Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with rust

Rust just isn't my colour.

saradarlin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:36:48 -0800

Rust Prevention? What do you do to prevent rust from forming on a 1-2 year old car? I am not a car person, live in a snow belt in Ontario, excessive road salt usage, cold weather etc, and I want to know what steps should I take to prevent rust from forming on the car. Black tar spray put on the bottom that apparently lasts for 10+ years, frequent car washes, oil sprays, some magic product called DuraShield? What should I do?

The car had half of a winter last year, sleeps in an insulated but unheated garage at night and is a medium sized SUV.

I tried google but I have no way to verify claims of performance and my bullshit-o-meter fails on all car related matters.

For the love of the Subaru!

Cold Lurkey — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:50:54 -0800

Are there any preventative measures, leaving aside driving the car every day, that will prevent my brakes from rusting like mad? So the dear Subaru wagon has gone into the shop to get what, originally, I thought, was at least one rear brake caliper replaced... Actually, it's the whole rear brake shooting match (rotors, brakes, calipers) that needs to be replaced. The shop-guy barely contained his astonishment.
The formula, as I see it, that led to this fairly pricey repair is the following:
A 1993 Subaru, driven ~100 miles a month, sits idle on Chicago streets otherwise... pining... + most of its driving, and certainly all of its sitting time is during the winter, when all the road surfaces are extremely salted down and thus when she's not sitting, pining, she's careening through a corrosive bath, however joyously. All this sitting, plus corrosive moisture = completely rusted brakes.
Aside from driving the damn thing more regularly –which I'll try to do, but that's essentially a lifestyle issue– is there any other tip or best practice that you can recommend for to prevent this infernal corrosion? for this or for any other car?
–there is another car in the household but it is but a honda, and I care not for it like I do the Subaru. The honda also has the sitting issue, and has started to get the brake wubbies.

Please explain a chemical reaction

Raybun — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:43:16 -0800

A ten percent solution of water and molasses is an effective, thorough, but slow way of removing rust from ferrous metals. When the rust/molasses/water has set for a while, you can burn your skin if you are not using gloves. What reaction turns mild mannered molasses, the soul of my baked beans, so nasty?

Dishwasher rust repair?

themel — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:59:04 -0800

My decade-old dishwasher's racks have started to rust through some blemishes in their protective coating. Can/should I fix this? I could of course throw out the entire thing, but it feels a bit wasteful to get rid of an entire dishwasher because of a couple of tiny (but, of course, growing) defects. On the other hand, having to clean the rust off my cutlery after every run isn't fun either.

I was thinking of some kind of protective paint, but given the corrosive environment and proximity to my food chain, I feel a bit out of my depth here. Has anyone done this without poisoning their family? What am I looking for?

Rusty Roof, Rusted.

SirStan — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:22:16 -0800

House help! What kind of metal; and how do I stop it from rusting? The porches on my home have a metal roof that is rusting. Can you please help me identify:

1. What kind of metal these are.
2. What course of action should I take to un-rusty them.

The paint store dude said I needed to sand it down, and prep it and then paint it.

The home inspector said there was some stuff you could paint over it and it would take care of the rust, and keep it awesome.

The very special guy at the hardware tried to sell me cans of rustoleum.

Photo of roofing in question:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirstan/3781685731/

The wheel goes rusty.

thecaddy — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:42:58 -0800

Do I need new bike wheels? Since it's warm out and its perfect weather to start riding bikes again, I figured I'd go tune up my bike ... only to find out that the rims of my wheels are a little bit rusty. Is there anything I can do to fix them, or is it time to get some new wheels?

Quick rusty door fix.

boby — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:21:30 -0800

My outside metal door is rusting. Is there a quick fix or do I need to sand, prime and repaint? The rust is more of a discoloration than deep rust.

Touching up a relic bicycle

backseatpilot — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:58:14 -0800

I bought a bicycle that's twice as old as I am and it needs some cosmetic work. The beauty in question is a 1966 Raleigh Superbe, in the green color. It's in incredibly good condition for its age (even has the original Brooks saddle with very little damage), but there are a few corrosion spots on the fenders and chainguard.

I would like to remove the corrosion as well as possible and fix the paint on those spots, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about it. I'm not interested in repainting the entire bicycle; I'd like to keep it as original as possible. So, I think I need to know a few things:

-the best way to remove light rust off the steel bits
-what type of paint to use (I was thinking of the acrylic paint I used to use for building models when I was a kid, and I've also seen suggestions to use nail polish. Thoughts?)
-how to repaint it. Primer coat? Brush type? I'm pretty bad at painting things, so use small words.
-any other suggestions or cautions you've got, or any other tips for keeping this bike looking in tip-top shape

Thanks!

Rust on my Thing

Brocktoon — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:14:04 -0800

I need advice on taking care of rust on a Volkswagen! I just bought my dad's 1974 Volkswagen Thing. It used to be cherry, but he let it go to hell a few years ago when he started feeling his age and wanted the comfort of a Land Rover. So I took it off his hands, and I will restore it eventually, but in the meantime, how can I affordably get rid of the rust on the body and trim that has built up, without getting a body shop involved (I'll worry about paint, etc. later)? It's pretty bad in some places.

Hard water stains

hardbop — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:27:57 -0800

How do you clean hard water rust stains from plastic and rubber? The fridge front door where you get water and ice has nasty brown stains on the rubber levers and plastic drip tray.

Wet Audis and the Bills they Cause

rileyray3000 — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:13:10 -0800

My 2006 Audi A4 is having ignition coil problems. And the dealer is saying because it's water damage related, it's not covered under warranty. I have NOT had the engine cleaned. I have NOT driven into a lake and I live in California where rain is minimal. Help me to not be screwed. So here's the short story for car people. For non-car people it tends to read a little longer:

I drive a 2006 Audi A4 2.0 quattro

1) had an accident where I rear ended someone. VERY minor. Cosmetic damage and the compressor for the AC. Took the car in two days later to an insurance company approved body shop.

2) Got the car back. Drove fine for one day. Then next day I start the car and it cranks but won't turn over. Have it towed to the body shop. They discover it's an ignition coil and possibly the left passenger side housing of said coil. According to Audi, cannot possibly be related to crash. Get it towed to the dealer. Says it's under warranty, should be fine

3) Got call the next day from the dealer saying it's water damage related. That rust has gotten on the interior of one of the ignition coils and that water damage is NOT covered by warranty.

4) Now I'm being told to pay 675 bucks.

The service tech says that they see a lot of that from pressure washing engines. I called the body shop. They say there's dust on the engine and that they clearly didn't pressure wash it. And they also say the hood was never off the car.

I have NEVER cleaned under this hood. I park the car in covered parking. So i guess my main question is how did this happen and what do I do about it?

But then there are the minor questions related to it:

-Can anything else LOOK like rust and maybe my dealer is mistaking it?
-Are there any known issues with ignition coils and rust?
-I park next to a constantly leaking pipe in my covered parking. Could the excess moisture just get in the car over time?
-Who do I go after here? Is the body shop guy full of crap or is the dealer? Or do I go after my landlord?

Neglect my ride

Skorgu — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:20:57 -0800

How would you make a well-running car or pickup truck look, smell, and/or sound like an eyesore/deathtrap/junker without affecting its real abilities or safety? The only hard criteria is that anything loud or smelly has to be able to be removed with only hand tools and it can't do permanent damage to the car (i.e. just letting bits rust).

What happened to my tub?

messylissa — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:16:53 -0800

What did the mildew remover leave in my tub? I recently sprayed Lysol Mildew Remover on the bottom perimeter of my shower curtain and left it over night. When I woke up in the morning, the remover appeared to have ran off the curtain to the middle of the tub where it left this giant rust-colored stain. Bleach spray isn't cleaning it, nor is more of the Mildew Remover. What in the world is it and (more importantly) how do I do to clean this up? I'm a renter and would like to retain my damage deposit when I move in a month.

Can pinpricks kill ya?

Sock Muppet Acct! — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:12:59 -0800

I accidentally popped my pimple with a rusty pin. Ugh. How worried should I be? I thought I picked up a shiny new safety pin, but, much to my horror, discovered the rust on the tip of the pin AFTER I'd poked it into my pimple.

Yes, I'm an idiot. Not only did I pop my pimple (it was getting painful, ok?!?), but I did it with a rusty pin.

So my question: How worried should I be about possible complications? I know that you all can't provide me with medical advice over the internet, but my student health center is closed tomorrow, and my only other option until it reopens on Monday is to go to the ER (which I really don't want to do, obviously).

Possibly relevant details: I recall having gotten a tetanus booster (I think?) about 9 years ago, though I'm not sure. The pimple keeps oozing (yes, gross, I know) so hopefully that's good that whatever may have gotten in there is kind of getting out?

And no, I won't ever do this again. Thank you in advance

De-oxidize my mortar & pestle, please.

signal — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:56:32 -0800

I have a gorgeous cast-iron mortar and pestle, that I use a lot for cooking. Unfortunately, it has some rust, especially on the bottom, probably from when it's washed and left to dry still slightly wet on its bottom. How should I: a) get rid of the present rust. b) avoid future rust. Pics here. You can clearly see the rust on the bottom.

Rusty frets, no obvious damp?

chrissyboy — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:10:56 -0800

I recently got one of my guitars out of its case to find the frets covered in green stuff, and small patches of rust on a few of them.... ... No other patches of rust appear to have worsened on the bridge etc (it's a '78 tele). I plugged it in and it was very crackly, which it wasn't before.

I checked my other guitar that I don't play regularly and found it to be in a similar condition. Both guitars have been kept in their cases - the tele in a hard fur lined hiscox case, and the strat in a gig bag.

The room they're stored in isn't apparently damp - I don't have central heating in my house, however the room the guitars are stored in does have a storage heater, and is the only room in the house kept at a decent temperature. The only thing I can think is the room is next to the bathroom.

My question is this: How can i prevent this from happening - would a de-humidifier help?

And does the rust on my guitars frets indicate the end of it's life? if not, how can i treat the frets? And am I better leaving the guitar out of its case?

any suggestions appreciated, really panicking about it.

How do I remove a wheel from a car?

OlderThanTOS — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:26:18 -0800

This car is a '97 Toyota and it was was functioning well when parked. It had a flat tire and has been parked in my driveway for three weeks. When I went to change the flat today, I could not get the wheel off. To be clear, the lug nuts all came of relatively easily, but the rim seems to be melded/rusted onto the axle. What do I do? Crowbar? Chisel? Dynamite?

Do I really have to cut through the lock?

sailoreagle — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 04:50:26 -0800

Bicycle was locked outside (it's against the rules to bring it inside the apartment where I live). It rained, and the bicycle wasn't used for some time, and now the lock won't budge (it rusted, I think): key goes in, but doesn't turn. I tried WD-40 but it didn't work. Before I cut through the lock, are there any other solutions I could try?

How to clean all the crannies of my rusty can opener?

lemuria — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:27:47 -0800

How can I clean a rusty can opener? I left my can opener in the sink and it got all gross and rusty. All the little bits that are hard to reach with normal cleaning implements are filled with nasty.

The best thing that Google gave me is that Pepsi probably doesn't work. Should I....boil it in something?

How can I stop my car from rusting?

chrisamiller — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:37:43 -0800

My car's paint is wearing off. I don't care about the cosmetic impact, but I'm worried about rust. What can I do myself (or have done cheaply) that will prevent further damage? I'll be honest - I don't take stellar care of my car. I bought it used a few years back, and mechanically it's fine. I only wash it once a month or so, though, and have never waxed it or anything like that.

Over the past few months, I've noticed that some areas have lost their finish, and now the paint is starting to go. The surface in these areas is kind of pitted, where some parts of the finish have worn down more quickly than others. (See pictures here: 1, 2, 3)

I'd like to fix this before my car's body starts rusting, but a full paint job is out of the question. I don't really care how the car looks. I just want to make sure that this car lasts for another 3 or 4 years, until I'm out of grad school.

Is there any kind of wax or sealant I can apply myself that will stop this erosion? Is there some kind of treatment that a body shop can do relatively cheaply? I know next to nothing about auto paint, so I'm hoping the hive mind can help me out here. Thanks in advance.

Rust repair on a Honda C-70 scooter

azuresunday — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:19:28 -0800

I just picked up an old Honda C-70 scooter and I'd like to get it shined up. Are there any places around Seattle that I can take it to and have the small bits of surface rust fixed and repainted/rechromed? Basically I'm looking for a decent de-rust and paint job that won't break the bank. The rust is just on the surface in various dime-sized patches on the chain guard and below the seat. I tried googling for things like "motorcycle repair seattle" but didn't come up with much - I'm in Kirkland but I'll travel for good service. Places that do free estimates would be awesome. Thanks in advance!

This is what procrastination will get ya: rust on your paint job.

iguanapolitico — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:12:50 -0800

AutoFilter: How to remove rust from on *top* of paint? I had this cool license plate holder that rusted all over my car. The car is 4 years old; the body itself is not rusting. It was just that license plate frame that caused a waterfall of rusty water to run down my car's paint job for a few months, and now I have these kind of, well, rust-colored sheen-streaks on top of the paint.

My google-fu has failed me because all the results deal with rusted out cars, and that's just not my problem.

My dad suggested naval jelly, but he was unsure if that would harm the paint.

I have of course trashed the frame and cleaned the area with a soft sponge. The car is red so this doesn't look like complete crap, but the finish is noticeably, ya know, tainted. Ideas?

Clean and mean here on the Green

oflinkey — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:53:35 -0800

What are your favorite heavy-duty cleaning products and super-cleaning secrets? I know about FlyLady. This question is about products and large-scale techniques.

I am moving out of my apartment very soon. I do not relish the apartment-clean that will take place, as we have lived here for 6 years. While I have kept a good house, there are some trouble spots involving recurrent mold/mildew in the bathroom (that will not stay away!), rust stains, and a terrible kitchen floor that I have to make look at least passably good.

I am looking for product recommendations mostly for bath and kitchen, but I welcome all advice. I do not have a ton of money to try out CLR and all that other fancy stuff, so recommendations for excellent products are what I am after. However, if a product really is THAT good, I will spend lots of money on it. I know that sometimes the price is worth the performance (see Anti-Icky Poo versus Nature's Miracle-- only the price is a miracle).

Also, if any of you have clean hacks or other tips/tricks you have learned when it comes to massive, move-out cleaning, please share. While I have plenty of elbow grease myself, I am tackling this alone as DH will be away (lucky bastard).

Help with my stained stainless steel!

wile e — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:27:23 -0800

Silverwarefilter: As much as I hate to waste a mefi question on this, but I feel I have to because it's driving me crazy. I have a set of stainless steel silverware and a set of cutlery also made of stainless steel (different brands/sets). We wash them in the dishwasher and they are constantly getting these orange like rust stains on them. How do I get rid of these? They can be rubbed off with some heavy scrubbing but I want the stains to stop recurring. Any ideas?

intentionally making steel rust

machaus — Fri, 04 May 2007 08:55:00 -0800

How can I make something I've fabricated out of cold rolled steel achieve a uniform patina of rust? I'd like to avoid using anything toxic or nasty like muriatic acid. This doesn't need to be done quickly, it can sit for a couple of weeks.