Robbie tries de-rusting with molasses!

Yesterday I was fighting with some small drum parking brake pieces from the saab (they were rusted solid, only separated with some pb blaster and a hammer), trying to wire brush them and sandpaper them back to a place where they can fit together but actually move like they need to. As I am doing this, I remember all the youtube videos I have been watching recently about the magic of molasses. Since I don't need these pieces back together right away, I went inside and tried it out!

Here's a small cup of warm water with a few spoonfuls of molasses mixed in:

And here is the before pic of the parts, you can see the one I had started on (still not looking much better).

The resulting cup is deceiving because it is way heavier than it looks! I will pop the pieces out after a week and rinse to see how we are doing.

In reply to Robbie :

Yeah...not for the impatient this method.

You could use white vinegar and Evaporust as controls in this experiment.

No matter what you use, a bit of wire-wheel at the end seems to be the answer.

With small things like this, the vibrating bowl full of abrasives seems to do a good job.

It does work well but slow and tempature dependent. most guys i see using it get a 55 gallon drum and a block of Molasses from a feed store.   Evaporust will work better over night and it doesn't smell.  ( I happen to like the smell of Molasses..reminds me of visiting an Aunt as a kid she always had fresh hermits in the oven)

Oh man now I'm hungry...  :)

In reply to 44Dwarf :

My grandma used to make molasses cookies, and my dad is known to occasionally butter some bread and sprinkle brown sugar and molasses in the middle to make a sandwich. Never liked the sandwiches but the cookies are great and so is the smell!

Mole asses?

shiny happy moles?

I do small parts with vinegar and larger bits with electrolysis. Vinegar is relatively slow, electrolysis is much faster. I'll have to try some molasses for the small stuff to see if it's easier/quicker than vinegar.

http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp

I use this on larger parts like rear end axle housings. It works well relatively overnight, dependant on line of site to the electrode the bigger the electrode area the better.

44Dwarf said:

she always had fresh hermits in the oven)

Oh man now I'm hungry...  :)

???

In reply to Duke :

Hermit Cookies:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (205 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmbeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup (130 grams) dark or golden raisins

1 cup (130 grams) dates, pitted and coarsely chopped

1 cup (100 grams) walnuts, coarsely chopped

Glaze: (optional)

1/2 cup (55 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

2 - 3 tablespoons milk or light cream

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/HermitCookies.html#ixzz50yXvWGXe
Follow us: @joyofbaking on Twitter | joyofbaking on Facebook

I have an engine block stewing in a barrel of molasses, right now. Been in there for a week. I'm in no hurry, whatsoever.

I read about vinegar and electrolysis, also, but stink was my concern. Plus, I've heard that electrolysis is pretty much LOS, so it won't be as effective getting into all the nooks and crannies.

In reply to RealMiniParker :

Awesome! post pics when you fish it out please

In reply to Robbie :

You bet I will! 

In my experience line of sight is not an issue with electrolysis, and while it does emit some gasses that require doing it in a well ventilated area, it does not smell bad. Interested to hear your experience with molasses though! 

In reply to EastCoastMojo :

I have read your threads on electrolysis in earnest! I might copy some of your ideas at a later date. We will see how these molasses pieces go though.

Anybody else upset that this was posted before waiting for the 'after' results? 

How dare you make us a wait a week alongside you to find out the results!

In reply to NEALSMO :

In my defense, I was going to wait until I had successful "after" results. 

NEALSMO said:

Anybody else upset that this was posted before waiting for the 'after' results? 

How dare you make us a wait a week alongside you to find out the results!

I'll thumbs up your post because I am already sick of waiting too.

Be prepared, Robbie. You'll probably get mold floating on the surface. 

Jeez a week?

Electrolysis would've been cooler and quicker....

Rome wasn't built in day. Young whippersnappers no patience. 

Well?  It's been almost 2 days...

The suspense is killing me! 

What would happen if you put electrodes in the molasses water?

In reply to snailmont5oh :

The "solution" needs to be alkaline for electrolysis to work. I believe molasses is more acid than alkaline and I'm not sure that adding washing soda would work.