I like Hunters & zippypinheads idea. With their way I can put on pancakes & make a drink to have with said pancakes while cleaning rust off my parts .

Thanks SXSMAN, electrolysis is something I plan on trying as well, but I do like the passivity of the molasses, drop it in, leave it there, forget about it, finally remember to take it out.... Everything is a-ok

i worry about throwing electricity into the mix with water and my dogs etc. I live in the woods, my luck I would end up starting a forest fire....

I'm sure this is not new to most of you, this is a little faster way to remove rust. Also non-toxic and safe to dispose of.

Electrolysis

//www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/ 

//antique-engines.com/electrol.asp

These are things most of us have sitting around.

Not trying to hijack this thread or derail, wanting to add to it. I plan on trying Molasses.

I have a parts washer and have degreased a hub carrier and a couple steering arms, tossed them in too, we will see!

I would like to clarify that the head in question is not, in fact, mine.. I have an acquaintance who had a nice load of mini parts stored outside in wooden boxes, they got a bit damp....

i figured it was worth trying to save  a 1275 head, even if it is only an AA one.

i will have had it in for 10 days once I return from my charity ride www.cycleofhope.ca (shameless plug...) we will see how 10:1 compares to 3:1

Some enrichment will occur...but Sean got me to thinking about a lot of other bits I have...just need part wash to remove greae & oil and strip paint as necessary before molasses/water bath.

If I read his post correctly, he is using a 10:1 ratio water to molasses for yhe head.  If so the results will be most interesting because I have used 3 or 4:1.

Good heavens! Where have you been keeping that head? It isn't big enough to be a decent boat anchor.

Will there be anything left of it, or will you end up with iron-enriched molasses?

I made a bigger tank... It is a large rubbermade container (with a lid to keep the stink in...).

my firsts bath was a 5 gallon bucket, I bought a 500ml tub of molasses for $5.00 and mixed it 1:10 with water. I went to the feed supply store and they has a 2.5 gallon bucket for $21.00. I have 10 gallons of water mixed with 1 gallon of molasses. I threw the mankiest, rustiest old cylinder head I had into the tub. I will be going away for a week, we will see what comes out upon my return!

Mousy

Image Gallery

Test piece update:

The 3 into 1 Cooper exhaust manifold...after a few days in the bath since I got back at it.  NOTE the dark, outlet end.  This did not get submerged.  Now in to get cleaned up too.

Bath is really effective on an old bit like this as the holes were plain to see.

Those are great pics Hunter and windrum.  Next let's see a DIY cad plating setup.

How did you decarbonize?  Every time I use Easy-Off, it does a great job removing the cylinder head paint that I wanted to keep but does not blow my skirts up with carbon removal results.

The cylinder head looks great, I am going to get a bigger tub and see about cleaning up bigger things!

My biggest complaint it that it is a bit stinky, Im going to get a tight fitting lid for my bucket.

My view is that dilute molasses is simply safer, biodegradable, non-toxic, no disposal issues.  Other options may be quicker (also more expensive) at a specialty shop where disposal is their worry not ours.

I went to molasses/water bath after acid bath at machine shop did a very poor job of getting at the rust...even after a 2nd go round with the head.

molasses contains citric acid, fatty acids, amino acids

I wonder if it works on rust the same way as that metal prep green liquid Ospho does (phosphoric acid)?

I wonder how they compare? 

Molasses would take longer because it is not as acidic as Ospho. You can drink molasses but not Ospho.

Image Gallery

12G940 head out of bath, thoroughly rinsed and dried...next up, a little cleanup with grinder, new guides, hardened exhaust seats, head skim, paint.

Trailing arm brackets done, 2 cones done, 2 more cones back in with 3 into 1 cooper exhaust...we'll see.

2 pin holes showed up in the center exit of the Cooper manifold....

I picked this manifold up out of wet grass and said to the owner, "Do you mind if I clean it up to see if it's useable?"  (I want to show him what can be done with bits apart from letting them lie around in wet grass.)

I seem to remember BOBB posting a thread about soaking a block in this stuff a few years ago.

Terry

As KG says, I get the Molasses from the Otter Farm Co-Op store up Harris Road...not a mile away.

Thanks to all of you posting pictures and the process.  I had heard about this before but didn't want to experiment with it myself until I had talked to someone who had tried it.

You can usually buy molasses from any feed store that sells horse feed. It is a byproduct of the sugar industry.