My Molasses rust experiment results.

[drive48]

We took 2 55 gallon drums and removed the tops.
1 is filled with 45 gallons water and 5 gallons molasses
1 is filled with 25 gallons water and 2.5 gallons molasses
We mixed it up with a drill to a nice blended foamy mix
I put 2 sets on heads a bunch of intake and exhaust manifolds in 1
I put 4 speed parts, pulleys, bolts, cross-members, etc. in another.
i started this project in october 2012 and have been soaking parts for an average of 3 months.
Here's some interesting info if you wish to try this also.
#1 it does smell when you remove the cover but is not unbearable
#2 there will be a mold mountain that forms from all the rust and debris (see pics... you should remove the mold monthly as it is all rust that clings to it as it surfaces)
#3 once you remove the parts wash off with a hose
#4 once dry you need to prime parts as the will rust immediately from lack of oils and moisture in the air.
BY the way i am on the same mixture of molasses and haven't had to invest in any since i started 3 batches ago.
I attached some pics of my recent parts pull.
1970 340 hp manifolds (the heat-riser was frozen solid before and totally free now and these were heavily scaled in and out)
340 pulleys and 4 speed cross-member
pic of 2 x heads going in today.

 

[drive48]

last pic is the mold rust layer removed from top surface of barrel of parts soaking

 

[DFX 340 Duster]

Great job! I love home chemistry.

 

[67Dart273]

LOL

I'm guessin the price of Molasses is goin' up soon

Wonder what the actual active ingredient(s) are? Might be a cheaper alternative?

 

[Abodybomber]

Pretty cool,thanks for sharing.

 

[drive48]

LOL

I'm guessin the price of Molasses is goin' up soon

Wonder what the actual active ingredient(s) are? Might be a cheaper alternative?

hope not...less than $20. for 2.5 gallons any feed store

 

[davescuda]

how long do you need to keep the parts in to get all the rust off.

 

[4spdragtop]

I heard potato water works too, but havent tried it yet. Thanks for the info!

 

[drive48]

how long do you need to keep the parts in to get all the rust off.

i put them in March 20th and they were ready by mid/end of April, but i was too busy and honestly forgot about them. Good thing is you can let them sit forever and the molasses only eats rust nothing else.
Only drawback is it is not a fast process, but for water and less than the $100 investment i have into it. I can not complain, besides while they soak i can just work on other things till they are ready.

 

[HemiMark]

i put them in March 20th and they were ready by mid/end of April, but i was too busy and honestly forgot about them. Good thing is you can let them sit forever and the molasses only eats rust nothing else.
Only drawback is it is not a fast process, but for water and less than the $100 investment i have into it. I can not complain, besides while they soak i can just work on other things till they are ready.

That is pretty neat. Thanks for the info!

 

[EL5DEMON340]

Nice, you could also try 1 tbl spoon per gallon of wood bleach powder it comes in a small like 20oz tube for $6

 

[EL5DEMON340]

before and after bicycle sissy bar.

 

[davescuda]

Nice, you could also try 1 tbl spoon per gallon of wood bleach powder it comes in a small like 20oz tube for $6

little more info would be nice. not getting the mix.

 

[/6 Matt]

Pure white vinegar works great too. No mold either.

 

[fstfish66]

before and after bicycle sissy bar.

what did u use on the sissy bar ??? i just bought a used luggage rack for my cycle and the under side is rusty,,top side is nice i dont want to mess up the good chrome,,,,thanks,

thanks for the molasses lesson prettty kool

 

[EL5DEMON340]

little more info would be nice. not getting the mix.

I mix 1 table spoon of the wood bleach to a gallon of hot water, works very well but you do have to be careful with chrome if the chrome is in poor condition or its a cheep chrome job it may cloud it. to do bigger stuff like the OP's exh manifolds etc.. it would probably take a day or two, you also want to agitate and mix the water every 8 or 10 hours since the powder settles.

 

[RedFish]

Thanks for sharing guys. So my daughter brings the grandkids over yesterday ( just like every weekend ). You should have seen the look on her face when I said I want a 5 gallon bucket of molasses for Fathers Day.
Now a note about chlorine and rust. The Fadal cnc mill at a small shop would sometimes stand for a week. During that time the 30 gallon sump of water based coolant would get funky. The operator ( Tim ) brought a gallon of Clorox to work after Christmas break and poured into the mix to kill the odor. The parts he started on were tool steel. Faster that he could load the next part and turn around, the part removed developed light surface rust.
I mention this because public tap water contains as much or more Chlorine.
I'm thinking I'll need a 2nd 55 gal. barrel of distilled water for rinse cycle.
That or power up my old well pump and use that water for rinse.
Happy moparing

 

[drive48]

Thanks for sharing guys. So my daughter brings the grandkids over yesterday ( just like every weekend ). You should have seen the look on her face when I said I want a 5 gallon bucket of molasses for Fathers Day.
Now a note about chlorine and rust. The Fadal cnc mill at a small shop would sometimes stand for a week. During that time the 30 gallon sump of water based coolant would get funky. The operator ( Tim ) brought a gallon of Clorox to work after Christmas break and poured into the mix to kill the odor. The parts he started on were tool steel. Faster that he could load the next part and turn around, the part removed developed light surface rust.
I mention this because public tap water contains as much or more Chlorine.
I'm thinking I'll need a 2nd 55 gal. barrel of distilled water for rinse cycle.
That or power up my old well pump and use that water for rinse.
Happy moparing

Good info.. i am on a well system ( no city water which is fine by me.)
after i removed the parts and washed them down they did start to discolor with light surface rust. i just primed up parts after they dryed.

 

[3404speed]

wood bleach is oxalic acid...works ok, too.

 

[grassy]

Molasses goes bad very quickly.

A quicker way to remove rust is a bucket, some rebar, battery charger and some caustic soda...works well and very quickly...

Ian.

 

[bighammer]

Molasses goes bad very quickly.

A quicker way to remove rust is a bucket, some rebar, battery charger and some caustic soda...works well and very quickly...

Ian.

Care to explain? I heard of this a long time ago, would like to try it.

 

[DFX 340 Duster]

Guys, after removing rust from tool steel or plain carbon steel, immediately chase your rinse water from the part with rubbing alcohol (spray bottle on spray setting) and blow dry with compressed air. The rubbing alcohol will displace the water and help prevent surface rust from appearing. This will give you time to apply anti-rust treatment such as a light oil or primer.

 

[kt340sport]

Do not think i would go to that much work , to take rust of .Especially things you can sand blast or use glass bead in a cabinet.

 

[grassy]

Sure.

I thought I had pictures of this before I took my device down but I cannot find them at the moment.

I took a 5 gallon bucket ( you can go bigger / smaller if you wish) and measured the depth.

I took rebar and cut 8 pieces ( you can go more or less) just a bit shorter than the height of the pail.

I buffed them up a bit so the bare metal was showing through. You want good contact and metal showing through..

I marked where the rebar would be stand up around on the inside of the bucket and drilled two holes - one on each side of where the rebar was going to be.

I then took pieces of copper wire and secured the rebar to the bucket so both ends of the wire copper were protruding from the bucket. I then took pices of wires and connected each end to just about make a circle..leave the last wire off.

Like this..not mine but is OK

I then took a board and connected a piece of wire to it leaving both ends bare .

I filled the bucket with a solution of soda water..I used caustic soda for because I had some on hand...it isn't the liquid that cleans anyway..

I lowered a really rusty piece into the water supported by the wire attached to the board...do not let the mental touch the rebar.

I took a battery charger and attached the neg end to the wire attached to the metal product and the pos leading to all the rebar.

If you see bubbles, all is going well.

Depending on the amount of rust will determine the amount of time required. I don't think i left any piece for more than 3 hours. If the mental is too long you can do one end and then switch.

Wash off the mental after you pull it from the tank to neutralize the liquid.

I lightly buffed afterwards. You should paint or whatever soon afterwards because it will rust quickly.

This link may explain it better than I. I wish I had known about it soon.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm


It is safe but with everything, I try to maintain good ventilation.

When you finally get ride of the liquid, there is a lot of crap at the bottom of the bucket.

 

[451Cuda]

I did a similar molasses experiment with a 10% solution to free up a locked engine. I degreased and washed the engine thoroughly and put it in a plastic 30 gallon tub.

After a week or so the stuff really started to stink and the mold growth was a bit scary. I left it in for a couple more weeks, lifting it out to rotate it and scrape away loose scale every couple days. It was working, but very slowly. The mess and smell was really aggravating the SO, so I aborted the experiment and tossed the engine on my iron pile.

I disposed of the molasses by mixing it with some cypress mulch and spread it in the veggie garden out back. Continued to stink until the first good rain, now its fine and I've read its very good for the soil.

It works well, but I won't set it up again until I have a rural property where I won't have to deal with the mess and smell so close to the house.