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molasses ??

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Danny G. 
#1 ·
Sorry to sorta double post this but I think that my other post has been looked at so all are missing this question.
Ok I can't find molasses here in a gallon they want to sell me five gallons at the feed stores .Will the molasses at the grocery store work ?As I only want to mix up a five gallon bucket.
 
#2 ·
I must be missing something here

I read this 4 times & still don't know :confused:

Do just want a 5 gallon bucket?
are we having pancakes & sausage for breakfast
if they read your previous post ,why do they still want to sell you molasses?



What is in these brownies man :mwink:

Mike I think you did something to the recipe man :drool:

I'm going home



R :thumbup:
 
#3 ·
Sorry if this is confusing ! I want to try the molasses to remove rust like baddbob did .I only want to mix up a five gallon bucket so I only need a gallon of molasses. But at the feed stores they will only sell me a five gallon bucket .I don't need four extra gallons of molasses kicking around. So I was wondering if I could use the molasses from the grocery store as I can buy a gallon of it or does it have to be feed molasses?

Thanks !
 
#4 ·
The molasses at the grocery store is a liquid...a syrup made from sorgham molasses. The molasses at the feed store is dry...it is ground up sorgham molasses. For what you are wanting to use it for I would think you would need the syrup type from the grocery store.
 
#6 ·
the recipe that works

hi there

i have used and still have a vat out the back with a mix of mol and water

my mix ratio is 1 part mol to 10 parts water...it takes about 4 weeks to clean things up properly

i also have a heavy mixture of 1 part mol to 4 parts water for a quick turnaround for my impatient clients...1 week

liquid molasses is the correct product to use

hope this helps

aussie bob
 
#7 · (Edited)
I read this article on the last July issue of Auto Restorer. Tried to post the link, but I couldn't find it.

The very back has a Readers' Tips section.
by Jim Hulliberger
Reed City, Michigan

Molasses Rust Removal
This Process is Inexpensive and Effective but Very S-l-o-w

Last year I was researching an inexpensive way of removing rust from my "rustang" project, as well as for my Edsel project.

What I was looking for was a way to remove rust CHEAPLY. I came across some information that claimed you could use molasses for this.

At first I was skeptical, since it seemed that it would take a LOT of molasses for this, and at $2 a bottle at the grocery store, the cost would be prohibitive.

Some further reading let me know that most feed supply stores or grain elevators stock bulk molasses for feeding farm animals. The cost is astonishingly low! I bought 5 gallons a few blocks from my house for less than $9, and that included a five gallon jug!

The molasses is mixed 1:4 to 1:10 with water (which means I have enough to produce 20-50 gallons of solution), and you completely submerge your parts in it and let them sit for awhile. Your parts must be degreased completely, since the solution does not cut grease and the grease will prevent the solution from contacting the oxidation. Also, you may need to brush the parts occasionally in order to speed up the process.

My Project
I performed an experiment using a very rusty fuel level sending unit from my '59 Edsel, and was fairly pleased with the results. I have posted my progress at http://www.homercidal.com/molasses though I should add some more photos and some updated info. (Feel free print this link in Auto Restorer so that the readers can check it out for themselves)

For the first test, I used a one-gallon windshield washer jug with about 1:6 molasses and water solution.

I cut the jug so that the opening is "hinged" in the front, and I can still screw the cap back on to help seal it. Needless to say, I sure appreciated that the next day when I kicked the jug over in the garage!

Here's how the process works, and its all outlined in the web pages as well. the molasses rust removal, as far as I could tell from my Internet research, works using the principle of chelating, by actually converting the Iron Oxide into the something different. I won't attempt to get any more scientific than that, and there is some speculation about acid levels, and whatnot, but at any rate it works.

However it works SLOWLY. I let the fuel level sender soak for a couple of weeks in order to get the results shown on my Web site. I also placed a squirrel cage from my Mustang project in the same jug, and it was bare in a week or so.

The heavier the rust, the faster it works? (I also theorize that the varnish from the gas tank acted as a barrier to the molasses, keeping it from working as quickly.)

Pros and Cons of Molasses
Note that I was not interested in "instant" rust removal. I was interested in CHEAP. There are many advantages to using Molasses other than cheap:

1. Cheap (OK, I know I've been emphasizing this, but it is cheap. And, the solution can be used repeatedly, for many months.)

2. Effective (Seems to do a pretty good job.)

3. Safe for the parts. (The molasses doesn't appear to affect the bare metal.)

4. Non-Hazardous (If you get some in your eye, you'll probably still be able to catch your favorite TY shows that day.)

5. Environmentally Safe (When your molasses is ready for disposal, simply pour it in your yard. I hear it makes a decent fertilizer, and if not, at least it doesn't hurt anything.)

Now for the downsides:
1. SLOW (You won't want to sit and watch it work!)

2. Smelly (Some claim that you need to let molasses ferment in order to get it to work, but I doubt it.)

You can get a chemical from the local beer and wine-making store to keep it from coming alive. It will still smell a bit on your hands, and not in a good "Molasses cookies, yummy!" kind of way. I also am going to try adding just enough chlorine bleach to the mix to prevent the growth of that stuff, and see if the results are still good.

However, I've kept my experiment in a gallon jug with a lid on it in the kitchen without my wife commenting on it, so it can't be that bad, and thats without the no-ferment option. Another 20-gallon tank in the basement with a lid is also OK.

I've got some brake drums in that one, along with an oil pan, and I hope to check on them soon. I put them in last winter and forgot about them!

Keep in mind that the parts will come out of the molasses process with no protection from future rust, and the oxidation will commence again immediately. You must be prepared to clean the molasses from the parts, and protect the metal right away, either by painting, oiling or other means, otherwise your parts will quickly begin to rust again.

Also, I'm doing research on using a battery charger and Arm and Hammer Washing Soda to remove rust, but while that method is much, much faster, it's more dangerous and not as environmentally friendly. Plus you have to be careful with Stainless, and the process, in addition to the usual hydrogen by-product, gives off toxic chromate's, which have to be disposed of properly.

Jim Hulliberger
 
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