How do you clean your rust bolts?
 

I'm restoring an O and lots of the bolt are rusty. Is there a quick and easy way to clean them without the time of a wire wheel? Also are there kits you can buy that has all the tractors bolts, screws, nuts, and washers?
Thanks.

Go to the local farm shop or hardware store. They sell bolts and hardware by the pound. Just replace all the bolts. Not worth the time to clean. If you absolutely think you need the original bolts, then bead blasting is the best way.

I've used a vibratory tumbler for small parts before.
Takes a while but you don't need to stand and watch it either.

Plus I already had one for reloading

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-lb-me...ler-67617.html

Mix a solution of 30% muriatic acid, 10-1 with water and soak your bolts. Some bolts will be clean in 30 minutes, some may take a couple hours.

Rinse them off good in clear water, then something like Castrol Super Clean and rinse again and dry quickly or they'll rust.

If you watch it closely, you can pull your bolts out before the acid eats the zinc coating off the fastener and they won't rust then.

My time is worth too much money to take the time to clean a bolt that can be replaced for such small cost. I understand that some people want the IH headed bolt, but so far.... I have never seen a case where it made a difference on the value of the machine, or won more trophy's for having the original hardware. (On a Cub Cadet) If you know of a case where it did matter, I'll bow out of that statement.

You can pull the rust off using an electrolysis bath, all you need is a plastic container and a power source. Instructions on setting one up are plentiful online. In your case, you can put all the bolts in a metal tray , wire up the tray and do them all at once. Just don't wire it backwards, it will have the opposite effect of rusting them more(and quickly may I add).

I've used a tumbler for cleaning gun brass, I just filled it with sandblasting sand and it worked pretty good. I'm with j mech though, I just use new bolts on my cubs that way if I ever have to work on it I don't have to worry about hurting the bolts.

Not quick but very cheap and EASY, just mix up some molasses and water and let them sit for a week. It won't remove the plating or grease but it will remove all of the rust.

Details here..
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=26163

You mean when I repainted my blade last summer and replaced the carriage bolts on the wear strip with Home Depot specials it lessened the value of it? :Sad: this is awful news.......

LOL! Yes Daniel, your blade is now worth exactly $7.38 less that it was before. :biggrin2: