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#1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Vinegar for rust removal
Watched on tv a few weeks ago where a guy used vinegar as a rust remover and decided I'd try the results myself with a pair of the fender to cab brackets. Im fixing to do my front end swap to replace some of the panels that need more repair than I have time for with some rust free OEM panels. I can only guess by the way my other projects have gone that the removal of the original brackets will not go as planned, so I purchased another OEM set from a board member to prep for the swap.
Brackets arrived as described and were complete and solid, just covered in 50+ years of road dirt, paint, dripped bondo, undercoating and grease. Decided that this would be my vinegar project. Used an old plastic coffee tub to hold the parts, 1 gallon vinegar (supplied by local dollar store for $1), and a wire brush. I placed the brackets in and covered them until covered w/vinegar and let them sit a few days. Heres a before pic...
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
After a few days I pulled them out and heres the result
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#3 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
All that was left was a little paint, which the wire brush took care off, and a quick little bit of hand sanding. Them sprayed w/some self-etching primer to await paint. Total soak time was around 7-8 days in the NC sun which has been around 90deg lately. If your not in a hurry, the vinegar will do the job as shown, just be patient. I think that since I dont have a sandblaster, but can drive across town to use one, the cheap cost of vinegar...I'll use it in the future for bolts and smaller projects like this. Just wanted to share the results...
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#4 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Lambertville, MI
Posts: 1,860
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Wow, thats impressing! I might try that on some bolts i have to plate. I bought Eastwoods Tin-zinc plating system. I like it so far. Ive only plated like 6 bolts tho. And they came out nice.
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#5 |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 10
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
I'm impressed...I'll be sure to experiment on the 63 stepside when I get it home.
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#6 |
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: RADFORD, VA
Posts: 2,651
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Thanks for the tip..
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#7 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
no problem. i was a little sceptical of the results i should expect, but was pleased with the results. i did a bunch of bolts also with the same batch. one more side note, after i wire brushed i soaked in fresh vinegar for an additional day. i believe it allows the vinegar to soak in the little spots touched up by the brush. i dont know that it'll work for all my projects, but its a great alternative for small hard to work parts like bolts and these brackets, plus the cost was cheap & cleanup was easy. since there was no rush on the parts, it was nice to chemically remove the rust as opposed to lots of hand work.
Posted via Mobile Device
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#8 |
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![]() Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: apple valley, ca
Posts: 2,670
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Very cool, and you can't beat the price!! Vinegar is some pretty amazing stuff, and it's used for a multitude of things. Vinegar is an old painter's trick for getting paint to stick to galvanized metal. The process is called "pickleing".
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#9 |
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Galt, Calif
Posts: 2,437
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Food processors use it after a cleaning equipment as a sterilizer....
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#10 |
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Posts: 1,925
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
when i was 13 i worked at a drive in movie theater, they put up a new galvenized steel fence, it was about a mile of fencing, i had to wash it down with vinegar and then paint it, man i cannot stand the smell of vinegar to this day.......i was making a huge $ .75 cents per hour. The paint did stay on the fence......kieth
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#11 |
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: California Delta
Posts: 2,163
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
I've have also heard that it helps paint stick to chrome better. In the late 70's I wiped my Datsun 510 chrome bumpers down with white vinegar before painting them black. Seemed to work.
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Name: Rich Current Ride: 1964 C-10 Short Fleetside Daily Driver: 2005 GMC crew cab short fleetside /2001 Chevy Tahoe Past GM Trucks: 1959 GMC short stepside 1968 GMC short stepside-4x4 1973 Chevy short stepside 1989 Chevy short fleetside-reg cab 1993 Chevy short fleetside-Xcab 2002 Chevy short fleetside-Xcab Save the dinosaurs, use synthetic oil. |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: central coast monterey county california
Posts: 348
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
will it work for removing old paint?
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#13 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
It did remove about 90% of the paint. What little was left came off w/thumbnail or the wire brush. I did the fresh vinegar soak after wire brushing due to the debris in the vinegar from removing all the junk in the 1st week soak.
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Searcy, AR
Posts: 4,203
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
New process for me to implement, thanks for the tip!!!
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#15 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Yes sir.
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#16 |
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![]() Join Date: May 2012
Location: Semmes,Al.
Posts: 407
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
O snap.!!!
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#17 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: gadsden, alabama
Posts: 468
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
have used it to etch aluminum panels,looks like it also works well on rust.
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#18 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Genoa, IL
Posts: 387
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Always love cheap, practical solutions. Thanks!
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#19 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Yeah, I have to agree with you on that Keith. Works great as a cleaner or rust remover, but the smell is terrible.
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#20 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Marion, NC
Posts: 851
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Pretty cool! was just reading a post about this on GarageJournal earlier today. They were using salt with the vinegar as well, but looks like plain ole vinegar works pretty good by itself.
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#21 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Hmmm...hadn't heard the salt part yet. I have read that some people suggest apple cider vinegar, but I used just plain old white vinegar and was pleased, so I'll just stick with that.
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#22 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: fayetteville nc
Posts: 10,338
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
I have heard that equal parts borax and lemon juice will work also. But again, more costly than vinegar.
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1963 Short bed step side SBW 427 big block and borg warner T-16 HD 3 speed manual http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=519869 1963 Short bed fleetside BBW 348 1st gen big block w/Powerglide http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=619024 1964 Short bed trailer |
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#23 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 1,456
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
I've used this method several times.
Vinegar is a mild acid--acid dissolves iron... and iron oxide. It eats iron oxide at a much faster rate than iron (the base metal). You don't have to leave it in that long, either. A couple days usually takes care of it, but check your progress. It will also remove the plating on hardware-store bolts if left in vinegar overnight. That's how I prep any plated bolts that need to be painted--it strips the plating off and leaves a surface ready for paint to adhere to. Molasses also works fantastic for stripping metal--just fill a 5-gallon bucket with a molasses solution, throw the parts in and come back in a week or more. In the summer, I keep a bucket of the stuff outside the shop door, ready to throw parts and garage-sale tools in for a fairly-quick, no-effort cleaning. One thing to be aware of is this: Acid and molasses DOES chemically mill the metal. Meaning, it'll be thinner when it comes out. Probably not noticeably unless you put a micrometer on it, but it is thinner. And it will weaken and take the tension out of springs. I know race car builders who use pool acid to chemically mill their parts... one Factory Appearing/Stock Tire racer told me he acid-dipped more than half the weight out of his bumper brackets, battery tray and a lot of other pieces. Finally, I've found that molasses and vinegar will make dull metal file teeth hurt-you-sharp. I had a couple old, very rusty files that I found in the bottom of a rusty pawn-shop tool box. I threw them in the molasses for ten days or two weeks or something, and when I rinsed them off, the teeth on the file were amazingly sharp. -Brad
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#24 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: FLUSHING, MICHIGAN
Posts: 82
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Great information, thanks.
Any ideas on how many gallons of vinegar it would take to submerge a 61' stepside? lol |
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#25 |
Moderator
![]() Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: ON, Canada
Posts: 2,159
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Re: Vinegar for rust removal
Add salt to the vinegar. Works better. Makes a horrible looking black scum as it works, but parts come out looking brand new. There's a big thread on it over on the Garage Journal forum.
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