10 · May 14, 2013

I wanted to clear up the concerns you had about using molasses (you want feed grade- not for human consumption). For de-rusting a 6:1 ratio of water to molasses is used, because it is so highly concentrated. Because of this ratio it will be much easier to make a few gallons of solution. You can find it at a local farm or sporting goods store, in the deer feed section, labeled as feed grade molasses It works great, and for $9 a gallon it should actually be cheaper than vinegar. 1 gal of molasses (@ $9) will yield 7 gallons of solution. 7/9=$0.77/gallon.
And don't forget it takes time to work. Give it a week and your base metal will be perfect (after a quick wire brushing and a rinse)

IndyGarage · May 14, 2013

I have used vinegar/salt and evaporust both and they both can give good results, but I've gotten better results most of the time with vinegar/salt - if you can stand the smell. And it is way cheaper.

I say most of the time, because there are some steel alloys that the vinegar doesn't seem to clean well.

I have a covered 5 gallon bucket with the vinegar/salt in it and just leave the item covered for a day or so. When it's done, take it out and scrub with water and steel wool and it's usually pretty clean. Then I rinse and dry it completely and spray with WD40.

If you don't rinse and dry thoroughly surface rust will form very quickly.

samthedog · May 14, 2013

Just be aware that using vinegar can induce HISC (hydrogen induced stress cracking) and is not a good idea on parts that act as springs or will be under a great deal of torsion. This is riskier on small items so vices should be ok. I just know from personal experience that when the de-rusting bug bites, you never really consider what you are throwing into the solution.

Paul.

Scotsman1886 · May 14, 2013

Lowes in Albuquerque has it on clearence $2.97 a qt,,,,
Not being a chemist I often wonder how people come up with some of the home "mixes". I know they work but who say "I'm gonna mix vineger and salt or molasses and water and soak my rusty wrench in it"
Just like the first cashier that wrapped a credit card in a bag to make it readable by the machine.
It that free thinking, can do improvisation that made this country great

Outlawmws · May 14, 2013

ducksface said:
Invented in 2400bc or thereabouts.
Nothing to do with blind patriotism.

Wrong thread? :dunno:

All · May 14, 2013

No, not the wrong thread. Vinegar is thought to have been invented around 2400 BC.

1950mercury · May 14, 2013

I use citric acid...about 1tbl spoon per quart of warm water. Worked better than vinegar and you dont have to worry about a acid residue.. it works great for your brass ammo cases if you reload your own bullets.

I buy powdered citric acid at the health food stores

B17E1943 · May 14, 2013

I just tried the vinegar/salt combo; soaked some tools for the last 20 hrs or so. I'm not impressed, unfortunately.

I was hoping this was the miracle solution for cleaning rusty tools - I'm getting kind of tired of it.

taumac · May 14, 2013

Ive tried vinegar but didnt add salt. I have to try that.

All · May 17, 2013

Don't give up! It takes more than 20 hours!

Give it a week. Use LOTS of salt. Cover the bucket, but don't snap the lid tight. Do cover it though, loosely.

After your rusty items have been soaking, completely submerged, for a full week, then come back and report what you find. You will be like Saul in Damascus, suddenly seeing the light (or in this case, the raw, grey steel) and becoming Apostle Paul.

zuk123 · May 17, 2013

I have a bin with vinegar in it. I drop in whatever rusty clamps, sockets, or tools I have. Check them every day. Pull them when most of the rust is gone. I like that it takes almost no effort.

I usually hit the part with a light wire brush afterward, which takes off the grey and any flash rust. The point of soaking it first is to get the parts the wire wheel can't get too.

It will flake off any chrome if the chrome is already damaged. And if you forget the items in there too long, it will change the threads on clamps, etc.

I wouldn't use it for a museum resto, but to get a c clamp or pliars back in service it is very easy and low effort.

zuk

BTW if the part has oil or grease on it, vinegar doesn't work well at all.

All · May 17, 2013

Good tip about the oil and vinegar! Has a familiar ring to it. Just add lettuce.

rick carpenter · May 18, 2013

1950mercury said:
I use citric acid...about 1tbl spoon per quart of warm water. Worked better than vinegar and you dont have to worry about a acid residue.. it works great for your brass ammo cases if you reload your own bullets.

I buy powdered citric acid at the health food stores

Does citric acid make for the same post-soak quick rust risk as vinegar?

Outlawmws · May 18, 2013

rick carpenter said:
Does citric acid make for the same post-soak quick rust risk as vinegar?

Any rust removal system will have that to one degree or another. Those that also de-grease, do it the worst, those that leave a layer of black oxide/whatever, do it the least.

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