Vinegar for corrosion removal? Really?

[cbar45]

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?

Apple cider vinegar is relatively mild compared to white...It will work but not as efficiently and seems to take longer, at least that was the result I recall when trying it, (full strength, undiluted)...Soak time and parts combination sounds good, watch the handle knob though as sometimes (not often) it will fade if already weathered and need to be polished...Baking soda won't remove corrosion the way vinegar does, but its abrasive properties help with scrubbing out stains/tarnish etc; I use one of those scratch-free dishwashing sponges and dawn..

Chad

[cbar45]

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.

Where do you find that product, CLR?
I need to keep an eye out for it, sounds amazing..

Chad

[johndtuttle]

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.

Where do you find that product, CLR?
I need to keep an eye out for it, sounds amazing..

Chad

I just did a quick google search on it and the PDF on it is has some pretty good warnings. NOT plastic safe, will eat your colored grout etc...So pretty caustic stuff (makes sense as it works fast).

Just be careful and I would use gloves and eye protection when using it.

One nice thing about vinegar is you can eat it, so it can't be that bad for you. Of course, vinegar or lemon juice in the eye is no fun but can be rinsed quickly with no lasting harm.

[cbar45]

Appreciate the info John, good reminder to research and read the MSDS of chemical-based products before proceeding..

Chad

[David Hall]

I like to toss the funky parts in a tub of simple green and forget them for a week, then lightly brush and polish them up.
seems to do the job so far and I dont have to scrub anything to hard.
Im lazy!

[johndtuttle]

I like to toss the funky parts in a tub of simple green and forget them for a week, then lightly brush and polish them up.
seems to do the job so far and I dont have to scrub anything to hard.
Im lazy!

Careful, some stuff comes out with a green tint that you can't get out.

[Maxed Out]

I like to toss the funky parts in a tub of simple green and forget them for a week, then lightly brush and polish them up.
seems to do the job so far and I dont have to scrub anything to hard.
Im lazy!

Careful, some stuff comes out with a green tint that you can't get out.

yep, using vinegar non diluted is asking for it. only time I do that is when I'm using a toothbrush to get nooks and crannys, then quick rinse.



I also suspect the huge big game reel pictured on page 1 took a whole lot more than vinegar to get that end result. Looks like an old german silver reel, and a beauty at that. Would like to see more about your restoration Chad. It turned out spectacular !!

[cbar45]

Thanks Max, here you go:

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=7675.0

[TomT]

Vinegar has been used for cleaning for at least a hundred years.  It was always on the dining table as a condiment and probably a "sterilizer" before refrigeration.  Meats had a tendancy towards rancid before refrigeration and was treated with some vinegar after it was a few days old. 

[TomT]

Vinegar has been used for cleaning for at least a hundred years.  It was always on the dining table as a condiment and probably a "sterilizer" before refrigeration.  Meats had a tendency towards rancid before refrigeration and was treated with some vinegar after it was a few days old.
Most old-time cleaning & health recipes included vinegar. Many home recipes for cleaning windows or counter tops or whatever usually contained some type of vinegar and many still do--probably the working ingredient in store bought cleansers still contain vinegar.   That being said, I don't know how much straight vinegar I would use on my reels--at least for an extended length of time.  All the new soaps, cleaners, etc I will try but usually not for long periods.  If the corrosion etc is really bad, I figure its time for a lot of elbow grease. That being said I do not do LOTS of reels and usually only for family and friends.   You see many of our members (like Ted) who have used reels that look better than new.  I would follow their lead and use what ever they are using, because many of their reels look better than new.
TomT

[sdlehr]

yep, using vinegar non diluted is asking for it. only time I do that is when I'm using a toothbrush to get nooks and crannys, then quick rinse.

I don't think any harm will come from a two-hour soak in straight vinegar. I've done it many times. The ORCA book recommends straight vinegar (and those guys are hard core). Just make sure to rinse in water with baking soda added to neutralize whatever acid is left, and make sure to get the rinse into the post holes so no acid remains behind un-neutralized.

Where do you find that product, CLR?
I need to keep an eye out for it, sounds amazing..

Chad

I think it's in the grocery stores.... for cleaning around the house.... we had it in the house already, and I didn't buy it. There's also a CLR industrial strength to be used on iron stains and scale deposits outside... I wouldn't use that undiluted without some testing first.

[Shark Hunter]

CLR stands for Calcium, Lime, Rust Remover.
Guys at work run it through their coffee pots.
I don't drink coffee unless I made it at home.
I have enough cleaners, degreasers and polishes.
These are what I use, and I think that is all I need.
Simple Green is a staple. I don't use it that often. only when a really dirty reel needs attention.
Sal uses it, and that is good enough for me. Just takes a long soak to work to its full potential.
Turtle wax chrome polish. My go to. Very easy to use and polishes up that tarnished chrome, lickety split.
Nev-R Dull is a time consuming process. Ted uses it. That is why his reels sparkle like no other.
It is quite stinky, smells like kerosene, but works really well if you have the patience.
For polishing stainless, I use Mothers Mag wheel polish. This stuff works great.
You can polish by hand, or if you want it to sparkle, you have to break out the buffing wheels.
As far as getting really dirty parts clean in a hurry, I use Brake Cleaner or a Coleman fuel Soak to get the cruddy baked on grease and grime off in a hurry with a tooth brush.
As far as Lubricants. Penn Blue for the internals, Cal's for the drags, Reel X for all other bearing and sleeve slickery.

[cbar45]

CLR stands for Calcium, Lime, Rust Remover.
Guys at work run it through their coffee pots.
I don't drink coffee unless I made it at home.
I have enough cleaners, degreasers and polishes.
These are what I use, and I think that is all I need.
Simple Green is a staple. I don't use it that often. only when a really dirty reel needs attention.
Sal uses it, and that is good enough for me. Just takes a long soak to work to its full potential.
Turtle wax chrome polish. My go to. Very easy to use and polishes up that tarnished chrome, lickety split.
Nev-R Dull is a time consuming process. Ted uses it. That is why his reels sparkle like no other.
It is quite stinky, smells like kerosene, but works really well if you have the patience.
For polishing stainless, I use Mothers Mag wheel polish. This stuff works great.
You can polish by hand, or if you want it to sparkle, you have to break out the buffing wheels.
As far as getting really dirty parts clean in a hurry, I use Brake Cleaner or a Coleman fuel Soak to get the cruddy baked on grease and grime off in a hurry with a tooth brush.
As far as Lubricants. Penn Blue for the internals, Cal's for the drags, Reel X for all other bearing and sleeve slickery.

Nice breakdown of the various cleaners/polishes used in reel repair SharkHunter...I have also tried automotive wheel polish on stainless...Not Mothers though--I think it was Meguiar's--and the results were spectacular.

[FatTuna]

Chad, I can't believe how nice that reel came out. Night and day. Nice work.

I checked out the other thread you linked. When you clean the chrome with WD-40 do you use a brass brush to get the tarnish off. I use the same process but I've never gotten one that clean before.

[foakes]

Vinegar, for me, has its place --

However, I only use it to remove and arrest the Verdigris (Green corrosion that attacks bronze, brass, and copper) process.  The pits will still be there -- but the corrosion process will be stopped from continuing permanently.

The other place it is of use to me, is to gently loosen very old screws or pieces from ancient reels.

In many cases, a gentle overnight bath is the ticket -- before attempting a breakdown on parts made of Unobtanium or Unreplacium.  Particularly good on German Silver, Nickel, etc.

In any case, I leave the parts in only as long as necessary -- and use a 50/50 mix of straight white vinegar and water.  Monitor closely, and remove as soon as the job is done -- rinse with warm water -- dry with a blow dryer -- then use the exact proper hollow ground screwdriver -- a firm, focused application of torque -- and a little luck and experience usually win the day.

Another last step on really tough to remove screws -- after the vinegar -- would be to soak in MINERAL SPIRITS, for a day, or so.  Then, so as to not booger up the screw slot -- try to tighten the screw just a bit, instead of just trying to remove it.  It is generally enough to just break loose the sticking screw -- then back out carefully by hand.

Vinegar is a tool to be used carefully -- since on many parts -- it will cause discoloring, or a major job of cleaning afterwards with the common things we use already.

Just my opinion.

Best,

Fred