TOPIC:

Have any of you ever tried the vinegar + tin foil trick to remove rust from the body? I just got a 1982 KZ440 LTD this week and it has some rust I'd like to try to get rid of. I have heard conflicting reviews about the process and tales of even more rust coming back in a short time after doing it.

Any stories or tips would be greatly appreciated!

FYI, I live in a tiny apartment on a hill in San Francisco so all repairs would need to be on the street with likely no power tools

Any pics of the bike???
And yes, welcome to the KZR community

When you say the body,are you talking about the frame? I dont see how you could do it with vinegar as its a slow process. I have done the inside of my tank with vinegar. I filled it up and left it for about 2 weeks. Emptied it out and flushed it with soda to neutralize the vinegar then a misting with WD40 to stop the flash rust ( though I later found out diesel works better). It did work very well but I dont see how you would do a frame.
Also whatever process you use,the rust will return unless you touch up the paint,so why not just give it a rub with a wire brush,to get any heavy rust off. A bit of Scotchbrite for the not so heavy stuff , clean it off and slap a bit of paint on.
The tin foil,as far as I know, is used for cleaning chrome. I tried it once and ended up with a load of scratches. Stick with Autosol and an old toothbrush or similar for that.

Do you mean the frame or the fuel tank or ? After doing the treatment, the steel will probably flash rust after rinsing off the solution & if you don't paint the parts, the rust will probably come back in no time. If it's the frame, you could try a spot treatment under the seat.

Instead of vinegar, you could try scrubbing off the loose rust with a stiff nylon brush, wipe off the dust with clean cloths & denatured alcohol, wipe with a tack cloth to remove lint, then spot spray a rust fixer from the auto parts store. If feasible, topcoat with a PJ1 fast black or some other frame paint. PJ1 also has primer. I'm not sure if primer should be used with the fast black. probably yes.
...

I cleaned up an old tank for a friends 75 Honda last year with Electrolytic rust removal.
Worked incredibly well.
Electrolytic Rust Remoal

When you say "soda", do you mean baking soda? Did you make up a baking soda solution to neutralize? If so, how strong?

I have a seat base soaking in a tub of apple cider vinegar now. It does seem to affect the rust.

nhsteve wrote: When you say "soda", do you mean baking soda? Did you make up a baking soda solution to neutralize? If so, how strong?

I have a seat base soaking in a tub of apple cider vinegar now. It does seem to affect the rust.

Not baking soda,its a soda used for washing. No idea what the 'proper' name is. I didnt measure anything when I mixed it up,just threw a couple of cup fulls into some hot water and stirred until it dissolved. It all worked fine.

davido wrote:

nhsteve wrote: When you say "soda", do you mean baking soda? Did you make up a baking soda solution to neutralize? If so, how strong?

I have a seat base soaking in a tub of apple cider vinegar now. It does seem to affect the rust.

Not baking soda,its a soda used for washing. No idea what the 'proper' name is. I didnt measure anything when I mixed it up,just threw a couple of cup fulls into some hot water and stirred until it dissolved. It all worked fine.

It's sodium carbonate.

That or baking soda will work for neutralizing the vinegar, but vinegar is such a weak acid that a neutralization step probably isn't strictly necessary; a thorough rinse should be sufficient.

Muriatic or sulfuric acid probably should be neutralized, but even that need not be an exact science (so to speak). A ballpark adjustment using a simple base will get you in the ballpark of neutral, which should be fine. Even if you go overboard with the soda, the resulting solution is unlikely to create a corrosive base.

San Francisco? Sorry to hear that. Is vinegar still allowed to be sold? Is that not a carcinogen? Every can I have in my garage says know to cause cancer in the state of california!!! WTF! Nancy Pablowsmie causes cancer! Beware of the Fecal Shit App too! Don't park near a hot steamer!
Oh. just kidding Hillary!
On chrome fenders, just rub aluminum foil over the rust. Temporily ?? fills the pores of rust with aluminum.
How are the hells Angels doing out there? Do they still run the "big red machine" business?

Thanks for everyone's input. The rust is on metal pieces around the engine, on some of the chrome, and there is tarnish on the engine itself. There is a LOT of rust on some components such as the tip-over-protector-bars. All in all I think it is in good shape; I want to keep it original as possible and not repaint.

Based on my readings / feedback I'm going to try using microfiber towels and Quick Glo Chrome Cleaner instead of the vinegar and tin foil. It looks like the Quick Glo will clean off the rust and provide a protective coating to prevent future rust.

Okay I spent about 2 hours rubbing Quick Glo on a few pieces and it works pretty darn well on the chrome and decent on the outside of the engine. I think my tip-over-protector-bar things are beyond help but little bits of rust came right off. I probably have another 10 hours of rubbing to finish cleaning up the bike but all in all it is pretty effective and does not require much. I'll let you know if the rust comes back.