Rust remover

[jaybee]

Maybe this method has been discussed before, if so I don't remember it.

Anyone here used ketchup for rust remover?

A couple of months ago I accidentally left a pair of wire cutters on the edge of the roof for two nights. Thankfully I went back up there again or they'd be hopelessly rusted before I found them. I did a quick Google and came up with something I'd never heard of before...coat them with a thick layer of ketchup and wrap them in aluminum file. A couple of hours later rub the steel with fresh foil for a couple of minutes, then rinse clean and oil for protection.

I was quite impressed with the results. It hadn't rained and wasn't overly humid, but there was some bright orange rust on the tool. This took it all off.

Yesterday I had cause to grab an 8oz machinist's hammer I've had for years. It belonged to my wife's grandfather, but before I started using it the hammer lived for quite a few years in a box of tools stored in a dirt crawlspace. As a result it was perfectly usable but it had a significant coat of rust on most of the head, less on the face and the ball peen.

I processed this one twice, 4hrs total. Afterward there are some dark pits, but a fair bit of raw steel showing as well. Oil for the head, butcher block oil on the handle and back in the box.

This works because the acid in the ketchup and the presence of dissimilar metals converts iron oxide to iron acetate, loosening it from the underlying steel so it can be washed away. Ketchup is a paste, obviously, so it stays where you put it instead of running off or drying too quickly when wrapped in foil.

I hope someone finds this helpful.

[kb426]

New to me.

[idrivejunk]

+ me.

[chimp koose]

me too , my go to is molasses /water and let it sit for a few weeks.

[Bruce Dorsi]

Most ketchup has vinegar as an ingredient.

White vinegar is approx. 6% acetic acid and can also be used as a rust remover.

Interesting about using aluminum foil as a dissimilar metal, though.

[chimp koose]

I have heard of using coca cola and tin foil to de rust bumper chrome

[chris spokes]

I have heard of using coca cola and tin foil to de rust bumper chrome

yes it works ,i used it to derust some chrome headlights once