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cleaning parts with rust

blazinjames

NAXJA Forum User
I have a few suspension parts i would like to clean before installing into my jeep they have some rust and i would like to make them look brand new if that is possible

the parts i want to clean are, leafs, shocks, springs, quarter inch plated subframe, long arm links..

what should i do?
 
Not really Mod Tech, but I don't know where to put it either (I'd not consider this AdFab...)

1) Using a wire wheel, remove all loose rust from the parts. Might as well chew the paint off while you're about it.

2) Using a "rust converter" (I like Rust-Mort, some prefer Naval Jelly, and I think POR-15 has something that works well. You may also want to check Eastwoodco.com - they're a sort of "hobbyist body" supply for restorere and restomodders. They carry a lot of good stuff...) follow the instructions on the back of the bottle/can/jug/whatever and use it on the rust that wasn't loose.

3) Finish sand (180 grit or finer) to remove tool marks from the wire wheel or any heavy sanding you have to do.

4) Finish the parts - using paint/powdercoat/whatever. Install.

It's more time-consuming than anything else, but I've restored metal cabinets that way, and I've salvaged body parts that I was unable to find easily when their only flaw was a good deal of rust. It's important that you A) get all of the rust (it will spread under paint - like cancer - if you do not!) and B) follow the directions on whatever you use. This is why I said to strip all of the paint off - once rust gets started, it can spread under paint and you won't see it until the part fails! Oops...
 
For the smaller parts, there's a way that you can put it in a tub of water with some sort of mixture in it, run an electrical current through the part, and the rust just came off. I wish I could find the link to actually explain what to do, but someone may know what I'm talking about.
 
For the smaller parts, there's a way that you can put it in a tub of water with some sort of mixture in it, run an electrical current through the part, and the rust just came off. I wish I could find the link to actually explain what to do, but someone may know what I'm talking about.

Yeah - it's an electrolysis process. I'm sure it's out there - if you can't find it in automotive, check the gun boards as well (it's a home gunsmithing trick as well...)
 
I think this is the electrolysis method that was spoken about above.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=937925&highlight=rust
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/456478/rust_removal_tip/
http://www3.telus.net/public/aschoepp/electrolyticrust.html

All three show the same way of removing rust. I use is now as my primary method of rust removal on small to medium sized parts. So far I have used it on 3 front drive shafts, a hitch, a stock tire carrier strike plate on the bumper and some other things that I am forgeting. It works well for the most part, except inside an object (like the inside of the tube on a hitch). For mild to moderate surface rust it works quite well. just be sure to use an annode that you can throw away or toss to the scrap pile. After just a few uses, the narrow steel tube I used as an annode is now full of holes and falling appart. I will just grab another piece from my scrap pile for the next piece I need cleanned.

hth
stewie
 
I think this is the electrolysis method that was spoken about above.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=937925&highlight=rust
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/456478/rust_removal_tip/
http://www3.telus.net/public/aschoepp/electrolyticrust.html

All three show the same way of removing rust. I use is now as my primary method of rust removal on small to medium sized parts. So far I have used it on 3 front drive shafts, a hitch, a stock tire carrier strike plate on the bumper and some other things that I am forgeting. It works well for the most part, except inside an object (like the inside of the tube on a hitch). For mild to moderate surface rust it works quite well. just be sure to use an annode that you can throw away or toss to the scrap pile. After just a few uses, the narrow steel tube I used as an annode is now full of holes and falling appart. I will just grab another piece from my scrap pile for the next piece I need cleanned.

hth
stewie

Curious, what kind of charger did you use, how long did it take to clean the hitch?
 
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