For the love of God, don't use hydrochloric acid if you don't know what you're doing. A solution of 10% phosphoric acid is safer for you and the metal you're treating.
Yessir. I guess that part didn't make it in the video. The files were probably corrupted, which happens quite a bit unfortunately. Thanks for watching 👍🏼👍🏼
U can actually use Vinegar bought from the same big box store. U don't have to use Baking soda. Vinegar n water less mess and easier! Muriatic acid is the strongest acid for remaking rust Not sure I would leave it over night however. Phosphoric acid is much more common for removing rust. And U can prime right over the treated metal with NO PREP! If U sand it U will not get the same bond. if it needs sanded do it first then treat with acid!
I got the same brand and type of muriatic acid the other day at HD to try to remove some stubborn caked-on encapsulated rust on some auto parts I was cleaning up. I mean the kind that looks like hardened blackened grime but if you go at it with a grinding bit or scraper revealed the rust trapped inside. It's common to find such rust all over older parts in the rust belt and it's a pain to remove it mechanically since it's usually found in spots and patches and you have to break up each one individually. So I decided to try this acid to see if it would work faster. Several issues with it, this brand and type at least. First, it's already diluted, to around 15-20% strength, which is why it's claimed to have "90% lower fumes". So you don't need to dilute it further for such tasks. I did that initially and nothing happened, so I kept reducing the amount of water I cut it with until I used it straight, and that's when I started to see it work. It should still work if you add it to water (and never the other way around where add water to it!), but will just take longer. Second, once it's removed all the rust and other crud, you need to not only wash it off with water, but neutralize it with a base such as baking soda liberally mixed into water. Otherwise trace amounts of the acid or chlorine that it breaks down into will remain on the metal and ironically cause further rusting, especially in deep and hard to reach or see crevices, and will continue to rust it even if you paint over it, especially if cracks eventually emerge allowing in oxygen and/or water. So neutralize it and less it stay on it a while, and only then rinse it off. And then either prime and paint the part, or coat it with something that will resist flash rust until you're ready to prime and paint it. Also, you need to use full PPE with this stuff, long acid-proof gloves, safety glasses, face shield, and a decent chemical respirator if you use it indoors (probably unnecessary if you use it outdoors, especially if there's a breeze). And don't wear anything you wouldn't want to ruin, or use it on nice anything nice like clean concrete or paving stones as it etches masonry. I've decided to not use it on "complex" parts, meaning ones with nooks, crannies and crevices that the acid can find its way into and that might not be fully neutralized, or anything with threads that it could eat away at and ruin. I'll stick to either mechanical rust removal methods, or one of the many phosphoric acid-based chemical solutions.
Just after high school one of our friends was drinking and said cracks and nookies instead of nooks and crannies . (Alcohol related) we still say cracks and nookies .
heres a cheap easy tester - red cabbage juice will turn red/pink in acids- or more purple/blue if alkaline. I use it as a cheap soil indicator in gardens - especially convenient if there cabbage growing. the waste-leaves you'd scrap become free test strips.
I like Muriatic acid so well, I put that S$%t on everything. I use modeling clay for hobby store, plug drain holes in the doors of my 67 C10, then pour mixture in using common sense. Acid into water always, not other way. But like you, I pour the diluted hydrochloric acid into plastic commercial barrels for re-use and label. But I want surface rust, rust that formed during weld repair and deep into folded seems clean. Pour baking soda box in while gently hosing with water, swish around any left over, remove clay then rinse. To dry, I use a leaf blower, works fast if warm. But I use a detail spray gun, spray 1:1 automotive grade epoxy inside and try hard to get everything inside. I run a thread tap thru all captured nuts. Works great for places you can't get. Yes, your headers are mild steel. Never heard of any galvanized and if stainless, you get very little action. All PPE and activated carbon respirator like worn durning painting cars. Not "N-95" that is dust particles that won't stop virus molecules. Step daughter is in cardiac diagnostics. They look & make people feel good, no safety value on micron level as a human hair is 70 microns and the SARS-cov19 virus is average 0.12 microns. Next door neighbor of 29 years works at 3M plant and says the CDC & government has been dancing around this issue by mandate to be obscure and unclear on purpose. They may keep the virus inside the masked wearer especially if moist by incoming, not so much. Gaps around the perimeter fit is number one. This is why activated carbon mask come with rubber face seal to allow for negative pressure testing by anyone wearing one, prior to use. DK, ASE master tech, retired.
Good info. Thanks. The acid sure does work great for those hard to reach spots. Sure beats the mess of a sandblaster. I'm glad you liked the video 👍🏼👍🏼
Yes and no. Not with the truck assembled. If you sprayed that on an assembled truck it would be next to impossible to neutralize the acid and it would continue to eat away at everything it touches. If you had a big enough container you could take individual parts and dip them, but you absolutely have to neutralize the acid after or it'll ruin everything.
Great vidio ! I have used muriatic acid on concrete with great success. Have been experimenting with vinegar etc on metal rust . So glad I found this video . Thanks from Ohio .
Do the same thing with white vinengar... 2 gallons mixed with 2 gallons of water.... Trash can and a HD bag to put the headers in... Rig it up to lean to one side without dumping it out then let it sit for a cpl days lol... Still us a small cheap spot blast in some areas though to peen the badly pitted spots, then prep em for some bbq paint.
You could have also boiled the headers in a metal gallon on open fire and add the mixture you used it will fasten the process and even deeper cleaning but your way worked too👍👍👍
Thanks! It was cheaper and easier than sandblasting. It definitely has its downsides, since it's acid, but as long as you're careful it seems to be pretty decent 👍🏼
That was impressive. I have a set of Super Comps that are rusted like yours. I've had them for a long time. I'm going to take your advice and give this a shot. Thanks!
Right on. You can use less acid than I did because it takes a lot of baking soda to neutralize the acid when you're done. The result is the same, it just might take a little longer.
That would be pretty cool. It's just so much more expensive than this per gallon. If I can find it cheap then it would be a good alternative since muriatic acid is so corrosive. 👍🏼
Wow that Acid ate the rust right off! You can use.. White Vinegar.. Soak an old towel, rag, napkins.. And wrap the rusted object..and let it soak for a day or more..
The bravery of using hydrochloric acid without gloves or a mask - even if it is 35% concentration. 😂 I would have hit that with a fine brush every couple hours just to check for pitting and smoothing out any potential problems. Definitely could’ve cleaned that whole thing a lot quicker. Doesn’t need to soak that long and clearing debris will expose more rust and steel but still really cool to see a video showing this used on headers! Didn’t think that would be hard to find a video of- but it was and now I feel much better about my idea for cleaning rust off old headers. 😂 thank you!!
I used a respirator when I didn't have to talk to the camera :) There are definitely better ways to prep it but I was curious to see what happened if you just put them in without any effort. I have to say, they're still in great condition. I'm glad you found the video helpful 👍🏼👍🏼
@@HFG hahah I am very glad to hear that. Man oh man, made me feel like a wimp watching it like damn… I would be way too freaked out to be doing that without gloves or a mask. Did you see any pitting on the steel? I couldn’t really tell from the size of the video
@@recklssabndon there was a little pitting but that was there before the acid. I got these headers off a truck in a junk yard that had sunk into the dirt for a decade. I'm honestly surprised that they're in decent shape. They've been on my Dodge D150 ever since.
Regular vinegar works great too, but flash rusts easy. So, get off all the major rust with, mustard, vinegar or muriatic acid, then wash with water, then wipe on the real rust remover stuff because that crap is expensive and prevents flash rust. Then paint it with high heat paint
Make sure to take baking soda and add it to the acid until it stops foaming in order to neutralize it. also, mix baking soda and clean water for a final rinse which will neutralize the acid on the metal.
Put the headers in water and add a few cups of baking soda and it should neutralize it. When you stop seeing bubbles, it's all done. If it's still bubbling, add more soda. If you rinsed them well, then it shouldn't take much. 👍🏼
I dipped some vintage rusty schwinn bicycle rims into muriatic acid and didn't do the best of jobs when neutralizing with baking soda,about 6 months later the rims were destroyed
Oh man! I'm sorry to hear that. Was it diluted or straight acid? Even at 20% strength it takes quite a bit of baking soda to neutralize it. I don't know if I filmed the neutralizing part or not. I neutralized that acid, refilled the pan with water and added a bunch of baking soda then soaked the headers again. Once they'd sat for a day I washed them a lot with fresh water and they've been perfect.
@@HFG The acid was straight out of the jug,full strength, I was in to much of a hurry to clean them and full strength muriatic acid ate the rust off quickly.
@@eastside0434 from everything I've been told, full strength is too aggressive. I haven't tried it at that strength before. I don't have a ton of experience with it so I can't offer much help other than that, unfortunately.
I like the proof that the acid works. That's what I came to see. Years ago, I had an opportunity to buy a property that was on a well like yours. They had numerous junk vehicles. I wanted to get the well tested to ensure that the water hadn't been contaminated from the vehicles they had stashed around the property. I'm old, and can remember back when it was normal to dig a hole and pour your old motor oil "back into the ground where it came from". Watching you rinse that water off makes me wonder if your well is okay. Have you considered getting it tested?
Our well is 120ft deep and over 400' from the shop. Nothing I do in my shop will affect water sources, especially the well. We have wildlife around the shop and I'm always conscious of what they could be exposed to 👍🏼
Yes! I have been doing a lot!! Of tool clean up and restoration the last couple of weeks... and I've used a lot of vinegar and it's also acidic. I've found if you don't neutralize it the rust comes back very quickly and worse ... so I've been using a backing soda solution... I think it will work on this too
@@donscottvansandt4139 baking soda works great. I'm not sure why that part did t make it into the video unless the footage was lost or corrupted. It happens more than you might think. I soaked the headers in a baking soda bath and neutralized the acid bath with a ton of it afterwards. The headers have been rust free.
I guess so. I put a cast iron exhaust manifold in it yesterday and it was making crazy bubbles. I think they're hydrogen but I'm not taking any chances with gas/vapors after the motorcycle battery incident of 2020
@@blueridgehollow2510 on my FZ6 the battery is under the tank so you have to partially remove it. Last year, or maybe it was the year before, I accidentally put my battery charger on 12v 40amp charge and got caught up doing stuff at the house for a couple of hours. When I started heading back to the shop I noticed smoke pouring out from under the tank. It was boiling and melting the battery. To save the bike I had to get the battery out which meant having my face directly in rolling clouds of smoke and hydrogen sulfide gas while I unbolted that battery. Kinda poisoned myself. That was a rough year for poisoning myself lol
@@HFG Oh Crap!!! You're lucky it didn't explode! My Sportster's battery post melted last year on me and I'm not sure why as I didn't see any metal on metal contact, I figured the battery went haywire. Seeing plumes of smoke would freak me out for sure. Its not like you can simply chuck water on it to put it out lol.
@@blueridgehollow2510 must have been an internal short with the plates or something 🤷🏽♂️ I'm only vaguely knowledgeable about battery construction. Glad you didn't have a bigger problem 👍🏻👍🏻
For sure. I used a bunch of baking soda then checked the PH with test strips to make sure it was safe. I think some of the video files were corrupted and didn't make it into the finished video, though. The joys of being a small time, wanna be TH-camr 😆
Did you neutralize the acid on and inside the headers with sodium bicarb or just water? I"m concerned that with minimal dilution, the metal will rust under the paint.
I neutralized it with sodium bicarb really well before it was dried and painted. They've been on the truck for awhile now and are perfect. No rust inside.
The acid wasn't super strong anyway and the steel was a decent thickness. I don't know for sure but I'd think that the high temps from the exhaust would destroy any acid. Regardless, it's been great so far.
@@HFGActually, heat will not break down the acid, it will make it react more vigorously. HCl if it did break down would to it's component elements of hydrogen and chlorine, would really screw things. That's what happens when an acid 'attacks' something, those elements separate and find new homes with other elements to become more stable. I'm willing to bet that your baking soda bath captured all the remaining acid and left you with a clean product.
I think I used the VHT high temp header paint. It lasted about 45 seconds and was just a cloud of noxious smoke. They're rusty now, but it's more like a weird layer. It doesn't get worse, just stays the same.
This acid isnt as dangerous as other acids, considering how diluted it is out of the bottle. Not to say that it's safe or anything. You still have to respect it. I don't know an exact ratio but you can see about how much I added, and it was still a lot. Maybe 4 cups per 5 gallons of water. Maybe less. Just experiment using low concentrations and move up from there. Or you can just use grocery store vinegar and it'll do the same thing, just slower.
As for which to add first, always add the acid to water. This stuff is really weak, but other acids can explode in your face if you do it the other way around. At this point I'd recommend you try something a little safer like electrolytic rust removal. There are a lot of videos about that online.
@@HFG Thanks for your responses....i'm working on a really pitted fuel tank skid plate from my gen 1 ford explorer...i was able to get a lot of the rust off with an angle grinder and wire wheels but the low spots are hard to get into.
When you're all done with the acid, then you neutralize it. Basically just keep adding baking soda until it doesn't react anymore. It might take quite a bit depending on how much acid you use. I probably used more than I needed here. The more dilute the acid is, the longer it takes basically. Be careful if you do it and don't breathe the fumes. 👍🏼
Did you use the acid straight out of the jug or did you dilute it with water like I did? I only used a couple medium sized boxes of baking soda and that was enough to neutralize the big tub.
@@benhartson Oof. That's a huge amount of acid. So, in the future, one bottle should do multiple runs of stripping. a few cups in 5 gallons should be ok. The warmer the weather the faster it works. The acid is already diluted in the jug. You're using a lot of baking soda because your acid solution is so strong. At that strength you could eat right through thinner metal. I'm sorry if I wasn't more clear in the video.
That's a cool trick. I would have thought the acid would have dissolved the towel. Maybe I'll try your way next time. The collectors might be tricky to clean with towels though.
Muriatic acid is so scary to use. I try to not use it at all. In fact I wish they'd make smaller bottles to buy. The one I have I just feel like is going to eventually melt through the bottle at some point and drip off my shelf. But I'd rather use muriatic acid with two gloves, a respirator and safety glasses than weld through galvanization (even more toxic!). Count me in as super impressed with exactly how well it worked!
I'm not a huge fan of acid either tbh. Desperate times and all that :) yesterday I dropped some galvanized tube into the acid bath. I'll send you some pics later when I get home.
That's way different than the weak Hydrochloric (muriatic) acid that I'm using. I'm not an acid expert but you should definitely talk to someone else about that. Muriatic acid is commonly used to clean bricks and concrete, but the stuff I bought at the store is dilute, and pretty cheap.
the druggist in town said you want to neutralize the part after the soak, You use baking soda and water as mentioned and keep the part wet for a bit. then dry it fast. he said air and even a heat gun to help it dry fast. Then the rustoleum or harbor freight etch primer then paint. for mixing Its acid into the water NEVER the other way around.
It's been awhile since I made that video so I don't remember everything in it, but I did neutralize it with baking soda afterwards. So far they've been holding up really well. I appreciate the info, and you watching. Thanks 👍🏼
@@blueridgehollow2510 yeah. I can see this process going south pretty quick. Another option is vinegar. It's not quate as corrosive. I will say that Evapo-Rust is some amazing stuff if you haven't used it.
@@blueridgehollow2510 the vinegar vs muriatic acid methods? It's essentially the exact same except the vinegar takes a lot longer. I reckon I could. I didn't realize it when I made the acid video but there are quite a few Muriatic acid rust removal vids on YT already. I think mine is the best though :)
@@HFG yessa. His front bumper on his service truck says the same thing also. It’s a custom metal bumper with the name cut in it like metal art. Half fast. We call him Half Ass Less. But he’s about 4-5 hundred pound man also. That’s a big ass for sure. HAHAHAHAHAHA
Don’t used that stuff it’s dangerous I have no clue why there selling it . I ran industrial building if you do Decide to do where that Breaking bad suit . Vinegar will do the same job but it takes a little longer
@@IronHorseGarage oh ok. That makes sense. Chrome is so hard to keep clean I usually steer away from it. I love the luster and color of aluminum so that's what I typically buy.
My brother in Christ. Where tf are your gloves? You know why people don't use muriatic acid often? It'll eat the rust, that's for sure. It'll also dissolve the metal underneath it too and that shit will eat your skin even faster. Don't put up a disclaimer to "take safety precautions" and then do nothing yourself. Strong acids will dissolve the oxide layer (rust), but if you do nothing to protect that fresh metal, it'll immediately start rusting again. This is why the parts you splashed with acid (and then later handled with your bare hands like a hack-job) got bright orange rust the next day. It's good to experiment and learn what works and how to do it right, but this is a level of "don't do this alone if you don't know what you're doing". And then you decided to put it on the internet, show people the wrong way to use it, then tell them not to do it indoors. Christ.
It was an experiment on junkyard headers. "High Temp" header paint lasts about 45 seconds before it's gone, then it's just rusted steel again. My fingerprints won't matter, doesn't matter and didn't matter. My goal was to see how well it would work, and it worked great. As for my lack of PPE... that dilute acid isn't strong enough to do much of anything. I guess OSHA would have a problem with it on a job site, but for the limited time I was exposed, it's not a big deal.
This is what we want. Cheap. Readily available solutions. Thanks man
👍🏼👍🏼 You're welcome!
For the love of God, don't use hydrochloric acid if you don't know what you're doing. A solution of 10% phosphoric acid is safer for you and the metal you're treating.
You have to use baking soda to neutralize the acid and I bought a kitty pool from Walmart to soak my metal Parts in thanks for sharing
Yessir. I guess that part didn't make it in the video. The files were probably corrupted, which happens quite a bit unfortunately. Thanks for watching 👍🏼👍🏼
U can actually use Vinegar bought from the same big box store. U don't have to use Baking soda. Vinegar n water less mess and easier! Muriatic acid is the strongest acid for remaking rust Not sure I would leave it over night however. Phosphoric acid is much more common for removing rust. And U can prime right over the treated metal with NO PREP! If U sand it U will not get the same bond. if it needs sanded do it first then treat with acid!
I got the same brand and type of muriatic acid the other day at HD to try to remove some stubborn caked-on encapsulated rust on some auto parts I was cleaning up. I mean the kind that looks like hardened blackened grime but if you go at it with a grinding bit or scraper revealed the rust trapped inside. It's common to find such rust all over older parts in the rust belt and it's a pain to remove it mechanically since it's usually found in spots and patches and you have to break up each one individually. So I decided to try this acid to see if it would work faster.
Several issues with it, this brand and type at least. First, it's already diluted, to around 15-20% strength, which is why it's claimed to have "90% lower fumes". So you don't need to dilute it further for such tasks. I did that initially and nothing happened, so I kept reducing the amount of water I cut it with until I used it straight, and that's when I started to see it work. It should still work if you add it to water (and never the other way around where add water to it!), but will just take longer.
Second, once it's removed all the rust and other crud, you need to not only wash it off with water, but neutralize it with a base such as baking soda liberally mixed into water. Otherwise trace amounts of the acid or chlorine that it breaks down into will remain on the metal and ironically cause further rusting, especially in deep and hard to reach or see crevices, and will continue to rust it even if you paint over it, especially if cracks eventually emerge allowing in oxygen and/or water. So neutralize it and less it stay on it a while, and only then rinse it off. And then either prime and paint the part, or coat it with something that will resist flash rust until you're ready to prime and paint it.
Also, you need to use full PPE with this stuff, long acid-proof gloves, safety glasses, face shield, and a decent chemical respirator if you use it indoors (probably unnecessary if you use it outdoors, especially if there's a breeze). And don't wear anything you wouldn't want to ruin, or use it on nice anything nice like clean concrete or paving stones as it etches masonry.
I've decided to not use it on "complex" parts, meaning ones with nooks, crannies and crevices that the acid can find its way into and that might not be fully neutralized, or anything with threads that it could eat away at and ruin. I'll stick to either mechanical rust removal methods, or one of the many phosphoric acid-based chemical solutions.
Acid has its pros and cons for sure 👍🏼👍🏼 This was more of an experiment.
Just after high school one of our friends was drinking and said cracks and nookies instead of nooks and crannies . (Alcohol related) we still say cracks and nookies .
If you have a big enough tank you can use electrolysis to remove the rust. (Plenty of TH-cam videos on this.
heres a cheap easy tester - red cabbage juice will turn red/pink in acids- or more purple/blue if alkaline. I use it as a cheap soil indicator in gardens - especially convenient if there cabbage growing. the waste-leaves you'd scrap become free test strips.
Wow that's really cool. I never knew that. I'll have to give it a try sometime 👍🏻👍🏻
Great viewing and interesting , certainly more diy than blasting if you didn't have the sandblaster ,thanks for sharing the experiment 👌
Thanks! It worked pretty good for those awkward and big headers 👍🏼👍🏼
I like Muriatic acid so well, I put that S$%t on everything. I use modeling clay for hobby store, plug drain holes in the doors of my 67 C10, then pour mixture in using common sense. Acid into water always, not other way. But like you, I pour the diluted hydrochloric acid into plastic commercial barrels for re-use and label. But I want surface rust, rust that formed during weld repair and deep into folded seems clean. Pour baking soda box in while gently hosing with water, swish around any left over, remove clay then rinse. To dry, I use a leaf blower, works fast if warm. But I use a detail spray gun, spray 1:1 automotive grade epoxy inside and try hard to get everything inside. I run a thread tap thru all captured nuts. Works great for places you can't get.
Yes, your headers are mild steel. Never heard of any galvanized and if stainless, you get very little action. All PPE and activated carbon respirator like worn durning painting cars. Not "N-95" that is dust particles that won't stop virus molecules. Step daughter is in cardiac diagnostics. They look & make people feel good, no safety value on micron level as a human hair is 70 microns and the SARS-cov19 virus is average 0.12 microns. Next door neighbor of 29 years works at 3M plant and says the CDC & government has been dancing around this issue by mandate to be obscure and unclear on purpose. They may keep the virus inside the masked wearer especially if moist by incoming, not so much. Gaps around the perimeter fit is number one. This is why activated carbon mask come with rubber face seal to allow for negative pressure testing by anyone wearing one, prior to use.
DK, ASE master tech, retired.
Good info. Thanks. The acid sure does work great for those hard to reach spots. Sure beats the mess of a sandblaster. I'm glad you liked the video 👍🏼👍🏼
I would have NEVER expected this result. I have been a mechanic and fabricator for over 50 years and never knew this.
Pretty crazy, right? 👍🏼 Be sure to neutralize the acid with baking soda after if you do it yourself. And wear a respirator 👊🏼👊🏼
Would you think it's safe to do on like under carriage of a truck?
Yes and no. Not with the truck assembled. If you sprayed that on an assembled truck it would be next to impossible to neutralize the acid and it would continue to eat away at everything it touches. If you had a big enough container you could take individual parts and dip them, but you absolutely have to neutralize the acid after or it'll ruin everything.
Keep in mind that it's hazardous to your health so don't breath it.
@@xboxturnoff9057 yes
Great vidio ! I have used muriatic acid on concrete with great success. Have been experimenting with vinegar etc on metal rust . So glad I found this video . Thanks from Ohio .
Oh hell yeah! Your a GWAR fan! Me too.. Since 89
Hell yeah!!! GWAR for life.
Do the same thing with white vinengar... 2 gallons mixed with 2 gallons of water.... Trash can and a HD bag to put the headers in... Rig it up to lean to one side without dumping it out then let it sit for a cpl days lol... Still us a small cheap spot blast in some areas though to peen the badly pitted spots, then prep em for some bbq paint.
I'll try that next summer 👍🏼
Sounds like a good way to use less vinegar/hcl than finding a large tub for bigger pieces
You could have also boiled the headers in a metal gallon on open fire and add the mixture you used it will fasten the process and even deeper cleaning but your way worked too👍👍👍
Cool! I don't have a way to easily do that but I'll keep it in mind for the future 👍🏻👍🏻 Thanks.
KABOOM
Very cool, those headers came out Awesome.
Great video
Thanks! It was cheaper and easier than sandblasting. It definitely has its downsides, since it's acid, but as long as you're careful it seems to be pretty decent 👍🏼
11:30 you hear the host coughing . Could the muriatic acid be working on his lungs also?
I couldn't make the video and wear a respirator at the same time.
That was impressive. I have a set of Super Comps that are rusted like yours. I've had them for a long time. I'm going to take your advice and give this a shot. Thanks!
Right on. You can use less acid than I did because it takes a lot of baking soda to neutralize the acid when you're done. The result is the same, it just might take a little longer.
@@HFG Excellent, thank you very much!
Any time. 👍🏼
Phosphoric acid works also and doesn't flash rust.
Infact it converts rust to iron phosphate which is black in color.
That would be pretty cool. It's just so much more expensive than this per gallon. If I can find it cheap then it would be a good alternative since muriatic acid is so corrosive. 👍🏼
@@HFG I use Muriatic acid for heavy rust then after neutralizing I brush or spray on phosphoric acid to passivate the surface and prevent flash rust.
Wow that Acid ate the rust right off!
You can use.. White Vinegar.. Soak an old towel, rag, napkins.. And wrap the rusted object..and let it soak for a day or more..
Yeah it did a great job! Cheap too
Cool. Well done!
Thanks for watching 👍🏼👍🏼
I noticed you keep clearing your throat. That my man is why you need a respirator when working with muriatic acid.
Mainly it's because I'm allergic to cats and we have 4 of them 😺
I was thinking about the concentration of the acid.
Yes if it’s left there to long the metal will be thinner than normal.
The bravery of using hydrochloric acid without gloves or a mask - even if it is 35% concentration. 😂
I would have hit that with a fine brush every couple hours just to check for pitting and smoothing out any potential problems. Definitely could’ve cleaned that whole thing a lot quicker. Doesn’t need to soak that long and clearing debris will expose more rust and steel but still really cool to see a video showing this used on headers! Didn’t think that would be hard to find a video of- but it was and now I feel much better about my idea for cleaning rust off old headers. 😂 thank you!!
I used a respirator when I didn't have to talk to the camera :) There are definitely better ways to prep it but I was curious to see what happened if you just put them in without any effort. I have to say, they're still in great condition. I'm glad you found the video helpful 👍🏼👍🏼
@@HFG hahah I am very glad to hear that. Man oh man, made me feel like a wimp watching it like damn… I would be way too freaked out to be doing that without gloves or a mask. Did you see any pitting on the steel? I couldn’t really tell from the size of the video
@@recklssabndon there was a little pitting but that was there before the acid. I got these headers off a truck in a junk yard that had sunk into the dirt for a decade. I'm honestly surprised that they're in decent shape. They've been on my Dodge D150 ever since.
Thanks really appreciate the science lab. It's going to work great on my wife's Acadia's headers
👍🏼 Good luck. Make sure to neutralize the acid really well and you should be good to go!
Excellent video!
Thank you! 👍🏼
...and 2 days after running them, they are right back to rust again. Good work!!
Kinda. I blame the "high temp paint" but they are in a lot better condition that they started off. 👍🏼
@@HFG cant blame ya for trying
Great video dude!! Going to do this on my 360 headers, in the exact same shape…
Good luck and be safe. Don't breath the fumes 👍🏼
I bet you could paint em with mustard... And the vinegar in mustard will eat the rust off.. Wash em like a day later..
Interesting idea.
Wow , gotta try mustard 😊
Regular vinegar works great too, but flash rusts easy. So, get off all the major rust with, mustard, vinegar or muriatic acid, then wash with water, then wipe on the real rust remover stuff because that crap is expensive and prevents flash rust. Then paint it with high heat paint
citric acid also is amazing to remove rust!
True. This was just cheaper 👍🏼 a little more dangerous though.
That's pretty wild! Back in my youth we used diluted hydrochloric acid to clean milking equipment. Yummy! 😂
Wow. I didn't know that stuff was used at all in the dairy industry. Crazy.
@@HFG yeah it's pretty heavily diluted and requires a lot of rinsing afterwards but that's what we use to clean them.
Are you sure it wasn't phosphoric acid? Thats what milk stone remover is.
Make sure to take baking soda and add it to the acid until it stops foaming in order to neutralize it. also, mix baking soda and clean water for a final rinse which will neutralize the acid on the metal.
I think that part of the video was corrupted and didn't make it in, but I did neutralize it. It's been a long time so I don't remember the video. 👍🏼
you can even use white vinegar to remove rust
For sure 👍🏼
thank you for this video. How to apply baking soda, what amount, % water?
Put the headers in water and add a few cups of baking soda and it should neutralize it. When you stop seeing bubbles, it's all done. If it's still bubbling, add more soda. If you rinsed them well, then it shouldn't take much. 👍🏼
I dipped some vintage rusty schwinn bicycle rims into muriatic acid and didn't do the best of jobs when neutralizing with baking soda,about 6 months later the rims were destroyed
Oh man! I'm sorry to hear that. Was it diluted or straight acid? Even at 20% strength it takes quite a bit of baking soda to neutralize it. I don't know if I filmed the neutralizing part or not.
I neutralized that acid, refilled the pan with water and added a bunch of baking soda then soaked the headers again. Once they'd sat for a day I washed them a lot with fresh water and they've been perfect.
@@HFG The acid was straight out of the jug,full strength, I was in to much of a hurry to clean them and full strength muriatic acid ate the rust off quickly.
@@eastside0434 from everything I've been told, full strength is too aggressive. I haven't tried it at that strength before. I don't have a ton of experience with it so I can't offer much help other than that, unfortunately.
@@HFG what I learned from it is its extremely dangerous,must be very careful with it.
Saw You comment on PFS and It made me check out your channels. looks good man liked and subbed keep up the good work.
Thanks! I really appreciate it 👊🏼👊🏼
I like the proof that the acid works. That's what I came to see. Years ago, I had an opportunity to buy a property that was on a well like yours. They had numerous junk vehicles. I wanted to get the well tested to ensure that the water hadn't been contaminated from the vehicles they had stashed around the property. I'm old, and can remember back when it was normal to dig a hole and pour your old motor oil "back into the ground where it came from". Watching you rinse that water off makes me wonder if your well is okay. Have you considered getting it tested?
Our well is 120ft deep and over 400' from the shop. Nothing I do in my shop will affect water sources, especially the well. We have wildlife around the shop and I'm always conscious of what they could be exposed to 👍🏼
Thanks for the info!
Glad it was helpful 👍🏼👍🏼
Very interesting video. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching 👍🏼
You might consider rinsing the inside of the pipes to prevent the acid from eating the inner surface.
They were rinsed pretty thoroughly with water and baking soda. It took quite a bit of baking soda.
Yes! I have been doing a lot!! Of tool clean up and restoration the last couple of weeks... and I've used a lot of vinegar and it's also acidic. I've found if you don't neutralize it the rust comes back very quickly and worse ... so I've been using a backing soda solution... I think it will work on this too
@@donscottvansandt4139 baking soda works great. I'm not sure why that part did t make it into the video unless the footage was lost or corrupted. It happens more than you might think.
I soaked the headers in a baking soda bath and neutralized the acid bath with a ton of it afterwards. The headers have been rust free.
That's awesome thanks for sharing I'm going to do this asap
Cool. Be careful with it. It's nasty.
Great channel name!
Thanks!!! I really appreciate that. Sometimes I've wondered if it was the right choice.
You have officially learned the ways of the acid dip :p
I guess so. I put a cast iron exhaust manifold in it yesterday and it was making crazy bubbles. I think they're hydrogen but I'm not taking any chances with gas/vapors after the motorcycle battery incident of 2020
@@HFG What happened to the battery?
@@blueridgehollow2510 on my FZ6 the battery is under the tank so you have to partially remove it. Last year, or maybe it was the year before, I accidentally put my battery charger on 12v 40amp charge and got caught up doing stuff at the house for a couple of hours. When I started heading back to the shop I noticed smoke pouring out from under the tank. It was boiling and melting the battery. To save the bike I had to get the battery out which meant having my face directly in rolling clouds of smoke and hydrogen sulfide gas while I unbolted that battery. Kinda poisoned myself. That was a rough year for poisoning myself lol
@@HFG Oh Crap!!! You're lucky it didn't explode! My Sportster's battery post melted last year on me and I'm not sure why as I didn't see any metal on metal contact, I figured the battery went haywire. Seeing plumes of smoke would freak me out for sure. Its not like you can simply chuck water on it to put it out lol.
@@blueridgehollow2510 must have been an internal short with the plates or something 🤷🏽♂️ I'm only vaguely knowledgeable about battery construction. Glad you didn't have a bigger problem 👍🏻👍🏻
love the channel name!
Thanks! It sums it up pretty well I think :)
Great idea though with the acid. I have Hooker for a small block Chevy that I used to run.
Thanks. It seemed to work ok.
If you do use it make sure you neutralize the crap out of it.
For sure. I used a bunch of baking soda then checked the PH with test strips to make sure it was safe. I think some of the video files were corrupted and didn't make it into the finished video, though. The joys of being a small time, wanna be TH-camr 😆
Good job
Thanks 👍🏼👍🏼 Came out pretty good.
Did you neutralize the acid on and inside the headers with sodium bicarb or just water? I"m concerned that with minimal dilution, the metal will rust under the paint.
I neutralized it with sodium bicarb really well before it was dried and painted. They've been on the truck for awhile now and are perfect. No rust inside.
@@HFGcool, I was wondering about that.
The acid wasn't super strong anyway and the steel was a decent thickness. I don't know for sure but I'd think that the high temps from the exhaust would destroy any acid. Regardless, it's been great so far.
@@HFGActually, heat will not break down the acid, it will make it react more vigorously. HCl if it did break down would to it's component elements of hydrogen and chlorine, would really screw things. That's what happens when an acid 'attacks' something, those elements separate and find new homes with other elements to become more stable. I'm willing to bet that your baking soda bath captured all the remaining acid and left you with a clean product.
I didn't know that. Good thing I neutralized it really well then 👍🏼
what type of paint u got? and it is last as new? or it will rust again in 3-5 months?
I think I used the VHT high temp header paint. It lasted about 45 seconds and was just a cloud of noxious smoke. They're rusty now, but it's more like a weird layer. It doesn't get worse, just stays the same.
You can use it to kill stumps with in a year it will fall apart
Good idea. 👍🏼👍🏼
Whoa... im impressed
Me too! I've never seen rust flake off. 👍🏻
Dude. Gloves!
👍🏼
Is there a specific ratio of acid to water? also is it always add the ACID to the WATER and never the other way around?
This acid isnt as dangerous as other acids, considering how diluted it is out of the bottle. Not to say that it's safe or anything. You still have to respect it. I don't know an exact ratio but you can see about how much I added, and it was still a lot. Maybe 4 cups per 5 gallons of water. Maybe less. Just experiment using low concentrations and move up from there. Or you can just use grocery store vinegar and it'll do the same thing, just slower.
As for which to add first, always add the acid to water. This stuff is really weak, but other acids can explode in your face if you do it the other way around.
At this point I'd recommend you try something a little safer like electrolytic rust removal. There are a lot of videos about that online.
@@HFG Thanks for your responses....i'm working on a really pitted fuel tank skid plate from my gen 1 ford explorer...i was able to get a lot of the rust off with an angle grinder
and wire wheels but the low spots are hard to get into.
Ahh. Gotcha. Sandblasting is a good option too. Good luck. I hope it works out 👍🏼
so you leave the headers in the acid and neutralize or do you put the headers in and then neutralize it after
When you're all done with the acid, then you neutralize it. Basically just keep adding baking soda until it doesn't react anymore. It might take quite a bit depending on how much acid you use. I probably used more than I needed here. The more dilute the acid is, the longer it takes basically. Be careful if you do it and don't breathe the fumes. 👍🏼
@@HFG okay i used about a 12 pound bag and it’s still fizzing when i pit baking soda in
Did you use the acid straight out of the jug or did you dilute it with water like I did? I only used a couple medium sized boxes of baking soda and that was enough to neutralize the big tub.
@@HFG unfortunately not, i had a big tub and used 3 bottles of the acid, not knowing you can dilute it
@@benhartson Oof. That's a huge amount of acid. So, in the future, one bottle should do multiple runs of stripping. a few cups in 5 gallons should be ok. The warmer the weather the faster it works. The acid is already diluted in the jug. You're using a lot of baking soda because your acid solution is so strong. At that strength you could eat right through thinner metal. I'm sorry if I wasn't more clear in the video.
Can you, Zinc coat headers?
I'm not sure. I've never really heard of it before but who knows. I didn't think zinc/galvanizing could withstand the temps.
It’s likely a high carbon steel. Could be chromes moly , but it might not be new enough to be that.
Maybe
That's awesome
Haha I thought you said half a** garage lol
That's the joke :) Maybe it's not the best name for a channel but I try not to take life too seriously lol
@@HFG I think it’s a goon name ima give you a sub
@@kaboom1077 Thanks! I hope you like the videos 👍🏼👍🏼
@@HFG no problem my project is a 88 gt so hopefully some of your videos like this will help!
@@kaboom1077 I hope so too 👍🏼👍🏼
Nice vid buddy !
Thanks bud!! 👊🏼👊🏼
People put that acid down the drain to remove clogs. Thats what its made for.
You can clean brick and concrete with it too.
Nice 👍🏽
👊🏼👊🏼 They came out great!
I've soaked towels in muriatic acid an wrapped a rear end pulled the towel off a few hours later it removed all the rust
That's a cool trick. I would have thought the acid would have dissolved the towel. Maybe I'll try your way next time. The collectors might be tricky to clean with towels though.
Muriatic acid is so scary to use. I try to not use it at all. In fact I wish they'd make smaller bottles to buy. The one I have I just feel like is going to eventually melt through the bottle at some point and drip off my shelf. But I'd rather use muriatic acid with two gloves, a respirator and safety glasses than weld through galvanization (even more toxic!).
Count me in as super impressed with exactly how well it worked!
I'm not a huge fan of acid either tbh. Desperate times and all that :) yesterday I dropped some galvanized tube into the acid bath. I'll send you some pics later when I get home.
I use it as Pool pro every single day. It’s not scary. It’s just a chemical like anything else. It’s only dangerous if you’re stupid.
And the smell, the smell is all there.
Is $140 canadian a fair price for phosphoric acid 85% concentrate? 1 gallon
That's way different than the weak Hydrochloric (muriatic) acid that I'm using. I'm not an acid expert but you should definitely talk to someone else about that. Muriatic acid is commonly used to clean bricks and concrete, but the stuff I bought at the store is dilute, and pretty cheap.
the druggist in town said you want to neutralize the part after the soak, You use baking soda and water as mentioned and keep the part wet for a bit. then dry it fast. he said air and even a heat gun to help it dry fast. Then the rustoleum or harbor freight etch primer then paint. for mixing Its acid into the water NEVER the other way around.
It's been awhile since I made that video so I don't remember everything in it, but I did neutralize it with baking soda afterwards. So far they've been holding up really well. I appreciate the info, and you watching. Thanks 👍🏼
Interesting process for sure! Not great for the apocalyptic builds unless you go with shiny chrome paint to impress the ladies.
Ouch. That's a tough loss. This method definitely has its own place. Thick stuff seems to be it's sweet spot.
@@HFG Well it was my fault. Just got to keep a close eye.
@@blueridgehollow2510 yeah. I can see this process going south pretty quick. Another option is vinegar. It's not quate as corrosive. I will say that Evapo-Rust is some amazing stuff if you haven't used it.
@@HFG It became as thin as paper lol. Maybe you could do another video in the future comparing the different methods.
@@blueridgehollow2510 the vinegar vs muriatic acid methods? It's essentially the exact same except the vinegar takes a lot longer. I reckon I could. I didn't realize it when I made the acid video but there are quite a few Muriatic acid rust removal vids on YT already. I think mine is the best though :)
I also know a guy that has the same name for his mechanic business.
We make comments to him and call it Half Ass. But it’s Half Fast.
My channels names is supposed to sound like Half Assed :)
@@HFG yessa. His front bumper on his service truck says the same thing also.
It’s a custom metal bumper with the name cut in it like metal art. Half fast. We call him Half Ass Less. But he’s about 4-5 hundred pound man also. That’s a big ass for sure. HAHAHAHAHAHA
@@ericarbo5044 lol. I get it. Just call my channel Half Assed Garage. :) about sums it up
Soak in acid, rinse with water, dry with a towel, then seal..
How about sandblasting?
Sand blasting would work great. I've always wanted to try the acid though since it's way cheaper. 👍🏼
👌
Lay down a trash bag put parts on it saves the product keep parts wet ✌️
full strength would be fine on that job..........its already diluted in the bottle.
The acid fumes in your garage will cause all metal to rust. it sucks. don't ask how i know.
Ooof. I had it outside so we're all good. And my barn is super leaky so it has lots of ventilation
It will get worse after it gets dry
So far everything has been great. Of course the paint burned off within 5 seconds 🤷🏽♂️
Of course they’re thicker. It’s from the 80’s
👍👍✌🏼
Thanks 👍🏼👍🏼
Don’t used that stuff it’s dangerous I have no clue why there selling it . I ran industrial building if you do Decide to do where that Breaking bad suit . Vinegar will do the same job but it takes a little longer
It's used to clean concrete and brick, usually.
if it gets in your eyes it wont be fun
Don’t put water in it use it straight works better won’t harm it
Thanks. I'll try that next time. 👍🏼
you must not like your hands very much
Good stuff, but don't use it on chrome!!!
Thanks for the tip. I'm not a big fan of chrome so no worries there. Nasty fumes or something?
@@HFG What I have experienced is that if you leave it on the chrome too long it will discolor and stain it.
@@IronHorseGarage oh ok. That makes sense. Chrome is so hard to keep clean I usually steer away from it. I love the luster and color of aluminum so that's what I typically buy.
@@HFG I don't care for chrome myself either, I like to black everything out...
@@IronHorseGarage nice. Nowadays I hear chrome is insanely expensive to have done.
You say cheap $83. gallon.
What? It's $10/gallon at Home Depot
Where are you looking that they're trying to charge $83 for it? It's a really common acid here for cleaning cement and brick, too.
My brother in Christ. Where tf are your gloves? You know why people don't use muriatic acid often? It'll eat the rust, that's for sure. It'll also dissolve the metal underneath it too and that shit will eat your skin even faster. Don't put up a disclaimer to "take safety precautions" and then do nothing yourself.
Strong acids will dissolve the oxide layer (rust), but if you do nothing to protect that fresh metal, it'll immediately start rusting again. This is why the parts you splashed with acid (and then later handled with your bare hands like a hack-job) got bright orange rust the next day. It's good to experiment and learn what works and how to do it right, but this is a level of "don't do this alone if you don't know what you're doing". And then you decided to put it on the internet, show people the wrong way to use it, then tell them not to do it indoors. Christ.
It was an experiment on junkyard headers. "High Temp" header paint lasts about 45 seconds before it's gone, then it's just rusted steel again. My fingerprints won't matter, doesn't matter and didn't matter. My goal was to see how well it would work, and it worked great. As for my lack of PPE... that dilute acid isn't strong enough to do much of anything. I guess OSHA would have a problem with it on a job site, but for the limited time I was exposed, it's not a big deal.
That's awesome
Thanks for watching 👍🏻
That's awesome