Vinegar for corrosion removal? Really?

[Marlinmate]

What does it do? How does it work?  Do i need to do it?  Are there other options?  What is the mixture? 50:50?

I get the feeling that once corrosion starts...it isn't curable.    So what does a vinegar/water bath provide?

Talking about corrosion removal on Penn Trim rings or cross bars or brass/chrome spools.

Any advice or guidance?

[sdlehr]

Vinegar is 5% acetic acid. It dissolves the green copper oxide. The ORCA book (Old Reel Collectors Association) discusses using it full strength with no deleterious effects. I have done so many times. Don't add baking soda until your rinse water. I've been using CLR Bath and Kitchen Cleaner and a brass brush on the brass in my last few reels - and it's the bomb! I use the CLR on the chrome, also, but not with the brass brush. It removes the verdigris much more rapidly than the vinegar does. It takes literally seconds to remove oxidation that used to take considerable polishing effort.

[Shark Hunter]

There are so many variations as to what we use to clean our reels and to remove the tests of time.
If you really want to get serious, you need an ultrasonic cleaner.
I don't have one yet.
I use simple green and various polishes to get my reels back to their original luster.
I have used Vinegar, just not recently.
The other products I use are Turtle wax chrome polish, Nev-r Dull, and Mothers Mag wheel polish to really bring them back.
Some elbow grease and determination.

[sdlehr]

Daron,
Try the CLR and a brass brush like I have just discovered. It's like a miracle..... trust me, but report back. I'm interested in your opinion.... I found an old ultrasonic jewelry cleaner we had bought many moons ago - I clean with Simple Green - it's OK for the smaller parts, but a side plate doesn't fit.... but it's the smaller pieces that are harder to clean from the get go, and it's working well on them...

[johndtuttle]

What does it do? How does it work?  Do i need to do it?  Are there other options?  What is the mixture? 50:50?

I get the feeling that once corrosion starts...it isn't curable.    So what does a vinegar/water bath provide?

Talking about corrosion removal on Penn Trim rings or cross bars or brass/chrome spools.

Any advice or guidance?

Au contraire Monsieur! Corrosion can be totally removed, stopped in it's tracks and the reel be keep corrosion free forever more with regular care! 

The chromed trim rings and cross bars are sometimes pitted, but a weak acid bath (vinegar is popular as it happens to be handy in the kitchen) removes the corrosion completely as well as "penetrating oils" like Corrosion-X and other popular ones. You do have to be careful as some alloys with Zinc in them can be pitted by weak acid and other rust removers are a better choice.

If you do have pitting in your chrome you can still keep the reel corrosion free if you don't mind a light grease coating on those parts (like favorite tools for working on the car).

With regular rinses with freshwater and wipe downs with a little oil/grease they can be kept in a steady corrosion free state as long as you take the time. 

[Alto Mare]

Good point John, it's all about not getting lazy when you get back home from fishing. A little rinse and a light coating of your favorite oil will keeps them happy for a long time.
I spray the reel and rod with a fine mist and let them dry, I will then lightly coat both with some reel-X, making sure the eyes on the rod get a good coating as well.

Simple Green as been working for me, I usually soak the parts for a day and rinse them in some warm water.

Not long ago I did try another product and was impressed with the great job it did on the parts.
You can't tell from the pics that I will post soon, but those parts look new when done.
The product is : Advanced Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner.
The problem with this stuff, the smell bothers me, if you're going to give it a try, I recommend you do it outdoors.
I use a container with a screw top, I soak the parts in it for a couple of hours, I would then lightly scrub them with a toothbrush under warm running water and set them aside on a towel.
Again, a light coating of oil or grease will keep them happy.
Here are the pics of the before and after:





Sal

[mizmo67]

I've been using a mix of Dawn and vinegar to clean/degrease. Been very happy with it overall.

[Tightlines667]

I use Simple Green soak, then sonic cleaner, then brass/bronze parts soak in vineger, chrome treated with locate chrome brightener  (weak muratic acid gel), steel treated with steel rust remover jelly. 

I like the CLR idea, just used it on one of my dad'said reals because it was handy.  I also like Sal's toilet bowl cleaner idea.  I used to clean up the boat with toilet bowl cleaner before winter storage and it does work on rust stains.

Also like John'so response.

Good advice, as always.

[akfish]

I use Salt-X, mixed about 8 or 10 to 1. It's not as fast as vinegar but it doesn't stink up the shop and is much less damaging if the parts are left in too long. I like it so much that I jump through several steps to get it shipped up here to Alaska. BTW: For some reason Salt Away doesn't work nearly as well.

[FatTuna]

I use vinegar to remove corrosion all the time. It works but it stinks though. I forgot about a a pair of cheap pliers in a vinegar bath, it sat for around a week. It ended up ruining the finish on the outside. I wouldn't leave stuff in there for too long.

[handi2]

A customer brought in some zinc spinning reel parts he soaked overnight. I could barely recognize them. 75% eaten away.

I use it but it's diluted with water and I keep track.

[sdlehr]

A customer brought in some zinc spinning reel parts he soaked overnight. I could barely recognize them. 75% eaten away.

I use it but it's diluted with water and I keep track.

I think zinc is the exception in that it dissolves quickly in acids; probably what makes it useful as a sacrificial anode. I'd not leave anything in straight vinegar longer than two hours.... make that, I've never needed to leave anything in straight vinegar longer than two hours. Now that I'm playing with the CLR bath and kitchen cleanser I'm getting the job done in a few seconds and rinse immediately in fresh water. And the work bench doesn't smell like a salad either.

[cbar45]

Straight white vinegar is what I would use to remove corrosion from hilo guide...Works great on chrome, brass, and stainless...Good on aluminum, but may dull the finish on cast aluminum as well as the color/printed graphics of some plastics if soaked for too long...Horrible on zinc alloys as mentioned...Outcome generally depends on how deep the corrosion goes...I will pair like metals together and use plastic containers to soak the parts in--usually an hour or two at the most, less for aluminum and parts containing plastic..






-Chad

[Marlinmate]

OK...so I'm going to get some apple cider vinegar, and do 1:1 parts vinegar/water.   Where does the baking soda come in?

Then I'm going to place the following Penn 6/0 parts in this mixture: spools, posts, trim rings, seat, handle arm, drag star.

And leave in for approximately 2 hours?   Then thouroughly rinse everything with warm fresh water and some liquid dish soap....and be done

Sound like a plan?

[handi2]

OK...so I'm going to get some apple cider vinegar, and do 1:1 parts vinegar/water.   Where does the baking soda come in?

Then I'm going to place the following Penn 6/0 parts in this mixture: spools, posts, trim rings, seat, handle arm, drag star.

And leave in for approximately 2 hours?   Then thouroughly rinse everything with warm fresh water and some liquid dish soap....and be done

Sound like a plan?

You won't be done but that's a good start. If the parts are pitted they will still be pitted with brass spots showing. A soft brass brush will help also. Plus super fine steel wool and CorrosionX oil or others oils. Clean the parts again after using the 0000 steel wool.