Take that grammar nazis!
I pulled some geo seats from the junkyard for my datsun build. I'd like to use the old geo seat bolts so I do not need to add new ones to my budget. They are rusty. what is the best way to remove rust from between the threads?
I am afraid that reverse electrolysis will eat the threads. I do not have a vibratory polisher, but they sell them at HF...
Soak in vinegar 24 hrs
Soak 'em in white vinegar.
Coca-Cola 
I just picked 4 gallons.. cost me about 6 bucks at the supermarket
Thanks for the advice, guys. I just tossed them into a container with vinegar. I appreciate the help.
Be careful with vinegar. I left some bolt soaking in vinegar overnight once, only to find the zinc coating had been removed and the rust converted to nice holes. Soaking similar bolts for less time resulted in nice and clean bolts.
I'm a fan of electrolysis, though.
This thread is useless without pics!
I use a wire wheel on a bench grinder frequently. It's fast, and does a very good job.
Oh, and it doesn't make my shop smell like vinegar!
SVreX wrote: I use a wire wheel on a bench grinder frequently. It's fast, and does a very good job. Oh, and it doesn't make my shop smell like vinegar!
I find that if I use a nice balsamic vinegar, that the smell is far more appealing. 
I prefer the manly feeling of flying rusted metal shards and the associated tetanus and/or loss of vision potential.
Seriously, it's pretty easy and quick.
I used Evapo-Rust on my last project. The only issue was that the bolts pretty much flash-rusted once out and dry. Otherwise quite easy, nothing eaten away.
most of you don't wanna hear this but the answer is...
muriatic acid
put bolts/ hardware in plastic margarine tub, add acid, go drink beer or two... and bingo, no more rust
use only outdoors
I always wanted to try my dad's casing tumbler he uses for polishing brass for reloading. Never did though...
I use a gallon jar with one pint carton of BBs, and white vinegar.
To remove oil and other crap, I use a gallon jar with one pint of BBs and some parts cleaner.
Everybody always makes these things more complicated than they have to be. If you have a wire wheel on a buffer/grinder motor, use that. If you don't have a wire wheel, use a wire brush. Either way, the job is done faster than I could type this.
Bonus when using a bench grinder: when (not if) the wheel catches the bolt and shoots it across the garage, when you're hunting for it you get to find those places under your shelves and such that you've never swept. As Peter Egan has probably put it, that's also the most accurate way of finding the nicest paint or the most expensive item in your garage, like a money-seeking missile.
Thanks...vinegar worked well
You'll need to log in to post.
