Needless to say that rust is an enemy of metal. Its appearance is usually unpleasant and should be taken seriously because it can lead to the degrading of affected parts. There are different employable methods to remove rust from metals, and car parts. The use of a blast chamber is an excellent mechanized method for rust removal, coating, and other processes. However, this article will focus on removing rust from a car naturally.
1. Use Lemon Juice And/Or Baking Soda
Lemon juice and baking soda are well-known home substances useful for different household needs, including baking and household cleaning. Apart from the above-mentioned, this is also one of the easiest ways to dissolve and remove rust from your car parts with little or no scrubbing.
Lemon alone can be used to remove rust because it averagely has about 5% acidity. Similarly, baking soda can also be used alone to remove rust. Applying a paste of baking soda mixed with water to a rusted tool would only require little scrub to do the job. However, both items mixed does perfectly well for removing rust from metals and car parts.
To use, mix the two elements properly to form a paste. The paste shouldn’t be too wet or too dry or else it won’t stick to the car parts when applied. After a proper mix, use a brush or any soft tool to apply it to the affected car part. After some time (about 30 minutes), you can add a little more lemon juice or water if you discover that it’s still needed. Once ready, gently scrub off the paste with a brush and then rinse off with water. You may repeat the process until the rust is removed.
2. Using Vinegar
Among the uses of vinegar are laundry, odor extermination, and even cleaning windows, brass, and copper dinnerware. Aside from these, vinegar may also be helpful to remove rust from your car parts. Simply soak the affected piece in vinegar or cover the affected area with a towel soaked in vinegar. The important thing is to make sure that the vinegar doesn’t escape (evaporate).
Afterward, you want to allow the vinegar to work by leaving for some time. Maybe 6, 12, or 24 hours depending on the level of rust. Following this is a gentle scrub to remove rust completely. Then you rinse with clean water and wipe until no moisture is left.
3. Using Sand Paper
The sandpaper has a wide range of use in care repairs and painting. As a norm for some car painters, sandpaper is used to sand down cars before painting. The sandpaper also proves effective for removing rust by sanding down the affected car parts. This is done manually by scrubbing.
But then, sandpapering can also be done mechanically. Machines like orbital sanders, disc sanders, belt sanders, dremels, sanding blocks, sanding sponges, etc can be used. They can be used in two forms: dry or wet sanding. Manually using sandpaper to remove rust from car parts is good. However, power sanding tools allow for increased effectiveness and time-saving.
4. Use a Brillo Pad / Steel Wool
Using brillo pad/steel wool is just as straightforward as the aforementioned methods. However, you must be selective on which steel wool to use because their thickness varies, and some are made of plastic.
To use, gently scrub off the rust on the affected car part as you would for the sandpaper to get parts back to their natural state. Ensure that no water is added before, during, or after scrubbing to get a better result. After Scrubbing, rinse and clean well with a clean dry piece. Do not scrub or rinse in a sink to prevent pad parts from going down the drain to cause clogging. Finally, steel tools should be carefully selected according to their different grades.
Conclusion
While using these and other methods, accumulation and flying off of bits may be inevitable. As such, it is imperative to carry out the exercise in a well-ventilated area with safety glasses and gloves on. While the glasses protect your eyes, the gloves prevent sharp bits from entering the skin.
