J R wrote:
Molasses for rust removal sounds so goofy, I Just Have to try it out.I
have a lot of very old very rusty tools too, hundreds of them, perhaps
two thousand or more.I am fixin to make a wooden box for my very old
very rusty hacksaws.I have about two dozen of them.If the Molasses trick
works, I will derust them too.
Rust Never Sleeps!

That's a Neil Young song.

The best, and cheapest way to get rid of rust on tools is thusly:

Get a big jug of white vinegar and pour it in a plastic pail. Dissolve
as much regular salt in it as it will take. When you get salt on the
bottom and it's not dissolving anymore, no matter how hard you stir,
it's enough.

A gallon of vinegar will probably take a couple of pounds of salt.

Place rusty tools in the liquid overnight. Make sure the liquid
*completely* covers the tools, or you'll get a line across the metal you
will NEVER get rid of.

This liquid removes only rust and is reusable for months. It's also non
toxic when you finally pour it out in the back of the garden.

Try it on something of no value first, like a rusty nail. After an
overnight soaking, remove tools and give them a good rinsing with fresh
water. Then, either oil the tools or paint them with a thin coat of rust
proofing paint.

If you're really thorough, rearrange the tools once in a while, so all
surfaces get exposed evenly to the vinegar mixture.

This is the best best method I've found for cleaning up old rusty
ferrous metal.


mike

---
And, as always, don't leave your children unattended anywhere in
Holland, Michigan. Many, many undesirable backwater types live there.

They have at least one dufus who once claimed to have been the Supreme
Commander of a gay paramilitary sauna club and fantasized about 'blowing
away' Canada, and who knows, there may be many more dufi there.





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