Author Topic: citric acid or ammonium citrate rust removal  (Read 1342 times)

Offline John Greeney

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citric acid or ammonium citrate rust removal
« on: March 22, 2015, 09:49:54 AM »
Hello,
Been a while since I posted, but i'm getting back to my pile of rust and grease and had some questions.
Lately I've been using ammonium citrate (powdered food grade citric acid with a dash or two of pure ammonia) to clean some of my rusty tools, files, etc.  I follow this with a scrub, simple green spritz, and 91% rubbing alcohol wash. 

I was thinking of adapting this formula for cast iron pieces that have a light haze of rust, only using full strength Dawn or another lye soak to neutralize the citric before seasoning (instead of simple green/alcohol).  Does anyone know of a food or cast iron safety reason where this might be a bad idea?

I know a vinegar solution performs a similiar function, but I always have trouble with flash rust, and wanted to try this method. 

Thanks!