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Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 3:55 pm
by cmattina
Thinking about using some vinegar to get the rust out the oil tank and fuel tank on my 1952 NH. Are there any risks to this?
I have heard both great success and experiences where metal was dissolved by the vinegar...
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 4:44 pm
by JohnnyBeckett
hi i know it is very good for cleaning and rust on parts and i have not had metal dissolved i have got lots of parts soaking in it at the moment, it cleans up brass and copper nice as well,
if the bottom of you tanks are rotten it will make it leak like any cleaning products will do
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 5:30 pm
by cmattina
JohnnyBeckett wrote:hi i know it is very good for cleaning and rust on parts and i have not had metal dissolved i have got lots of parts soaking in it at the moment, it cleans up brass and copper nice as well,
if the bottom of you tanks are rotten it will make it leak like any cleaning products will do
Do you dilute it?
My plan was to put it in with a bunch of small nuts and give it a vigorous shake every few days.
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 5:49 pm
by JohnnyBeckett
hi NO, do not dilute it i change my vinegar wen i looks very dirty and put new in and if they are not clean i put the parts back in again
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:16 pm
by Gui.dorey
Also good to “restore” chrome. Rub the part with aluminium foil stolen from wife’s kitchen soaked in vinegar. Be sure to wash it with water after and then use your favorite chrome polish.
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:17 pm
by simon.holyfield
Neat vinegar works fine in a rusty steel tank. Just make sure your fuel tap isn't some cheap die cast zinc alloy.
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 7:20 pm
by Simon.Gardiner
Well, I've tried de-rusting with vinegar and it was absolutely useless - so good luck to all you chaps who manage to get something out of it!
SG
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 7:41 pm
by allan.walker
I haven't tried vinegar (acetic acid) but my acid of choice for de-rusting tanks is phosphoric. This is present in many soft drinks (we've all seen the old penny being cleaned in coca-cola.)
A 50% concentration of phosphoric acid removes rust pretty quickly and, as has been mentioned earlier, it is reusable.
Available on your favourite online auction site!
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:11 pm
by JohnnyBeckett
hi you have to use a good full strength vinegar not that cheap stuff, get like malt vinegar also i done my exhausts with foil and vinegar and the chrome come up nice but wen i run it, it smelt like a chip shop so i had to go and get some fish and chips to
Re: Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:02 pm
by Gui.dorey
Simon.Gardiner wrote:Well, I've tried de-rusting with vinegar and it was absolutely useless - so good luck to all you chaps who manage to get something out of it!
SG
Try vinegar essence. Not the same as kitchen vinegar which is very diluted. Haven’t tried on a tank, but for chrome it works very well.