Taking rust off chrome

A cool tip I found on another bike restoration forum.

Oxalic acid the main component in wood bleach and deck prep.
The stuff eats rust off chrome like it's candy.
I picked up a gallon of deck prep last night. I took a guess and mixed 1 to 1.
Did a test with the chrome parts from the air box. Completely covered in rust.
Dropped them in the bucket two hours later totally free from rust. It won't do anything about pitting.

I am still damm impressed. I wonder if I could get away with dunking the mufflers in it

 

1 part deck prep to 1 part what? This sounds pretty awesome I have a lot of dunking to do if this works.

- Matt

P.S. I wonder if C.L.R. would work well with that stuff... http://www.jelmar.com/CLRbasic.htm ?

 

you can get Oxalic acid on ebay and mix it as strong as you want.
it's a white powder and a little goes a long way. i mixed 1/4 cup in a gallon of water and found a nasty old screwdriver to test, took 2 days but it worked

 

I mixed it with water. I am still learning with this stuff. I mixed it strong cleaned the handle bars in a day. Watch it though leave it in too long and things start to turn green. Then you have to rub off the green. Do wear gloves it will make your fingers sting if you touch it.

 

Brasso has oxalic acid in it and works like a charm. It has a horrible smell, but it works! Used it instead of wet sanding all the brass parts in my carbs. It's all shiny and like brand new now.

 

I am lazy. Mix up a batch and leave the parts to soak.

 

Ha ha I feel ya.

 

I bought some oxalic oxide (sold as wood bleach) powder from Ace Hardware and mixed it two scoops (included) to one gallon. I used it on my carb hats and an old headlight bucket and bezel. I left them in there for 36 hours and they came out great, the rust was all gone.

Definitely wear gloves, it starts to burn fairly quick if you don't.

 

Ever try soaking in a bath of coke? - reason I never drink it anymore...

 

Can't blame you there.....I wouldn't drink coke after I soaked in a bath of it either. That would get expensive and besides, all the fizz would be gone by the time I'd be needing a drink anyway. Of course, those little bubbles would probably feel invigorating for a little while..............

Dave

 

I did my head pipes in Diet Coke for a day and scrubbed off the remains with aluminum foil. Now they shine!!!

 

Regular coke has more acid than the diet. though all the sugar will leave it a sticky mess. I remember as a kid my dad cleaning the battery terminals on the car with coke...

 

Would it be ok to soak my shocks in a bath of Oxalic acid mixture? Or could it ruin them?

 

I have been searching through many different sites looking for info on rust removal also. The least destructive and least toxic method I have found is electrolysis. It uses a low amp battery charger and washing soda, baking soda works also. I tried it on a headlight bucket and it did a great job. I plan on doing my shocks next.

The concentration of baking soda is one teaspoon per gallon of water. The process is also self limiting.

 

hennit what part of your shocks are rusty? If its the shafts throw them away and treat yourself to a new set!

 

no shafts look good just my springs are nasty looking. would I be able to take off just the springs and do it? How do you get the springs off?

 

Just send them to a powder coater as is. You need a special shockie spanner to get them off but some wizard on here will have an alternative

 

Hi,i will give you a link to my Honda CB400Superfour homesite in Greece.
If you are talk about rear shock springs,you can look how i solve the problem,and how i remove the spring from the shock.
The oem absorver on Honda CB400superfour is Showa.But it is possible to solve your problem with the same way more or less.
Im not expect from you to understand Greek,but if you dont understand something from the photos and you want to ask something,im here to help.
The link: http://www.go4it.gr/smf/index.php?topic=3027.90
And sorry for my bad English. :roll:

 

Ok i was so curius about the use of cola as rust remover and i did that test.Before:


Chemichal washing

After only two hours: 8O only a light brushing with a hard dental brush

 

Now was that using regular Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, anon, anon. :roll: :roll:

 

Ha,ha,haaa...It was regular coke!!I will leave the parts inside for tonight.Tomorrow i will brush again.I took these photos because i was too curius!!!

 

Thought I would mention this.....
If it is light rust there is an old school way to get rid of it.
I learned this in auto shop class when I was in high school and it does work.
Go and get some aluminum foil and use it like sand paper.
If the rust isn't deep then this will work for you.

 

Thank you Dude,for this information. This f.... crisis here in Greece will not let me easily buy items from ebay for exable.(Oxalic Acid).
No money,no honey.So im looking for DIY ways to fix my bike.
But I will not let it pass so easy.One way or another my XJ will rise again.

 

Good luck with things itom....I like your spirit! Keep posting...we will assist where possible!

 

Cleaned up some minor rust/corrosion using a tip I found (referenced above).

Aluminum foil dipped in water, worked great:

http://www.robertscycle.com/chrome-clean.html

"

In English



How it works




A common way to clean a rusted chrome surface such as a fender is to use a fine steel wool. However, when you use this method you have to use a lot of elbow grease and you still end up with a slightly dull surface with some amount of scratching not to mention the messy 'dust' left over from the steel wool. That's because you are physically scraping off the rust.
When you use the aluminum foil method you are dissolving the rust chemically so you don't need to rub nearly as hard and since the aluminum foil is softer than the chrome, you are left with few if any scratches. This method also allows you to get the rust out of some minor pitting without having to dig into the surface.

The aluminum oxide that is created by friction when you rub the surface of the chrome leeches the rust away and when combined with the water you added creates it's own polishing compound so you end up with a clean, smooth, shiny surface."

 

I did my carb hats in Coke, and scrubbed them with aluminum foil. It actually *erases* the rust, but does nothing for the pitting, so they're rust-free and shiny, but also pitted. YMMV

 

what also works well: http://www.ouator.com/en/ouator-product/user-guide
I have some samples of this from these guys when they visited our plant a few years back. definitely some of the best polish I have ever seen and used!

 

Has anybody used Naval Jelly as a rust remover?. I'm looking at doing rims and don't want to soak.

 

SOS pads work awesome. Nevrdull also works very well.

 

I use Vanilla coke on my pipes. When they get hot...it smells like Im backing bread........Actually the whole Coke thing is making me rethink my craving for it.

 

That's s good thing to rethink, but not for any reason associated with cleaning chrome. The reason colas work is that they are mild acids (phosphoric acid being the most common type in colas). Your stomach acid is stronger (so I guess you could clean your pipes by vomiting on them if you can't afford to buy a coke).

 

i'll give that a like

 

My father and I use 0000 Steel Wool to get surface rust off chrome. Slides across it like glass when the rust is gone.

 

Four Ought 4/0, 0000, is great shite. it will also NOT scratch chrome or glass either. it is awesome for cleaning glass. been usin this for years. now for aluminum oxidation, i saw this hillybilly using Marvel Mystery Oil just wiping it on and instantly shining stuff like engine parts and wheels on youtube. that is my next purchase! it might work on rust but i don't know. but nobody should be without 0000 steel wool. caution, other grades, like 00, WILL scratch. do not use!

 

0000 steel wool WILL scratch if you're too vigorous with it. I also highly recommend that you use a lubricant with it as well. My preferred cleaner/polish was the suzuki instant detailing spray, but of course--when something works well, the EPA doesn't like it and make a company stop making it. But i just use kroil now and then polish with a wax

 

the only thing i have scratched with 0000 is fake plastic chrome. i did go get the Mystery Oil tho and it works as well as that Coke demonstration. For parts you can't fit into a container of coke. I did just wipe it on and it works great. You can see the hillbilly fer yerself on youtube. I have used 0000 on freshly chromed bumpers, never left a mark. you must have had some kind of contaminant in the piece you were using is all i can think of. Never used any lube with it either. dont use on plastic of any kind. If you are worried about it try it somewhere not so noticeble. Since i'm on the subject, Goof Off will take the dye right out of your upholstery if you use it on say, a seat. At least the vinyl part.
And, navel jelly does work too. And don't confuse rust with aluminum oxidation. Mystery Oil works on aluminum too tho.