derusting with molasses

I have a fridge in the garage not usedas it should be (beer) if a person used some parts basketsthen you could dunk them in, leave them and pull them out to check without getting "mucky".... I'll set mine up this weekend. I think the air think would definatly help.
I learned through my courses with work ( former carpet cleaner) that you need 4 things to make any chemical reaction work to the results you need.. time, aggitation, chemical strength, temperature.
if you reduce any oneone the four you must increase one or all of the other three.
adding air would add to the aggitation making it work faster.
adding heat would also make it faster.
Time as we can all see is whats getting it done at this point because it takes a few weeks or a month to get a part looking the way we need.
and I think if we changed up the mix too much (chemical strenght) you would wind up with a goopy mess.
so add heat and or air and it should speed up the process.... by how much I dont know.
 
Tips from the Land of OZ

Ok know ,

It looks like my old mate has let the cat out of the bag big time.....

This is how it works....LISTEN CLOSELY:)

Mix ratio 1 part molasses to 10 parts water

Leave for 4 weeks
If you want more speed from your mix....
double the dose and half the time.

Some things in life take time .....Whiskey and a good molasses mix.....no need to rush ...just plan your dipping times according to the job at hand

No real need to wire brush after (34 coupe) your mix is a little off balance

Protect with a POR style protectant and you can leave the panels etc in this condition for years. Ready to prime at a later date ...remember no rush

Down here the most common size for a tank is a large water storage tank , commonly used to store rain fall off the roof of our houses...approx 10,000 gallons...it will hold a car body.

Yes you can empty the tubs ...usually once a year is enough...it will probably kill the grass ( burn actually) but never fear it will grow back with a vengence...high it nutrients.

I can not give any advise on adding air...all i can offer is be careful with this.We all want to keep as much of our cars as we can.

The crust on the top is good....it is a fly trap and a good semi liquid fertilizer for moms garden.

For the blokes that really don't want to get there hands dirty....tig wire is plenty strong enough to tie to the parts you are dipping. hook them to the side and it does make things easier to find.

If by any chance you forget to protect a new dipped piece ...just drop it back in for 1 week not 4 and it will be ready to work again.

I hope this fills in a few gaps...

Ozzie Bob
 
Bob you forgot to mention you can go down to the Hic Beenleigh Hic Rum Distillery hic, not far from me here:D hic or in your case the Bundaberg Hic Rum Distillery, hi hic hiccup:rolleyes:;).

But in fact I don't drink either of them. But the sugar mill does sell it cheaper than the produce stores.

I got your Powerglide valve body out today and that might need a trip in the tub because it got rained on while I had everything out of the shed putting an internal wall and insulation in there.

Cheers, John
 
This is great information; thanks for all the info crew.

Could this be send into the reference file now?
Greg.
 
I have never heard of that Looks like it works great I am also wondering how long you had to leave the parts in there soaking
 
Ozzie Bob, glad to see this process is working in your part of the world. Don't know how you get away without the wire brush treatment, because for me it is a bit more time, and a lot more clean. Sure would be interested to see some pictures of how the setup works down there - any chance you could take some time and post some for your mates up here? Thanks for your input, much appreciated, Steve.
 
You can also use vinegar. I soak my rusty parts for about a week in vinegar, pull them out and hose them off, wire brush off any black build up, and then I dip them in a bath of baking soda and water, hose them off again, and then dry. Seems to work really well. The cowl panel in the picture was done before rust repair was done. The vinegar removed the yellow paint, but left most of the stock green paint.
2006_1209Modela290003.jpg
 
ok kiddies,... stop yer fightin'!!!..... now,.... remeber one thing,... the 'only' reason ya wanna use air for is agitation.... air is rust is oxidation...... 'rust' kiddies,... 'is' oxidation...... oxidation 'is' rust..... 'chelation' is a 'lack of' oxegen!..... note how yer gray metal flashrusts when ya rinse 'er off?? ......... ok,.... carry on................. (just a lil' more fiction an' fact from DJo's almanac)!!...............
 
holy crap!!!! who`da thunk it!!!

how long do u leave the pieces to soak.....

we are talkin about store bought molasses right.....
ss34coupe said:
I've been using this molasses method for the last six years, and have derusted a lot of parts. I use one part molasses to ten parts water, and buy the molasses from feed shops (about 17 bucks for a 30 pound pail). My 4 foot long by two foot high and two foot deep tank takes two pails to fill. Got a bigger tank as well recently, but have not got it ready for use yet. It is big enough to do doors, fenders, hoods etc.

Here are some shots of the B pillars for my 33 coupe - before and after.

I know how it works for me, but I would be interested in hearing if others use this method and how it works for you.
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Duke, yep vinegar works as well. I have only tried it on a small scale. I now have a larger tank going - 300 gallon deal from Rubbermaid that a buddy bought to make a pond in the backyard. He's stalled on the pond project, so lent it to me to fill with molasses and water. Have front fenders and other larger parts for the 53 Ford in it now - we'll see how they turn out in a week or so.

By the way, sure would be nice to see some pics of other efforts with this process.
 
Ok folks this is new to me but very intreging, however (naive one here) I have never seen molasses in any other form then like a syrup? Am I to assume this is not the way to use it? and if so is it granular? and any feed store? almost?

thanks ...........Bash
 
Ya, you get it at a feed store, and ya, it's the thick liquid stuff that you're familiar with. Does't work well when cold, so if you're goin ta do it this winter, you want to warm it up some, or bring it into the house, preferably the bedroom, as it has a real nice sweet smell. :eek::eek: BTW mix about 5 or 6 to 1.
 
I have used vinegar on heavily rusted firearms. I works in days. But it eats soft metal,cast iron, blueing. I have used it more than once but the more you use it the weaker it gets.
 
dumprat said:
Vinegar will do the same thing faster. Just don't use it on cast or pot metal. It will eat it.
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I put a deuce shell in molasses and it had a cracked rad cap bezel on it. It melted into goo. So I don't think pot metal is safe with molasses.
 
We decided to give this a try. We are using an old deep freeze. The top seals well and also locks. We have it mixed 4 to 1 right now. Is this too potent? We can add more water if needed.
 
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