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Magic liquid 1, rusty parts, nil

Mfresh

Mfresh

Registered
10 Years
Joined
Oct 7, 2012
Messages
2,276
Location
Marlow on Thames, Bucks
I recently took on a project which was pretty rusty. Here's a container filled with most of the smaller playfield parts.

rusty parts.PNG

The hardest parts to replace are the hex posts which are nearly impossible to get hold of, and I thought they were a gonner. Even so, I decided to try some Hammerite rust removing liquid. It's a green liquid that you dilute 9:1, and then leave stuff in it to soak for about 36 hours. Slowly the liquid loses its greeness as it gets to work. So in went all of the above.

After that I tumbled it all in a tumbler and some Brasso for 5 days.

Here's the result:

rustyfree parts.JPG

Basically everything came out pretty much pristine, including the hex posts. I'm amazed at how effective the combination is, with minimal effort on my part.
 
would this work with screws,

I have so many random little screws and bolts on my earthshaker restore and cant figure out there part numbers to find replacements. If there was some way to make them shiny and new again that would be amazing :) can u just tiny screws in a tumbler does it do the same job as large parts?
 
russdx1 said:
would this work with screws,

I have so many random little screws and bolts on my earthshaker restore and cant figure out there part numbers to find replacements. If there was some way to make them shiny and new again that would be amazing :) can u just tiny screws in a tumbler does it do the same job as large parts?
Click to expand...

You can put anything in that will fit it’s only some metals that u can’t put in really
 
I have a box full of well rusty screws and bolts etc - tumbler alone wouldnt touch them. I gonna try this method with the hammerite and see how it comes out. The hammerite rust remover is the dip kind - not the paint on gel type.

83514

Cheers

kev
 
The cost of that stuff is eye-watering considering you get the same results, just a bit slower, if you use plain old white vinegar. In fact, the SDS for the Hammerite stuff lists Citric Acid as the primary hazardous ingredient... as well as a few preservatives and unlisted components, a few of which I would assume to be the colouration/pH indicator.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Golden-Swan-White-Vinegar-Litre/dp/B00TZT6GQE
 
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PBrookfield said:
The cost of that stuff is eye-watering considering you get the same results, just a bit slower, if you use plain old white vinegar.
Click to expand...

I tried white vinegar and i found it turned all the parts a darker grey (unless i used wrong type?)
 
russdx1 said:
I tried white vinegar and i found it turned all the parts a darker grey (unless i used wrong type?)
Click to expand...
You've given metal an acid bath - you're going to be left with a perfectly uniform matte surface, which will make any metal look incredibly dull. Polishing them back to a shiny finish should be easy, if that's something you need (the OP threw the bits into his tumbler after the acid bath, that's why they look so nice.)

The Hammerite stuff would do the exact same.
 
PBrookfield said:
You've given metal an acid bath - you're going to be left with a perfectly uniform matte surface, which will make any metal look incredibly dull. Polishing them back to a shiny finish should be easy, if that's something you need (the OP threw the bits into his tumbler after the acid bath, that's why they look so nice.)

The Hammerite stuff would do the exact same.
Click to expand...

I see, i will chuck them in the tumbler as well next time :)
 
That being said, I have a lot of rusty tat to bathe in acid, and I really like pickled onions; for other people it's probably worth the extra cost not to have 20 litres of sodding vinegar hanging around!

I like buying in bulk... the best £15 I ever spent was a 5L jug of 99% IPA... clean everything except your hands with that stuff. And certain crappy prints/paints (pinball machines love the stuff, unless they've got someone's crappy touchups on there, the IPA is going to take that right off if there's no topcoat...)
 
Don't forget the other home remedy rust remover ……….. coca cola with it's phosphporic acid (or maybe that's all changed nowadays along with no sugar!) but more expensive that vinegar!
 
Kman said:
Don't forget the other home remedy rust remover ……….. coca cola with it's phosphporic acid (or maybe that's all changed nowadays along with no sugar!) but more expensive that vinegar!
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Definitely still phosphoric in that stuff, it needs it for its 'bite', not to mention you can feel it soften your teeth enamel every time...
 
might be cheaper if you buy the real cheap asda own crap lol?? (but they prob cheaped out on the acid)
 
russdx1 said:
might be cheaper if you buy the real cheap asda own crap lol?? (but they prob cheaped out on the acid)
Click to expand...
The table vinegar is part malt so is definitely weaker... plus really stinks distinctively. When you can get 'pure' white vinegar it's usually marked up in cost as a household cleaner. Generally speaking unless the size is really a problem, you can never beat the cost of anything that you can buy in a 5L jug.
 
PBrookfield said:
The table vinegar is part malt so is definitely weaker... plus really stinks distinctively. When you can get 'pure' white vinegar it's usually marked up in cost as a household cleaner. Generally speaking unless the size is really a problem, you can never beat the cost of anything that you can buy in a 5L jug.
Click to expand...

You really like big jugs :D
 
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