In testing, Rust 911 proved to be highly effective, eradicating nearly all the rust corrosion on the sheet-metal sample in about 2 hours, making it faster than some rivals. Depending on your location, you can pour it right down the drain if you want. Don't let that darkened color fool you, though: It can be used over and over again until its rust removal efficacy is diminished, then you can dispose of it. When diluted, it starts out as clear as water, but over time it turns inky black as it eats away rust. If you get any on your hands, it shouldn't cause irritation, but if it does, just wash up with a little soap and water. Rust 911 is a super safe rust removal product to use, being non-toxic, non-flammable and even biodegradable. This means Rust 911 is a tremendous value compared to some of its commercial rust remover competitors since its per-ounce price is very low, something that makes it more economical to soak larger components in, perhaps automotive parts like bumpers or radiator supports. And no, using a more potent ratio does not make the rust removal product work faster. The best rust remover mixes with water at a rate of 8 ounces per gallon, or a 16-to-1 ratio, meaning there's enough in our 32-ounce sample to create 4 gallons of finished rust dissolver. Of all the rust dissolvers we tested, Rust 911 is the only one that's offered in a concentrated formula. With that in mind, here are our picks for the best rust remover you can get to fight rust particles on the things that matter most. For consistency, each rusted object was cut from the same overall piece. The items that got the rust treatment include a section of sheet metal and two different sizes of threaded rod with rust buildup. We soaked several rusty steel components in each one, following the manufacturers' directions and diluting if required. We rounded up five readily available rust removal products to find out if they work as well as their manufacturers claim when it comes to removing surface rust. Some come in concentrated stain remover formulas while others are prediluted in the factory. Some contain hydrochloric acid or phosphoric acid that eats away at rust stain like termites gnawing on a rotten stump, while others use a fancy-sounding process called chelation to chemically break iron oxide down. There are many versions of this sort of rust removal product, which are like a whole lot of elbow grease stain removal crammed into a little bottle. Really, you can't go wrong with any of these rust removal products. Removing rust with chemical rust removers is as simple as tossing any grungy-looking items into a bath of rust dissolver and letting the rust removal solution go to work, attacking oxidation without harming the base material and often without affecting rubber, plastic or even a painted surface. How, you ask? Well, a range of products are available today that can eliminate stubborn oxidation rust spots on tools, car parts, antiques and, well, basically anything made of iron, all without the need to painstakingly grind rust stains away or sandblast down to solid metal. Rust stains can be treated to remove rust and even prevent rust from forming in the future.
And if you have a rusty tool, it's only a matter of time until it's no longer useful.īut rust doesn't have to be a death sentence for a metal surface - it can be arrested in its tracks with the right tools. In unfavorable conditions and without adequate protection, ferrous metals can literally dissolve in thin air, turning into a heap of reddish metal object crumbles. Heavy-duty trucks, suspension bridges and even mighty warships can all be brought low by a little oxygen and moisture. Rust is a silent killer, slowly attacking iron and steel and eventually causing corrosion to damage far more than just what you see on the surface.