Removing rust with citric acid

This is one of the simplest, safest and most effective ways to remove rust from the surface of old steel tools. The difference between this method is that to restore the metal surface you do not need any scarce reagents or expensive equipment. Everything you need is available in almost any kitchen.
Removing rust with citric acid

Materials


  • Powdered citric acid - sold at a grocery store or pharmacy if you don't have it at home.
  • A container where we will place steel objects for restoration.
  • A scraper, like a spatula. Or a metal brush.

For security:
  • Latex gloves.
  • Protective glasses.


Benefits of using citric acid:
  • Does not remove paint on surfaces.
  • The reaction is completely controlled.
  • Very affordable - almost always available in the kitchen.
  • After use, you can pour it into the sink.
  • Much cheaper than sandpaper and surface restorer.

Cleaning the surface of parts


The first thing to do is to clean the surfaces from dirt and degrease. To do this, you can use a washing sponge, a dishwashing net and detergent.
Removing rust with citric acid

Removing rust with citric acid

We wash and clean the surfaces of parts and tools before restoring and removing rust.

Preparation of the solution


To prepare the solution, you need to take a plastic container that will hold all the rust removal items.
Preparation of the solution

Pour the required amount of warm water into this container, 60 - 40 degrees Celsius. You shouldn’t overdo it with the volume of water, as you will need a lot of citric acid.
Add citric acid powder at approximately 60-80 grams per 100 ml of water. This is quite a lot and the solution will be quite concentrated. All proportions are experimental, so you can look for your golden proportion.
Pour into water and stir until completely dissolved.

Restoring rusted surfaces


Restoring rusted surfaces

Restoring rusted surfaces

Restoring rusted surfaces

We lower the steel objects into the solution. After a few minutes, small bubbles will begin to form on the surface, indicating that the reaction is proceeding normally.
After 30-60 minutes, rust flakes will be visible on the surface of the solution. Cleaning the parts with a sponge or wire brush will help speed up the process. To restore the surface of not very rusty objects, sometimes 60-90 minutes are enough.
You can add a little citric acid to the existing solution if necessary to speed up the reaction.
We wait until the rust completely disappears.
I left the massive parts of the plane for 7 hours, although most of the items recovered after 2-4 hours.
When you are finished, you can safely pour the solution into the sink, as it is non-toxic.

Protective oil coating


Protective oil coating

Protective oil coating

After removing the parts from the solution, rinse them with water and dry.
The citric acid solution, in addition to removing rust, left an oxide film on the surface of the steel, which will protect the metal for a short time.But to protect the surface as much as possible, treat it with motor oil. If you don’t have a motor one, take sunflower, it will be better than nothing.

Result of rust removal


The result obtained using this method.
Result of rust removal

Result of rust removal

This method removes corrosion in all hard-to-reach places, preserving the original mark if present, which is impossible with mechanical removal of rust with sandpaper. Restored surfaces can be easily cleaned to a shine with felt or wool with Goya paste.
Original article in English
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Comments (6)
  1. Guest Igor
    #1 Guest Igor Guests July 15, 2018 12:30
    0
    How simple it is for those who are not very smart. And our technologists are developing rust removal products. It turns out everything is very simple. You just need to take citric acid and you will be happy.
    Who is this intended for? For fifth graders?
    1. Dimon
      #2 Dimon Guests December 25, 2018 11:49
      17
      And you, apparently, didn’t even finish 5th grade...
  2. Vitaliy Serbinov
    #3 Vitaliy Serbinov Guests 9 January 2019 20:38
    3
    And citric acid cleans the washing machine from the inside, no “calgon” is needed! Once every six months you add 100 grams of lemon instead of powder and turn it on for washing, the hotter the better! ALL!
  3. Rodion
    #4 Rodion Guests February 4, 2019 04:51
    3
    Afterwards, be sure to rinse the part in a soda solution and only then dry it and coat it with oil.
  4. Den
    #5 Den Guests 3 March 2019 23:24
    1
    It is illiterate to use the chemical term “reduction” here. Here an exchange reaction occurs without changing the oxidation state (as regards the destruction of rust). And in parallel, there is an oxidation reaction of rust-free metal, which is partially etched into the solution.
  5. Paul
    #6 Paul Guests 19 June 2023 10:49
    1
    I used this advice. I want to say that the method works and very well. Only after cleaning from rust, you need to know an effective method for protecting and probably some kind of restoration of the already “new” metal surface. potholes and craters remain from early exposure to rust.