Ez and cheap rust removal from chrome ?

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a used rear cargo rack from eBay for my old gs850g. As expected there is a little rust on the chrome. I have heard that one can use cola and aluminium foil to remove rust. (Supposedly by pouring soda on the part the running with aluminium foil.)

Is this legit ?

[tkent02]

WD-40 and aiuminum foil works too. We cleaned up my daughter's rusty bicycle with it last week. Not perfect but pretty darned good for something that only takes a few minutes.

[Brendan W]

I use vinegar and water with the foil. Works well. No need to force it, there is a chemical reaction going on and it dissolves off with light sustained scrubbing. Top off with a bit of polish to delay it's reappearance.

[mustangflyr]

You might try immersing the rack in Evaporust, removes the rust quite well.

[chuck hahn]

Naval Jelly. Never trusted the foil wouldnt dull or make micro scratches on chrome. Get the Naval Jelly at Lowes or Home Depot.

[metalfab]

You don't have to worry about scratching the chrome, it is way harder than the hardest steel. Chrome is plated onto steel in severe wear applications because it is so hard to prevent wear. I like to use any thing like WD40 or oil. Then use steel wool, even an old brillo pad with soap in it and oil works great. After you are finished it will rust again unless you seal it, wax meant for car paint will seal it.

[Nessism]

Aluminum foil WILL scratch chrome. I know this from first hand experience. If the chrome is dulled out and real rusty you may not notice though. If you want a pristine finish when finished, do not use aluminum foil.

Regular old Turtle Wax chrome cleaner works well. If there is a lot of rust then something to soak the part in is recommended. Navel jelly and the like is phosphoric acid and will eat the rust. It will also pit the chrome slightly too.

Best stuff I've found that won't hurt the chrome is EvapoRust. It's expensive though. Second best stuff is oxalic acid. Most deck cleaning products are oxalic acid. I was turned on to this stuff by the bicycle restoration guys, who swear by the stuff. Fill a garbage can with water and mix in some of the cleaning product and dunk your part. In a day or two the rust will be gone and the chrome won't be damaged. I've done all kinds of parts in this stuff and it works a treat. Good stuff.

[Gorminrider]

^^ that's right. and even if it isn't actually the aluminum doing it, it's the flakes of chrome and rust trapped in the aluminum as you rub it in.

[AKC75]

I've always used steel wool and Brasso.

[1948man]

Molasses and water but it has to be immersed and takes a week or more. You can take your own container and get bulk molasses at some farm stores.

[1948man]

http://www.todayshomeowner.com/video/how-to-remove-rust-using-molasses/

[gustovh]

Brasso and a toothbrush works well, shines and doesn't scratch as well as leaving a protective coating.

V

[metalfab]

If you are getting scratches in chrome when it is cleaned up something harder than the chrome has to be the culprit. On the Rockwell C scale steel wool is about 30, and chrome is about 70. Aluminum is so soft they dont even measure it on the same scale. Scratches might already be there, or something hard gets into the mix. I dont know the hardness of rust, it might be a factor. Brasso is a great product too. Sealing it up with wax so it wont rust in the future is very important.

[limeex2]

Thanks for the tip. I have many chrome parts that need help. Can turn signals be dipped whole?

Aluminum foil WILL scratch chrome. I know this from first hand experience. If the chrome is dulled out and real rusty you may not notice though. If you want a pristine finish when finished, do not use aluminum foil.

Regular old Turtle Wax chrome cleaner works well. If there is a lot of rust then something to soak the part in is recommended. Navel jelly and the like is phosphoric acid and will eat the rust. It will also pit the chrome slightly too.

Best stuff I've found that won't hurt the chrome is EvapoRust. It's expensive though. Second best stuff is oxalic acid. Most deck cleaning products are oxalic acid. I was turned on to this stuff by the bicycle restoration guys, who swear by the stuff. Fill a garbage can with water and mix in some of the cleaning product and dunk your part. In a day or two the rust will be gone and the chrome won't be damaged. I've done all kinds of parts in this stuff and it works a treat. Good stuff.

[nvr2old]

I would start with SOS brand (specifically) steel wool pads. They work wonders on rusty chrome. Not Brillo or any other type, SOS pads only with lots of water.