Thread: What is Mineral Spirits in Australia?

Phosphoric acid will neutralise the rust and etch the surface. Should hold back the rust for some time.
Gives a good surface to paint over but nuts & bolts may get damaged as you tighten them, you really need new plated ones or paint after fitting.
I also find that if re-using nuts & bolts I have to run a tap through the nut and a die down the bolt (slow exercise) then treat them with phosphoric acid.

A lanolin type product would have to be removed with a solvent before painting as would the concoction you found online.

You can get phosphoric acid rust treatments from most auto shops & places like Bunnings. Probably cheaper still from a chemical supplier.
Bondall 1L Ranex Rustbuster Rust Converter | Bunnings Warehouse

Everything steel I strip & paint gets the phosphoric acid treatment. With small brackets etc. I don't undercoat just epoxy paint over the treated steel.

The concoction you found sounds more like a penetrating oil. I've seen it somewhere on a forum but it was ATF & acetone.
Home-made Penetrating Oil - Instructables


Colin

Mineral turpentine resembles turpentine in name only. It's mostly light hydrocarbon with some slightly heavier "enes" (xylene, toluene, methyl benzene) in small quantities. A crapload easier and cheaper to produce than real turpentine and just as good for cleaning brushes (and a lot cheaper). Not as good for stuff that really wants turpentine though.

Another vote for Shellite. Love the stuff.

Hello All,

I started off today thinking about Cosmoline. There are still NOS World War Two vehicle parts that come wrapped in tar paper. Inside the wrapping the metal is coated in Cosmoline, with no rust present. Then I thought about lanolin. Some varieties of Ed's Red formula includes lanolin for protection during storage.

Colin, there was an article from a metal machinist forum that tested different types of rust penetrate, I think the link you found is based off the metal machinist thread. I just tracked down a forum posting that mentions the test. I tried to get to the original site however it is no longer freely accessible. The article I found that mentions the test i- accessed 2nd February 2020 from, Home made Penetrating Oil -

The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop Magazine's BBS


Recently “Machinist Workshop Magazine” did a test on penetrating oils. Using nuts and
bolts that they ‘scientifically rusted’ to a uniform degree by soaking in salt water, they then
tested the break-out torque required to loosen the nuts. They treated the nuts with a variety
of penetrants and measured the torque required to loosen them.

This is what they came up with:
Nothing: 516 lbs
WD-40: 238 lbs;
PB Blaster: 214 lbs;
Liquid Wrench: 127 lbs,
Kano Kroil: 106 lbs
(ATF)/Acetone mix (50/50): 50 lbs.

This last “shop brew” of 50% automatic transmission fluid and 50% acetone appears to beat
out the commercially prepared products costing far more.

I wonder whether the the ATF/Acetone mix could be further improved by adding lanolin into the formula?

Kind regards
Lionel

Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Another recipe I found had anhydrous lanolin, beeswax, DOT3 brake fluid, and turpentine.

The brake fluid is a bit of a concern regarding leaving a residue that could effect the application of new paint.

The lanolin & beeswax would also leave a residue.

Colin

Hello All,

The current weather is not conducive to working outside on Land Rovers.

I looked up Shellite on the internet. I found some links to be Shellite powered irons used for ironing clothes. Gee what could possibly go wrong!

Kind regards
Lionel

The whole idea of adding lanoline or beeswax to rust treatments is exactly to leave a residue. As Colin hints - do not use if painting. These products are most use if you are not or cannot paint it, for example if you are not planning to disassemble whatever it is.

John

Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello All,

The current weather is not conducive to working outside on Land Rovers.

I looked up Shellite on the internet. I found some links to be Shellite powered irons used for ironing clothes. Gee what could possibly go wrong!

Kind regards
Lionel

It is used in pressure lanterns, blow torches, soldering irons. Many Shellite heated appliances were used in the bush before mains electricity was widespread.

If you want eventually to paint your items, coat them in Penetrol, then paint over it. The Flood Company Australia » Anti Corrosion Products » penetrol-anti_rust
You can also add penetrol to the enamel paint to make the paint flow better and give a spray like finish from a brush.

If you just want to coat the items for rust prevention and then clean it off later, have a look at Shell Ensis fluid. http://roghanonline.com/Data-Sheet/S...nsis_Fluid.pdf
We used to coat our plough shares with it after ploughing. A year later after a wash with turps, they would be just as shiny as the day it was put on. Shiny ploughs use less horsepower than rusty ones.
Don