Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

A friend at work told me that vinegar is a good tool to remove rust. I've got a DO and a flat griddle that have been neglected (in my basement) for a few years and I want to start using them this summer when the Nameless Monster is finished. Will submerging them in several gallons of undiluted vinegar do the trick?

Vinegar is an acid and most any acid will do the trick but it does take parent metal with it. Less expensive works well get some hydrochloric/muriatic acid and water it way down (swimming pool supply). watch it VERY carefully do it out doors have a place to dump it and a way to clean it off.
Or just use some steel wool and elbow grease and re-season it.

An Acid that would work better than vinegar and be a lot safer than hydrochloric/muriatic would be any type of spoke wheel cleaner in the automotive section. They usually are phosphoric based. For that matter. Coca Cola would work almost as good as vinegar. If you do get muriatic be careful when you open the container. It will fume/smoke out the top. Do not succumb to the urge to lean down and take a whiff...
Larry

I have used Vinegar many times and it works well. But the best is electrolysis. I posted a how to with pictures back last summer/fall in the cast iron section. Cheap and easy and works great on smaller pieces.

Camp Chef in their FAQ recommends Coke or Pepsi. I have 2 half gallons containers of off brand Cola I'm going to try. Doug

A 50/50 mix of molasses and water is great.
Just soak it overnight, and in the morning it's sparkling clean.

The pros and collectors over at the Wagner and Griswold website use vinegar to remove small amounts of rust on cast iron that isn't too rusty. However, they recommend a 50-50 mix of vinegar and water. Here's a link to their cleaning page - check out the paragraph titled RUST.

http://www.wag-society.org/Electrolysis/lye.php

In my discussions in the forum, they recommend soaking the piece in 30 minute intervals. Soak it, rinse, scrub, and check it, then repeat if needed.

Generally speaking, however, they tend to use the electrolysis method a lot more often. Then again, some of these collectors have a couple hundred pieces in their collections and clean/strip a dozen or so pieces at a time.

Woodbutcher wrote:I have used Vinegar many times and it works well. But the best is electrolysis. I posted a how to with pictures back last summer/fall in the cast iron section. Cheap and easy and works great on smaller pieces.

I have used electrolysis. Works well.

Neighbors wonder what kind of mad scientist I am (being the new kid on the block).

Interesting way to attract men too, they never forget what I did!!!

Jean

what dusty82 said here are the directions

Rust:

Soak pieces in solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water for several hours. Now this will depend on each piece, BUT remember vinegar is an acid and acids EAT metal You will ruin your piece if you let it in the bath too long.

Remove from vinegar solution, rinse and rub/brush to determine if rust has been removed. Repeat vinegar bath if required.

I'm gonna give it a try this weekend, I'll let you guys know how it turns out.
Thanks!!

you know, if you want to cook in it later ... I sure wouldn't want to do anything more toxic than a vinegar and steel wool treatment (rinse the living daylights out of it, and then wipe it immediately with a very light coat of cooking oil).

Hey Jollymon1375,

I posted some info & photos on my small porch operation. It works " OKAY ", but still requires lots of " Elbow Grease " SCRUBBING !

See last few posts:
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... sc&start=0

L.M.