Has anyone heard of dissolving rust by 'fermenting' the metal in a mixture of water and molasses for a couple of days?!...or is someone pulling my chain?
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Haven't had time to watch this myself, but you can. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-_z4tinnXk
I use naval jelly. Easy to come by and works pretty quick.
Carl..what size of the piece is it that you want to get the rust off ? I have a simple recipe, envo good and cheap and easy to do. Dead easy and fun to make happen. Save the molassas for the homemade beans.... a real easy diy rust removal trick. (Hardtops, eh ?)
Originally Posted by 56Speedster:
I use naval jelly. Easy to come by and works pretty quick.
^ x2. Naval Jelly, available at any hardware, rinses off.
Where do you come up with these? Are you "pushing my foot"??
Anyway, yes, chemically it should work as the molasses should convert the sugar to a mild acid as it ferments and breaks down, and would probably work a bit faster if you replaced the water with something that wouldn't encourage the rust in the first place, but Navel Jelly, Zudd or a host of cheap, readily available household products would probably work better with less remaining residue.
OK, now for a little Civil War History: Which of the cities in the North was most affected by the US Civil War raging in the Southern States and why?
Yes and coca cola removes the crud on your battery post.
NYC...Why?
Bankers, lawyers, and retired grandparents had a difficult time 'wintering' in Hilton Head SC and Port St Lucie FL
Nope, not NYC (Lawyers, notwithstanding).
It was Portland, Maine.
But do you know why??
Aaah, I seem to recall that Confederate forces raided the town?
They were after the molasses....it goes great with naval jelly.
Al, you put a smile on my face!!
But I do seem to recall that a Confederate blockade running sea raider shelled Portland's waterfront destroying warehouses...Maybe one of them was filled with barrels of molasses?
Anyway, a solution of molasses/water as a rust dissolver isn't a chain pulling urban myth! It's inexpensive and large vats can be prepared to submerge body panels...fenders, doors, etc.
However for rust Muric acid from the hardware is suppose to be the standard fix. for that.. But i have had real good luck with Rust Bullet on the beetle so far..
What about coke?
Nope, as far as I know, none of the Confederate gunships ever shelled Portland, Maine.
However! Portland, Maine had one of the largest Rum Distilleries in the Northeast and got all of it's molasses from Florida. That supply was cut off by the blockade, the distillery couldn't produce Rum and over 150 people (a large part of their population outside of fishing) were without jobs, not to mention a LOT of soldiers and sailors who were out of rum.
Now that's a GOOD war story!!