Rust removal in the water jackets

[Chris Haynes]

I have a stash of miscellaneous hardware and parts that I Parkerized or Cadmium plated over ten years ago. All of these parts were cleaned with muriatic acid before being Parkerized or plated. I get into this stash often when I am working of projects. To this day there is no damage to the metal or the finish.

[Ol' Ron]

My personal favorite is Chuck Stevens. You can also use an old air muffler cutter with a piece of 1/2" wood dowel it it and hammer the s--t out of it. works great, but you might find some thin parts.

[fourtydlx]

safety: anybody using muriatic acid should use it in a well vntilated area,best to do it outside as it will attack your lungs,It makes them bleed.

[fourtydlx]

I dont know how it got here,I was posting on the site rust in water jackets.?

[fourtydlx]

What ratio forOxalic acid?

[Merc Cruzer]

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fourydlx:

I tried to find "Wood Bleach" by DAP with no success. I did fine Wood Bleach by Savogran at ACE hardware. It is sold in 12 oz containers and you mix the entire container with one gallon of warm water. I have started a controlled test of the product. I had two water pumps and a thermostat housing that had quite a bit of rust on them. I did not wire brush them or clean them in any way to simulate the areas of the water jacket that are inaccessible. I mixed two containers of the Wood Bleach in 2 gallons of water and placed the water pumps and thermostat housing in the solution. So far I took, pictures each hour for the first 4 hours and then again at 8 hours.The pictures are at 8 hours. I am planning on leaving them in until they are completely rust free or the solution has been neutralized (at least 24 hours) . I am working on a block that has been cleaned and magafluxed so far and found to have no cracks. The block had no external rust that couldn’t be removed with a wire brush on a 1/2" drill, do I did not feel the whole block needed to be dipped. This will be the replacement engine in my 53" Merc. I have installed a second set of old heads with old gaskets on the block and blocked off the thermostat housing and stood the block up on its back. I will fill the water jackets and leave it for at least 24 hours then flush out the jackets with a hose and water. By the way the entire cooling system is around 6 gallons, and I have discovered the each water jacket is 2 gallons, therefore it will require that I buy 4 containers of the Wood Bleach. Unfortunately I have been unable to find it in the 5 lb container. When I started, both water pumps were locked and now they turn freely. I will post additional pictures.

[wiretwister]

Is there any reason to not dip the complete bare block into a vat of either vinegar or molassas if you have removed all the bearings?
Will these two things damage the machine surfaces?
I was thinking about putting a 53 Ford block in molassis and let it soak most of the winter. Should I not do this?
Bill

[Merc Cruzer]

wiretwister:

My reason was time....I wanted to get the engine started as soon as possible. I see no reason, if you have the time, that dipping the whole engine would not be a viable solution to rust removal.

[345 DeSoto]

You will find that if you increase the concentration, that the Oxalic will work much better...not to mention that if you could increase the water temperature. The engine flush is meant to be run in an engine that's up to operating temperature...

[cuzncletus]

Sno-Bowl toilet cleaner, available at most grocery stores, is great for cleaning small parts. Why? Because it contains a high concentration of hydrochloric acid. It will make a rusty railroad spike shine like a new nickel............for a while. Even after lengthy neutralization in water the part will quickly rust. It seems to pull any oils out of the steel or iron. (This may just be my very unscientific perception.) Baking soda may retard the process, but my advice is to soak, rinse thoroughly, and paint quickly. Also, never leave a container uncapped in your shop. As another member noted, you'll come back the next day and find a fine coating of rust on every piece of exposed metal in the room. Effective, but wicked stuff.

[1952henry]

Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer

fourydlx:

I tried to find "Wood Bleach" by DAP with no success. I did fine Wood Bleach by Savogran at ACE hardware. It is sold in 12 oz containers and you mix the entire container with one gallon of warm water. I have started a controlled test of the product. I had two water pumps and a thermostat housing that had quite a bit of rust on them. I did not wire brush them or clean them in any way to simulate the areas of the water jacket that are inaccessible. I mixed two containers of the Wood Bleach in 2 gallons of water and placed the water pumps and thermostat housing in the solution. So far I took, pictures each hour for the first 4 hours and then again at 8 hours.The pictures are at 8 hours. I am planning on leaving them in until they are completely rust free or the solution has been neutralized (at least 24 hours) . I am working on a block that has been cleaned and magafluxed so far and found to have no cracks. The block had no external rust that couldn’t be removed with a wire brush on a 1/2" drill, do I did not feel the whole block needed to be dipped. This will be the replacement engine in my 53" Merc. I have installed a second set of old heads with old gaskets on the block and blocked off the thermostat housing and stood the block up on its back. I will fill the water jackets and leave it for at least 24 hours then flush out the jackets with a hose and water. By the way the entire cooling system is around 6 gallons, and I have discovered the each water jacket is 2 gallons, therefore it will require that I buy 4 containers of the Wood Bleach. Unfortunately I have been unable to find it in the 5 lb container. When I started, both water pumps were locked and now they turn freely. I will post additional pictures.

Thanks for the pictures and the progress report!

[Merc Cruzer]

Here are pictures after 24 hours. As the solution cools down, it leaves a film on the parts. It is easly washed off. In conclusion, the Wood Bleach works in removing rust. It was suggested that I increase the strength of the mixture and so I think when I do the actual water jackets, I will double the strength and only leave it in the jackets for around 3-4 hours, as I have no way to maintain the temperature, and I feel that as the temperature of the solution cools, the chemical reactions is diminished. I have done the scraping, wire brushing and blowing out the partials with the air tube, so I feel the solution now proposed will more than adequately remove the rust scale from the water jackets. In closing, the process was going to be somewhat expensive if I was to pay $10.00 for a 12 oz container. I called a local furniture restoration shop (knowing that they use Wood Bleach) and asked where they get their supply. They directed me to a local paint supply house and I called them only to learn that I can purchase a 6 lb bag for between $15 to $20 dollars, so now the process is much more cost effective.