I got an email from a member who had a rust tool and was asking how could he deal with it what acid would dissolve rust.
I wish you would ask these questions on open forum.
Others may be able to add to the answer, or someone else may be helped by the question.
There are two types of rust, iron oxide's, black rust, and red rust, the red rust cannot be converted back to metal easily, the black rust can, be converted back to metal with electrolysis.
Rust several ways to deal with it sand it away to bare metal and treat it with oil or paint, or lacquer, the metal to protect it from further oxidation.
Dissolve the rust in phosphoric acid (Navel Jelly is a good gel type product with phosphoric acid that works very well), phosphoric acid will dissolve the rust, and leave a coating of oxidized iron phosphate (after a neutralizing wash), this is kind of like bluing for a gun the oxidation layer helps to somewhat protect the iron from further oxidation.
Another option is using electrolysis, this will can convert some of the black rust back to metal, the red rust is too far gone, this can be used for antiques (they also use something like this for other metals like silver found in the ocean from Spanish ship wrecks), the rusted iron tool is in the electrolytic cell, as the cathode, a sacrificial bar of iron metal is used as anode (an Iron horseshoe, railroad iron spike, rebar, transformer iron laminates will work for the anode), the electrolyte can be baking soda, or sodium carbonate also called soda ash or washing soda which can be found in automatic dishwasher soap), a twelve volt battery charger will work for a power supply.
http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=539&q=rust%20removal%20electrolisis&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw&ei=dub0UM63M6iMiALDu4GgAg
P.S I did not tell him that HCl will also dissolve rust, because it will attack good metal and make the tool more prone to rust further latter.
I wish you would ask these questions on open forum.
Others may be able to add to the answer, or someone else may be helped by the question.
There are two types of rust, iron oxide's, black rust, and red rust, the red rust cannot be converted back to metal easily, the black rust can, be converted back to metal with electrolysis.
Rust several ways to deal with it sand it away to bare metal and treat it with oil or paint, or lacquer, the metal to protect it from further oxidation.
Dissolve the rust in phosphoric acid (Navel Jelly is a good gel type product with phosphoric acid that works very well), phosphoric acid will dissolve the rust, and leave a coating of oxidized iron phosphate (after a neutralizing wash), this is kind of like bluing for a gun the oxidation layer helps to somewhat protect the iron from further oxidation.
Another option is using electrolysis, this will can convert some of the black rust back to metal, the red rust is too far gone, this can be used for antiques (they also use something like this for other metals like silver found in the ocean from Spanish ship wrecks), the rusted iron tool is in the electrolytic cell, as the cathode, a sacrificial bar of iron metal is used as anode (an Iron horseshoe, railroad iron spike, rebar, transformer iron laminates will work for the anode), the electrolyte can be baking soda, or sodium carbonate also called soda ash or washing soda which can be found in automatic dishwasher soap), a twelve volt battery charger will work for a power supply.
http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=539&q=rust%20removal%20electrolisis&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw&ei=dub0UM63M6iMiALDu4GgAg
P.S I did not tell him that HCl will also dissolve rust, because it will attack good metal and make the tool more prone to rust further latter.
I am going to be taking it down and pulling as many pieces as I can so the little pieces I can certainly soak.. Maybe i'll try the Citric Acid or the stuff from true value.
