Bare Steel, Forcing Rust, Paint removal from DIY tools

[kps_lifts]

Hello everyone,

I like to DiY grip tools for cheap, as often certain products would triple in price with shipping and customs.

For my first couple items I unfortunately used cheap spray paint instead of leaving the steel bare - which I only later learned is probably the best way. 

 

As there are a lot of round pipes in my creations, I really don't want to use an angle grinder.... I'd rather dump some chemicals into a bucket and put the items in.   

A while ago I used acetic acid to strip chains for powerlifting of their coating, but before going that way again I'd like to know your ideas.

 

Also, what are your thoughts on intentionally rusting equipment? Any cheap ideas that I could use? I was thinking about a bucket with salt water, dump the item for a couple minutes, let it dry, repeat every day.

 

[Climber028]

Naval jelly is one of the best paint temovers but isn't available everywhere citrustrip is a decent copy that most home improvement stores stock. You don't want to use strong acids as that damages the metal surface too much. Geld are best since you can brush them on so you use far less than what it would take to fill a bucket and submerge which would get very expensive. Even though some of these say they are safe the fumes are usually absurd so do it outside anyways

 

Salt water does work, but isn't the best. For that you want to find a hair care store and see if you can buy strong hydrogen peroxide, needs to be above 10% strength. Put that in a spray bottle and coat your object once a day until you're satisfied. I've also rusted things the lazy and simple way, dig a hole in the back yard and bury it for a few weeks. Both make a great surface, just wash off the large chunks and make sure nothing sharp remains before use

[BenMorrissey]

I came across this video recently, when I was looking at Evaporust (which I used before seeing the video), and it seems to be pretty effective. 

I can't vouch for the efficacy of it myself as I haven't made the concoction, but the comments seem to agree it's very good.

[Cannon]

EvapoRust works insanely well. I swear by it. A jug is like $40 and you can keep reusing it over and over. And it doesn't give off strong sulfuric smells like using vinegar on rust (or some other treatments). 

I will add a before an after photo here of some recent things I treated.

[Cannon]

 

The "before" photo is a screen shot from a Marco Polo video (think low quality FaceTime) so pardon the low resolution. This result is overnight in EvapoRust, then rinsed and wiped off with JB-80 to protect the metal. No other treatment or cleaning. 

 

 

 

[BenMorrissey]

8 minutes ago, Cannon said:

EvapoRust works insanely well. I swear by it. A jug is like $40 and you can keep reusing it over and over. And it doesn't give off strong sulfuric smells like using vinegar on rust (or some other treatments). 

I will add a before an after photo here of some recent things I treated.

I agree with that - I've used it on a few items, including grippers, and it's worked very well. Given that it uses chelation rather than eating away rust via acid, it helps retain the underlying metal and finish much better. There are only two things I'd say about it: it isn't necessarily the fastest acting, and you have to ensure that the whole item is submerged, otherwise you will end with 'water level' marks over any surface it impacts (no impact on aluminium as far as I can tell).

EDIT: Just noticed Cannon's message and the above - this is about intentionally rusting items - my bad!

Edited October 6 by BenMorrissey

[Cannon]

Also, I just realized this thread is about how to RUST items. Not how to clean rust.

[DoctorOfCrush]

23 minutes ago, Cannon said:

Also, I just realized this thread is about how to RUST items. Not how to clean rust.

Yeah, I had to double take at that too. I’ve seen similar discussions on guitar building where people are trying to accurately relic hardware with rust. I’ve seen people use a combo of water, salt, and hydrogen peroxide. That seemed to work really well. Don’t have the exact ratios/recipe though. 

[deadgrip]

@Cannon  Matt-  if I have a rusted steel gripper is that the best option for it?  Without taking away from the finish?  The evaporust  🤔

[Cannon]

1 hour ago, deadgrip said:

@Cannon  Matt-  if I have a rusted steel gripper is that the best option for it?  Without taking away from the finish?  The evaporust  🤔

I don't know. I actually have not had a rusted gripper to try this on since I've owned EvapoRust. My guess is overnight is not a good idea. The bottle tells you to start with just 30 minutes I think.

[Fist of Fury]

Just leave them in a humid environment. Put some chalk on them, seems to speed up the oxidation process.

For removing paint, heat is definitely the best way in my opinion.

[liftyzig]

When I made my own version of the JUG, I decided to try to intentionally rust it, I sprayed salt water on it, and even hung it from the tow hitch on my truck in the middle of winter for a while.  It did get pretty rusty, but I guess the type of metal I used to make it was pretty resistant to corrosion because it was only surface rust or "flash" rust, it basically rubbed right off.  Maybe it would have seasoned better if I left it to corrode longer than I did.

For paint removal, I almost always just use a twisted strand wire wheel on an angle grinder, and go to town...

Edited October 6 by liftyzig

[liftyzig]

🤪