Anyone got any tips on removing the rust from traps? I saw the other posting on here about soaking in water & vinegar. Is this what I want to do? How long do you soak them? Right now the traps are real "stiff". I looks as they will be fine though if I can remove a coat of the rust. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

The vinegar method for rust removal from traps is simple, safe, efficient, cheap and not time consuming. There are other options used that I am not very familiar with. Look in the archives for additional information. I have only used vinegar to remove trap rust.

Here is a before and after example where used on an older, very rusty coil spring. The trap was soaked in a 3:1 solution of white vinegar to water for 3-4 days. It does not matter if the vinegar is white or brown. They both are about 5% acidic.

The residual rust in the second photo wiped right off.

Jonathan

mortar mixer and tumble with sand till clean

Sweet!! My 20 traps look just like your rusty one. I am relived to know I have a chance at using them again. I didn't want to have to replace them all. Thank you very much for the pictures.

Keith

Vinegar huh. Dang, now I dont have to take them apart and go after them with a wire wheel nomore. LOL

Buzzard, that's cheating man! Lucky you.

that 3 parts vin to 1 part water?

i used 50% of each vinegar and water

muratic acid works great,but you have to be careful,dulute and don`t leave them in any longer than you need to,then soak them in a baking soda bath,but the only reason i use it is because i always have it for washing masonry....so your probably better off using vineger...same thing basicly

Yes, 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water. I add the water to buffer the intensity of using straight vinegar. If you soak traps in straight vinegar, forget about them by leaving them in solution too long, I have heard that it can weaken the springs on coil spring traps. A friend told me that happened to him once.

Jonathan

Great pics Jonathan. If you're in a big hurry muriatic acid will do it faster, maybe in minutes or an hour. But like Donnie said you have to watch it and do it outside. Rinse real well when you're done.

Thanks for the reminder, Donnie and Woofman.

The muriatic acid option is the one that I am not familiar with using as yet. I recall mention of it as an efficient trap rust remover in similar posts that I have participated in on this topic in the past.

I plan on giving the acid an objective try the next time that I need to remove rust - often from a need through the purchase of used traps that have been rusted for years. These photos are from used traps that had been hanging somewhere, I think, for twenty years.

Jonathan