Acetic acid rust removal

[fizzy]

I normally use citric but lost my 10kg tub of it
I wanted to derust my newly found 4MT Colchester headstock bush. All I could find was a half full jar of left over pickle onions from Christmas
Anyway pickle onions swiftly removed. Bush placed in jar and left ontop of the AGA overnight.
The bush was heavily rusted. Thought it was past saving but it came up really really well. And a plus point. Everything I try to clean with citric ends up black or dark grey. Brighter with the vinegar.

Vinegar is typically less than 10% acetic acid so has anyone tried the concentrated stuff? Been looking on Ebay but it is quite expensive as all of it seems to be food grade. I want cheap and nasty not to put on my chips!

Anyone seen it going anywhere cheap as chips

 

[123hotchef]

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[123hotchef]

thats what I get great for the kettle also
it does have added colourings!

 

[fizzy]

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That's just vinegar at 4% - I want the 99% acid.

 

[123hotchef]

That's just vinegar at 4% - I want the 99% acid.

oh i see sorry missunderstood

 

[123hotchef]

I often use the white sprit vinegar for rust removal and the kettle descale

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I often use the white sprit vinegar for rust removal and the kettle descale

Any vinegar will work.
Just take more time.
Same as with citric acid.

 

[Seadog]

I've got a few litres of 99%. It's an interesting liquid. The last time I came to mix some more 10% for general cleaning, washing machine, etc. it had set solid

After much swearing and gnashing of teeth I read the label. It freezes at around 16°C

It's usually called Glacial Acetic Acid at that strength, for obvious reasons.

I warmed it up and it was fine.

 

[fizzy]

I suppose if I dilute it down to say 20% it won't appear so expensive.

 

[Ross365]

Everything I try to clean with citric ends up black or dark grey. Brighter with the vinegar.

Does the darkening of the metal still occur if you use very dilute citric? Perhaps you could clean in two phases - use your normal citric solution to start off when there's lots of rust to remove, and then when things are in better shape, finish off with a more dilute citric solution or vinegar.

Some people get fed up with the smell of acetic pretty quickly; it adorbs on clothes and follows you around.

 

[fizzy]

Does the darkening of the metal still occur if you use very dilute citric? Perhaps you could clean in two phases - use your normal citric solution to start off when there's lots of rust to remove, and then when things are in better shape, finish off with a more dilute citric solution or vinegar.

Some people get fed up with the smell of acetic pretty quickly; it adorbs on clothes and follows you around.

I haven't tried that could be I am using too strong a mix.
I have to be honest the stench from the pickle jar was horrendous but I thought that was the remains of the onions

 

[Ross365]

The rate at which both citric and acetic attack depends on both the concentration and the temperature, but certainly, acetic is the milder one of the two. I always use citric, but maybe that is a mistake. I guess a lot depends on whether you leave stuff going over night or only when you can keep an eye on it, and how important the surface appearance is.