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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
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    Default Preventing flash rust - bunch o' bolts de-rusted using molasses

    I've had a bucket of lightly rusted bolts and other odd fixings sitting in molasses for the last couple of weeks and it has done a lovely job of removing the rust, but they flash rust quicker than they can dry in the sun at present. Manually wiping them off isn't an option as there's hundreds of them (it's my odds 'n sods fixings bucket).

    Any recommendations for post-molasses treatment of bulk items? For smaller runs I've dropped things into a large ziplock bag with some WD40 and squelched it around for a while which keeps the rust off until things are dry and can be oiled, but I'm operating at a different scale this time and could do with a better method.

    Cheers

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Hi Moph,

    Bucket of boiling water to rinse off and then into a dry bucket. Spray with WD40.

    The boiling water will heat the items up causing them to dry off quickly, the WD40 will protect them until you can oil or otherwise treat them.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  3. #3
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    If the bits already have a light rust, boil them in vigorously boiling distilled water. This will convert the red rust to a very thin layer of black oxide most of which will wipe off, the remainder will be a faint dull grey but somewhat protective but oil will add to that protection. If they eventually lightly rust again repeat the distilled water boil. Multiple light rusts and distilled water boils is effectively cold metal bluing and the more times it’s done the more protective the coating.

    Using vinegar, citric or oxalic acid (VCO) as a rust removal agent means less mess and no washing or immediate oiling needed when pulled from these solution. Blow completely dry with clean compressed air and don't let them get wet, and bag them and they won’t rust for some time. They can be painted directly over the dry VCO. They only need oil if you intended to store them for months.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Mallacoota,VIC,Australia
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    Hot water is a good idea perhaps just tip hot water over them whilst their in say a garden sieve and then tip diesel over them.
    All The Best steran50 Stewart

    The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    melbourne, laverton
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    far out sounds like a pain. Send them all of to the electro plater.
    Um what happened did you have a bucket of molasses lying around then some how the bolt feel in there?
    what does molasses taste like?
    I heard i tee spoon a day. reverses the greying process in human hair.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
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    Perth
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    Quote Originally Posted by azzrock View Post
    far out sounds like a pain. Send them all of to the electro plater.
    Um what happened did you have a bucket of molasses lying around then some how the bolt feel in there?
    what does molasses taste like?
    I heard i tee spoon a day. reverses the greying process in human hair.
    No idea what it tastes like; I bought a 20L bucket from a feed store that I use for the lawn. I distribute it via fertigation (inject it into the irrigation system) every now and then. It apparently feeds beneficial microbes in the soil resulting in increased soil nutrient availability.

    Molasses contains chelating agents that bind with the rust and make it water soluble. The rust dissolves into the molasses/water solution leaving behind clean metal. Major advantage is it doesn't attack the base metal like stronger acids can; drawback is it's a slow method (2+ weeks typically).

    I'm not electroplating them. They're just a bunch of random fixings that come in handy every now and then, but certainly not worth spending money on.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    melbourne, laverton
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    hi moph. impressive.
    so im picturing. a very nice lawn/ garden. Interesting.
    So many solutions pop up on this site for annoying little problems.
    Hpw did you know about this??
    aaron

  8. #8
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by azzrock View Post
    what does molasses taste like?
    I heard i tee spoon a day. reverses the greying process in human hair.
    Taste depends on type, light molasses tastes like sugar cane, dark molasses in more bitter but apparently has more goodies in it.

    As kid I once ate more than I should have and got a severe case of the squirtz. It took me years to try it again.

  9. #9
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    haha. thats how you learn. do they desolve it in tea??

  10. #10
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    haha. thats how you learn. do they desolve it in tea??

  11. #11
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Yes is dissolves in tea. Horses really like it. SWMBO uses as a bribe/treat for her horse. It’s added to horse water troughs to get reluctant-dehydrating horses to drink more water.

  12. #12
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    lets not forget rum

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    Port Sephens NSW Southside
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    azzrock

    Is the rum for the horses, the rusty parts or you???

  14. #14
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    Dec 2015
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    The boiling water did the trick. Sieved them out of the molasses, cold water rinsed a couple of times, then the boiling water rinse followed by blowing them off with compressed air. Gave them a spray of RP7 then a quick shake in a bag with 3-in-1 oil. Let them sit out in the sun for a couple of hours before rummaging around in the tray with a clean cotton rag to get rid of the excess oil.

    They look good so far. No flash rust - some still have touches of surface rust and could likely have done with longer in the molasses, but they're good enough to go back in storage.

    First photo is after molasses, oiling and drying. The second image is just a stock image off the web (I didn't take a before photo) but is similar to how they looked before treatment. Quite an improvement.

    20200223_174143.jpg yCmPW8j.jpg

  15. #15
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    Oct 2004
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    Lanox is an alternative product to WD40 etc, has lanolin in it and is claimed to have a better rust preventive action.
    A bit more expensive, get it at Bunnings, auto shops etc - spray or brush on versions.

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