Surface Rust Removal with Naval Jelly

thainglo · Post by **thainglo** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:31 pm

Putting my endorsement in for using naval jelly to take surface rust off the worksurfaces. The 1960 Greenie I've been working on came with a 4" jointer that had a solid layer of rust on both the table and the fence. See below:

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Took four coats of the jelly, applying with a paper towel over each of the surfaces, letting it sit for about ten minutes, then rinsine it off with some water. Wipe, rinse, repeat. Was impressed - the jelly did almost all of the work, especially on the first couple of passes. After the fourth run, the surfaces were almost cleaned off, and not much was coming off with the jelly application. Switched to 400 grit and wetsanded, which cleaned off the remaining rust without difficulty. A coat of Johnson's floor psate, and the pieces now glide right across it! Here's a close up of the bed and fence:

[ATTACH]3714[/ATTACH]

And last, but not least, a full view of the mounted jointer:

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Naval Jelly - funny name, great product!

Matt

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:08 pm

Nice job. I found it real nice to work with for getting into parts with nooks and crannies. A couple coats and rust was gone. Also liked the fact that you can use water to clean it up.

When I went to buy it, I asked the young kid where the navel jelly was and he had no idea what it was. Had to call for help. We finally found it. Next, asked him for crocus cloth. Had no idea was that was either. He said to me that he was going to tell his manager that he needed more training!!!

Nice greenie you got there.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:11 pm

mickyd wrote:Nice job. I found it real nice to work with for getting into parts with nooks and crannies. A couple coats and rust was gone. Also liked the fact that you can use water to clean it up.

When I went to buy it, I asked the young kid where the navel jelly was and he had no idea what it was. Had to call for help. We finally found it. Next, asked him for crocus cloth. Had no idea was that was either. He said to me that he was going to tell his manager that he needed more training!!!

Nice greenie you got there.

Wonder what his reaction would have been if you had asked 'where are the bastard files'?

Shop_Smith_Poppi · Post by **Shop_Smith_Poppi** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:25 pm

Naval Jelly! That is amazing I would never have thought of that and so much easier and quicker that I would have imagined.

Make the electrolysis tanks look like work to me. I suppose it would work on the way and bench tubes as well and any other pieces.

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:53 pm

Shop_Smith_Poppi wrote:Naval Jelly! That is amazing I would never have thought of that and so much easier and quicker that I would have imagined.

Make the electrolysis tanks look like work to me. I suppose it would work on the way and bench tubes as well and any other pieces.

I read a post somewhere on this web site that someone had tried Naval Jelly, and it had dulled the finish. Knot too important with the jointer table, but the way tubes? I might try it on something else that was shiny first, to test it.

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 1:33 am

Shop_Smith_Poppi wrote:Naval Jelly! That is amazing I would never have thought of that and so much easier and quicker that I would have imagined.

Make the electrolysis tanks look like work to me. I suppose it would work on the way and bench tubes as well and any other pieces.

Navel jelly IS effective at removing rust BUT, you need to be careful with it. It is an acid. You leave it on too long and your in trouble. It will leave a dark, streaky appearance on the metal and it will stain deeply into the base material. You shouldn't do a localized area with it as it will show. It can also mess up your paint. (even the vapor as it's working can cloud a painted surface). Also, it does take muscle to do a real good cleaning with it.

Electrolysis is the safest way to remove rust without effecting the base material at all. A conservator would NEVER use anything other than electrolysis since that process only attacks iron oxide (rust). It's 100% safe for the base material.

Vinegar and water 50-50 mix is also a GREAT rust remover but again, it doesn't know the difference between rust and base metal and attacks both with equal tenacity. Take an old rust tool and put it in vinegar and water mix and you'll be amazed how fast and how good a job it does. In a couple hours, the solution will look like a bubble bath.

a1gutterman wrote:I read a post somewhere on this web site that someone had tried Naval Jelly, and it had dulled the finish. Knot too important with the jointer table, but the way tubes? I might try it on something else that was shiny first, to test it.

This is true. It's rugged stuff. You can tell by the smell of it in action that it's aggressive. If the cosmetics of the job are at all important, I wouldn't use it.

For me, if it's rusty and I can't easily get it off with a light brushing and sanding, into the electrolysis bath it goes. (even if I have to fabricate a [url=https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=31988&postcount=13]big old container[/URL] to put it in)

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 4:18 pm

I have to agree with Mike, electrolysis may be more of a hassle to set up but in the long run it is a better process.

It may be paranoia but I am extremely cautious about acids in the shop as any residue or even the fumes can cause rusting. I have too much tied up in small parts and tools to allow them to be damaged this way. My soldering supplies are in a separate container and the work area and tools are all cleaned thoroughly after use. Soldered parts also need to be cleaned thoroughly.

Some time ago I experimented with Tix solder, great stuff, but the flux is the most persistent, evil, corrosive stuff. I made a couple of diamond wheels and finally had to boil them in water to neutralize the flux and keep the brass from corroding.

Troy

bucksaw · Post by **bucksaw** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:13 pm

You might also take a look at Evapo-Rust. Non-toxic and works great. After use filter and reuse.

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:38 pm

I've had some amazing results with Evapo-Rust. The only "problem" is it pulls the rust out of the pits making the pitting appear more prominent.

I've got some 10ER way tubes soaking in potato water (just like in Nick's video). They are due to come out Friday evening, but it may be Saturday morning before I can get to them. Afterwards, I'll post a thread regarding my adventures in rust removal and will include the potato experiment, Evapo-Rust, and others.

iclark · Post by **iclark** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:46 am

heathicus wrote:I've got some 10ER way tubes soaking in potato water (just like in Nick's video). They are due to come out Friday evening, but it may be Saturday morning before I can get to them. Afterwards, I'll post a thread regarding my adventures in rust removal and will include the potato experiment, Evapo-Rust, and others.

looking forward to your comparison. if you don't mind, please include the inner surface of the tubes when you are describing the potato experiment results or if you ever tried electrolysis on the inside of the tubes.

thanks,
Ivan