Cleaning up old nuts and bolts ?

[GASoline71]

Originally Posted by Stoney

Chemtool Carb Cleaner That You Soak Carbs In Works Good Too.

This...

Originally Posted by ratrod67

Make a buzzwheel from an electric motor and a wire wheel. Works good.

...and this... is what I do to old rusty bolts. Cleans 'em up nice. Remember to wear eye protection when usin' the wire wheel on a bench grinder.

Gary

[rsavage]

Oxalic acid. Inexpensive, removes the rust and coats with a zinc coating.

[72 Super]

Originally Posted by superlifted

Ok guys I'm about to blow your minds. I tried a bunch of solvents that only halfway works and made my garage stink to high heaven but not anymore. Instead of buying clr or evaporust for 15 + dollars a quart you can just go down to your Lucan Walmart and pick yourself up a gallon of apple cider vinegar. 3.50 I think is Wat a gallon goes for but this stuff WORKS.i grabbed all my rusty hardware in a gallon bucket and let it sit a few days and this nasty looking surface foam started to appear but the bolts look brand new. It won't peel paint its non toxic and cheap. Try it put see if it works for u guys. But n
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The Apple Cider vinegar works like a charm! I tried this out the other day. I let them sit in there all week, took them out today and they came out great! I have more in there as of now too. Can't go wrong for the price.

Ray

[srea76]

i agree vinegar will surprise you what it does to anything rusty.

[Andy4639]

White vinager and let them sit over night. Take them out and wire brush them, let dry and paint them. Poke the bolt through some cardboard and paint the heads.

[68gmsee]

Since I posted this, I have accumulated more nuts and bolts of all kinds in different containers. I have tried different methods inluding the automatic trans fluid. I placed a bunch of bolts in a large can with a lid and filled it up with transmission fluid. It took a long time but the bolts did come out clean. I've wire wheeled some and cleaned some with diesel but never tried the muriatic acid.

This apple cider method sounds interesting. I may try that on the batch that I have next. Do they have to be cleaned of grease first?

[Lee H]

I take mine to my local plater. They strip the then plate them for about 20 bucks for a 2 gallon pale full. I have gotten zinc and black phosphate done.
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[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by oldsmobilekindofguy

just soak them in WD-40, may sound like a hick but you will be surprised how well WD-40 works on stuff. I have used it to take tar off the side of my 1970 olds, and it should even protect the nuts and bolts

As WD-40 is actually a solvent that works pretty decently.

I've used a can of carb cleaner with the basket in it for nuts and bolts a lot to get the grease off. You can only soak a few at a time but you just throw a handful in the the basket put it in the can and let it soak for a couple of hours and pull it out and rinse it off.

I use "Oil Eater" to clean larger parts where I spay it on with a squirt bottle, let it soak, scrub it with a parts washing brush and hose it off and have great results. Some of the local shops are using it in their hot tanks because it is biodegradable unlike the old caustic powder we used to put in hot tanks. some of that in a five gallon bucket would work great for cleaning small parts but you still will have to deal with the rust. A rock or shell tumbler and some abrasive powder might work to clean small batches of nuts and bolts. just put them in and let them turn.

[67chevemall]

Originally Posted by ratrod67

Make a buzzwheel from an electric motor and a wire wheel. Works good.

Works great....can soak in gas then wipe with rag before the wire wheel.

Then store them all in oil and they are better then new.

[Ironangel]

Muratic acid is diluted Hydrochloric acid and is widely used in swimming pools for cleaning and for lowering PH in the water, BAD STUFF! Even though it is the primary acid in your stomach, I'd stay away from it for reasons already indicated. Phosphoric acid, used in most "Cola's"(in trace amounts) is the acid used in the "rust converters" such as "Naval Jelly." It is much less harmful and reacts with iron oxide to form a "black phosphate" that is an "inert compound" and when painted with a zinc primer will remain inert to any further oxidation. Many nuts and bolts as well as many parts such as carburetor's on many older motorcycles are no longer available so careful restoration and cleaning is a must. Many restorers are using "Lemon Juice" to clean aluminum, brass, and copper parts followed with a sodium bicarbonate solution rinse (baking soda & water) to neutralize any remaining acid. Iye treated headers, truck beds, and many nuts and bolts with Phosphoric Acid and have very good results! My 72 bed had 4 areas where the rust had eat completely through the bed. Most rusting problems with these trucks and most older vehicles is directly related to poor grounding and "Electrolysis" takes over! Most rusting can be stopped dead by using "Anodes" placed at various locations on the truck or vehicle such as the bottom of the battery tray. "Schools out!" PS. "Im a hoarder!" Transmission fluid & Acetone is my not so secret but favorite soaking/cleaning solution!

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Ironangel

Muratic acid is diluted Hydrochloric acid and is widely used in swimming pools for cleaning and for lowering PH in the water, BAD STUFF! Even though it is the primary acid in your stomach, I'd stay away from it for reasons already indicated. Phosphoric acid, used in most "Cola's"(in trace amounts) is the acid used in the "rust converters" such as "Naval Jelly." It is much less harmful and reacts with iron oxide to form a "black phosphate" that is an "inert compound" and when painted with a zinc primer will remain inert to any further oxidation. Many nuts and bolts as well as many parts such as carburetor's on many older motorcycles are no longer available so careful restoration and cleaning is a must. Many restorers are using "Lemon Juice" to clean aluminum, brass, and copper parts followed with a sodium bicarbonate solution rinse (baking soda & water) to neutralize any remaining acid. Iye treated headers, truck beds, and many nuts and bolts with Phosphoric Acid and have very good results! My 72 bed had 4 areas where the rust had eat completely through the bed. Most rusting problems with these trucks and most older vehicles is directly related to poor grounding and "Electrolysis" takes over! Most rusting can be stopped dead by using "Anodes" placed at various locations on the truck or vehicle such as the bottom of the battery tray. "Schools out!" PS. "Im a hoarder!" Transmission fluid & Acetone is my not so secret but favorite soaking/cleaning solution!

Nice Post
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[skorpioskorpio]

If it's more grease than rust, I keep a 5 gallon bucket of Pine-sol as a degreaser, even takes the grease stains out of cast aluminum. You just throw them in there for a few days or a week and it doesn't kill the plating. If you want to brighten up the plating fill a container 1/3rd full of your bolts about half Ajax scouring powder and the rest water and shake. It's cheap use lots and it will make the mixture viscus enough to keep the nuts and bolts from nicking each other. Anyway, motorcycle restoration tricks where almost every nut and bolt is visible in the end product.

..Oh and rust well that you just kind of wipe it off whith your fingers, I see it once in a while here in Southern California, you're talking about that light orangishy dusty stuff that accumulates on stuff right? Although I'm not sure why you'd have any on a vehicle that is only 40 years old.

[1972MarkW]

I have always used white vinegar .Works great,removes all the rust . just soak for 24 hours.


''Whether you hear cheering or booing,as long as you still hear noise
you still got it.'' Dale Earnhardt

[BrianPlaster]

vinegar is the best
coca cola works well also

[leddzepp]

Anything acidic will clean off rust...
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[LockDoc]

-
Check this thread out.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=452909

The cement mixer is what I use, only I do it outside so I don't need the cover. Works good and you can do a lot at once...

LockDoc

[9teen69]

Evapo-Rust from Autozone. Soak overnight...the best.http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=643195_0_0_

[blkcorvair]

I kept every original bolt that I could. Blasted them all in a blast cabinet. One at a time. The blackones I sprayed with black epoxy. Zinc ones I replated with zinc kit from eastwood.

Took a long time but I would do like ten a day or so and all that original hardware looks great in there. Looks of them have very neat stapings on them, not like the generic china bolts of today.