Why would i buy a 40 Gal drum of molasses ?

[Robert Bergeron]

Thanks David for your post. I like the idea of using molasses even more now. I will let time do the work. As for phosphoric acid , i will pass . I really don’t mind rusted tracks. What i mind is pins frozen with links . I have to get rid of the stuff afterwards. So the way ahead i think in my particular situation is to throw away the molasses in a corner of my field when i am finished . Then i might do a POR -15 light spray in the tracks after using the pressure washer to clean everything up. I will bring the tracks back inside the warm hangar and start the a fan and dehumidifier to dry them up thouroughly . I was thinking of a very light coat of motor oil for preservation . When and if i use them i can always pressure wash the oil away. Thanks again David . Cheers .

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi all.

I think that wiggling the tracks while they were in the bath was not such a great idea after all. ...

Well at least not if they are sitting on plastic 8 mm sheets....I am a little scared of what i will find in the hangar in the morning.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Hi all.

I think that wiggling the tracks while they were in the bath was not such a great idea after all. ...

....

You'll discover that molasses is very staining. Your shop floor will look pretty ghastly even after clean up. I've had to throw out towels, rags and clothes exposed to the stuff.

[charlie fitton]

...will bring the tracks back inside the warm hangar and start the a fan and dehumidifier to dry them up thouroughly ..

Might I suggest a steam pressure washer to clean them...heats them to dry faster when done...

no oil, holds the dirt like grinding paste.

[RichardT10829]

I used old bath tubs to soak my stuff, and a wheelie bin for other bits and bobs.

Not a fan of Phosphoric acid as it eats into the clean steel too... molasses through the process of chillation only eats the rust.

[David Herbert]

Richard,
I was not suggesting leaving parts in a bath of phosphoric acid. I was advocating that after removing de-rusted parts from a molasses bath, that they be washed off with lots of clean water and then rinsed in phosphoric acid (by immersion, spray or brushing) which will produce a chemically stable coating of ferrous phosphate and thus prevent the rusting that will occur very quickly if no anti rust treatment is applied. Phosphoric acid is the most common active ingredient in anti-rust and self etching primers for steel though I suspect Fertan contains tannic acid but I have never read up on it. I suggested the milking machine cleaning source of phosphoric acid because for those with friends in the dairy industry it is a way to cheaply acquire a decent quantity in a concentration way better than products like Jenolite that is sold to the public. Obviously precautions must be taken with both safety and disposal but this is not difficult.

David

[Lynn Eades]

You can also get inhibitors put into the phosphoric acid, so that it only works on the rust. Phosphoric acid in low doses is present in some of the food you eat.

[david moore]

Especially coca cola and pepsi!!