Restoration Tip: Electrolysis Derusting

[Richard Farrant]

Danny,
I seem to remember that Coca cola contains phosphoric acid and we used large tanks of the stuff, (acid, not cola!) in stronger solutions without doubt, to derust and clean ferrous metal parts when I worked in army workshops. You just had to remember to remove brass and alloy data plates, etc. otherwise they were gone. Carbys were also treated in a similar way but with a different chemical, it all came out like new.

There is another tip, although I have not tried it, to bring alloy parts up like new. Boil up rhubarb leaves with the parts. Heard this from a motorcycle restorer.

Richard