Thread: Rust removal with molassess

Hi Lyle,
Sounds interesting.How about leading us through your process (Not at least your mind set on trying molasses and some photos of the result and a photo too of your unidentified drill.
Regard
TW

Will do. Have a few photos of the small woodworking vice, before and after.
Will post them up soon.

hi guys,i also have used the molasses method with good results.I have just completed de-rusting an old durden saw bench using the electrolyis method which i find is a lot faster (to fast on aluminium though). just love restoring.keep up the good work.

I spent a lot of time in skin sheds at abattoirs over the years and the salt they use causes a lot of problems with machinery, forklifts etc. One solution was to spray everything with molassess on a regular basis as a preventative.
I'd like to hear how you use molassess for rust removal, do you use it neat or watered down?

I found a 'recipe' a while back on this forum and also a gun forum.
I used 1 part molasses to 9 parts water. The recipe I found said "Backstrap molasses", but I don't know what that is nor did the stock agent salesman, so I used normal molasses that they supplement feed to horses and cattle, it seemed to work OK.
I have a 20 litre plastic paint drum so it was easy, just 2 litres of molasses (about $2 from your horse/stock feed distributor) and filled the drum up with warm water, gave it a good stir.
Suspend you iron parts in it. Remove as much rust as you can mechanically and ensure all the parts are clean of grease and oil as the molasses will not penetrate that gunk.
It is a time thing with molasses and it depends on how bad the rust is and how clean you want it to be. I check daily by lifting the part rinsing it of in clean water and giving it a gentle scrub with a wire brush, if it is not rust free enough, back in it goes.
When you are happy with the result clean the part thououghly, fresh water, then I use hoy soapy water and a final rinse in fresh water then a hot air gun to dry it very well.
How you finish your part depends on what it is.
My pieces were an old Silex breast drill and an old woodworking vice that I salvaged from my late Father-in-laws machinery shed. They'd been in there for at least 30 years mouldering away neglected. They came out of the dip back to bright metal!
My pieces were old tools probably not going to be used again, so the finish was for a cosmetic appearence. But a tool to be used might benefit from some other form of treatment, like oil etc.
As with any 'recovered' part I would be suspect of the strength and integrity of the piece. The process may set up areas of pitting for stress cracks, but maybe there are some metalurgists here that may comment on that aspect.

I have photos and will post them later, before and after.

I have a lot of little items that need rust cleaning eg nuts and bolts, drill bits etc.

If I put them in a small plastic tray and suspend it in the molasses, will this work OK? what sort of time does it take for small litems like this - mostly surface rust

Hard to say how long an item will take to remove the rust. Variables like temp, molasses mixture, how bad the rust is etc.
Suspending them in a tray will be ok. Easy to retrieve too and have a look at occassionally.
You will see a scum (a froth - it is a Chelate of iron oxide I think - a chemist migh know the term), this indicates the mix is doing its job. I skim it off every day to keep the place tidy.
I check my stuff every day to see how it is going. Badly rusted and deep pitting might take a week or more, lightly rusted stuff might just take a day.
I keep a bucket of clean water beside the brew and as I check the pieces I give them a rinse and light scrub with a wire brush. If the piece looks OK a wash with hot soapy water and a rinse with clean water then I heat them dry to get every skerick of moisture out.
Post treatment is your choice as to what you use and ultimately what the piece will be used for.
When the mix is finished with, just dilute it again by about 10-1 water and water into the garden beds - the nemotodes hate it and it is good for the plants too.
Still trying to get time to do the photos.

Be careful with non iron items, I'm not too sure how long they'd last in the brew. Try it by all means as I have done it successfully but I was extra cautious and checked frequently to see how it was going.

Photos.






As they came out of the brew and a rinse.





The setup for the brew. You can see the frothy scum on top.




The final result.

Excellent results! Thanks for sharing this Lyle, it has been a really good learning experience

Yeah! Good one!

great results.the molasses works well and its cheap.anything is better than wire brushing etc.

Hello, your wasting your time with molasses, try the electrolosis method, will clean an axe head or similar in a coule of hours, Molasses takes days and it stinks

Plumbkelly 1946
Electrolisis is another way to remove rust. No doubt it works well too.
However the molasses method does work too and that was my reason for posting here.
The molasses method is cheap, effective and doesn't involve chemicals, and is fairly gentle. But does, as you say, take more time. I didn't find the smell offensive at all, but being an ex far North QLD'r who has been through the sugar refineries, I was probably gently reminded of my youth

Electrolisis requires some form of electrical power, chemicals and a basic understanding of how to apply them.

There are for and against for each method. I have heard of people who 'forgot' they had the item in the electrolisis bath and came back to a badly damaged item!

So take my posts and info as just that - info. What works for some may not work for another. But at least knowing there are more than one way to skin a cat is always useful.
Lyle.