How do I chemically remove heavy rust from gardening tools without being abrasive on the metal? I don't want to ruin the perfectly good wooden handles
>>1019646
You'll want a cheap pan scrubber, the scrubby side you use when washing dishes and a pot I'd citric acid crystals, like £5 for a kilo on eBay/Amazon etc.
Scrub the loose rust, submerge in warm water with a spoon full of citric acid. Wait an hour, scrub again, rinse, repeat until it's shiny clean. This is the most gentle way I know.
Warning: when you remove the meal from the water it will start visibly rusting again within 30 seconds. So either submerge again after rinsing it dry immediately. You'll want a water displacing like wd40 to dry the edges and holes.
>>1019646
Ultrasonic cleaner w/ acid , or electrolytic removal
>>1019646
Leave it in molasses for a while. Look it up.
It's really old tools, got told I should leave them rusty and worn to preserve them as antiques? Why, when I could make them as-new?
>>1019658
This
>>1019646
>How do I chemically remove heavy rust
With phosphoric acid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acid).
>without being abrasive on the metal
You won't, unless you're going to forget about it and leave the tool in the acid for too long (like: a month instead of a day)
>I don't want to ruin the perfectly good wooden handles
Hang the tools so that the handles are above water+acid level, or use a jelly containing that acid (it's sometimes sold as such).
>>1019646
super concentrated vinegar lifts the rust off without scrubbing. takes days for best results. dip in baking soda after.
Leave it in vinegar for a week, wash it, dry it, and oil it or it will re-oxidize very quikly. Lemon juice also works.
>>1019646
>chemically
>without being abrasive
electrolysis has to be the answer
>>1019646
As long as you aren't scrubbing then you won't be abraiding the metal. What you want to make is a pickling solution. If you want to remove as little metal as possible as well then electrolysis is the way to go.
If your object is not totally rusted you can use coca cola and wipe it crazy
Youtube a few videos of electrolysis.
>>1019649
Or just scrub it under water
DC positive to tool metal, dc negative to sacraficial anode i.e. zinc or copper or graphite. Put it in a container with salt water or acid or piss some electrolyte. Depending on surface area and the volts and amps you can pull it could take awhile
>>1019658
is the real world solution, and most old tools aren't valuable.
If you want to make decor out of them the classic flea market trick is knock all the shit off using a wire wheel, then wipe handle and blade lightly with shoe polish using a rag. Wipe off most excess then spray the fuck out of it with clear paint. Easy faux patina.
>>1019654
Use cheap "feed grade" molasses. It works so well it's used to soak old machine tool parts for restoration.
Is evaporust not DIY approved?
>>1021101
Works, but so do many methods.
I only remove rust from garden tools with a cup wire wheel on an angle grinder, but I use my tools and "pretty" doesn't move dirt any faster.
SHARPENING tool edges with a flap disc OTOH works very well. Many people don't know you can sharpen shovels etc. I've used flap discs to sharpen mower blades, brush hooks, machetes, picks, chisels and axes. An angle grinder is far more useful than a bench grinder, and you can clamp an angle grinder in a vise if wanted.
