(See non-toxic cleaners in the last paragraph, and Do Rust Cleaners Work?)
RUST ON RUGS
There has always been one basic chemical available for getting rust off about anything and that was Oxalic Acid. That was the active ingredient in the old petroleum jelly that we used to clean the rust off o...
David from Victoria, British Columbia is a safety officer in his workplace. Last year he saw me putting penetrating oil on a rusted nut and then heating it with a propane torch to break it loose. Bad stuff he says. Heating oils like that can be very bad for your health, as was the case of a custo...
When it comes to loosening rusted bolts, some ways are more ecologically friendly than others.
Heat
Simply heating the nut will sometimes expand it before the bolt heats up, breaking the rust lock and allowing it to come off.
Chemicals
Lubricants and ordinary oils will not break the bonds of ...
There are interesting stories about most fasteners.
The standard galvanised nails should not be used with Cedar because the tannic acid in cedar will react with the galvanisation. Just as Aluminium nails should not be used with pressure treated wood.
Many new coatings exist that work even bette...
Iron ochre is a rust coloured sludge that accumulates and clogges perimiter drains in certain soils. It is often found the Eastern Townships of Quebec. It is a very complex problem which can be controlled but not solved. In fact the real solution in regions known to have iron ochre is to not b...
Underground tanks are banned
Many years ago we buried oil tanks in the ground. Think a minute about how bad an idea that was. When a very old tank developed a leak, we never knew about it and it just leaked oil into the ground for years, creating quite an environmental problem. That is why it is...
Lubricants are products designed to make things slip.
Sister products that have some lubrication but are specialized for other uses are penetrating oils that are used to loosen up rusted parts, drying sprays designed to remove water from electrical wires and some cleaning sprays.
Although I use...
