Good Rust Remover for Fiberglass? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-18-2010, 02:30 PM   #1
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Does anyone have a good suggestion for rust stain removal? The stuff I used worked, but it seemed like the result was more from "elbow grease" than the actual working of the product.

I replaced the rusty door stop with a new one, and tried to get the rust stains off at the same time.


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Old 04-18-2010, 02:39 PM   #2
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I use Naval Jelly

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http://www.amazon.com/Henkel-553472-Loctit...e/dp/B000C016OC
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Old 04-18-2010, 10:48 PM   #3
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I like Davis' FSR (Fiberglass Stain Remover). It's a blue gel; you put it on and rinse it off. It works well in my experience and is safe for gelcoat.



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Old 04-19-2010, 04:35 AM   #4
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Muriatic acid works just great. I use a cheap paint brush, dab it on and wait a while. More than one application is needed if the rust is thick, but no scrubbing is required.

Do not put it on stainless steel. It promotes rust on stainless.
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Old 01-07-2013, 11:11 AM   #5
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You might try Bar Keepers Friend. Powdered cleanser, low abrasive, a type of bleach. Known safe for fiberglass campers but does require some elbow grease.

Had not heard of the FSR product. Where do you find that at Raya?
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Old 01-07-2013, 11:58 AM   #6
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You might try Bar Keepers Friend. Powdered cleanser, low abrasive, a type of bleach. Known safe for fiberglass campers but does require some elbow grease.

Had not heard of the FSR product. Where do you find that at Raya?
Old post. Raya has been AWOL for quite some time. Shame, I enjoy her contributions. Raz
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Old 01-07-2013, 02:50 PM   #7
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Old post. Raya has been AWOL for quite some time. Shame, I enjoy her contributions. Raz
I guess I'll just look up the product online. It's always good to find out about products people have used that are safe for FG. Been off-line for awhile and forgot to look at the posting date.
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Old 01-07-2013, 04:17 PM   #8
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Someone had dropped a cheap metal tool into my pool and it left rust stains on the bottom. I couldn't get rid of the stains no matter what I tried. One day I was reading through some "Natural Remedy" info online and it said to take some vitamin C tablets and put them in an old sock to hold them together and use the sock as a scrub brush. After a few minutes rubbing on the stain the vitamin C began to melt and the stain disappeared. Outside of a pool you could probably melt a single tablet in a very small amount of water and rub it on the stain.
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Old 01-07-2013, 04:50 PM   #9
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Naval Jelly= Phosphoric acid
muriatic acid= hydrochloric acid
Vitamin C= ascorbic acid

A common theme perhaps.

Vinegar = acetic acid might be another one?? Raz
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Old 01-07-2013, 05:05 PM   #10
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Barkeeper's Friend= oxalic acid (plus some very mild abrasives)

Oxalic acid is the best rust stain remover I've found...

According to rust primer,
Quote:
Oxalic acid operates to remove rust by forming a water-soluble complex ion (called a chelate) around each iron ion
On fiberglass, make a paste of B.F. and let it sit for awhile...then wash off. (It won't "eat away" the fiberglass itself).

Francesca
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Old 01-07-2013, 05:08 PM   #11
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Barkeeper's Friend= oxalic acid (plus some very mild abrasives)

Oxalic acid is the best rust stain remover I've found.............

Francesca
+1 I use it in my showers and tubs (rusty well water). It works great on rust stains.
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Old 01-07-2013, 05:15 PM   #12
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I think oxalic acid would work on bloodstains, too- there's lots of iron in blood.

Francesca

P.S.

Not that I'm contemplating any actions that might result in a necessity to know/use this information....

F.
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Old 01-07-2013, 05:19 PM   #13
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You used to be able to buy pure oxalic acid at the pharmacy. I've used it to remove water stains in old furniture. Raz
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Old 01-07-2013, 06:35 PM   #14
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You used to be able to buy pure oxalic acid at the pharmacy. I've used it to remove water stains in old furniture. Raz
You still can and it's probably the cheapest and best product to use but the others listed also work. Boaters use oxalic acid more because, especially around salt water, rust stain removal is more of an issue.

I posted the reference to FRS, the blue gel. It is the best non abrasive stain remover that I've ever used. I buy mine at a marine store.

Ron
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Old 01-08-2013, 12:08 PM   #15
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I use CLR to clean the bathroom and it works well, the bottle says it's safe for fiberglass.
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Old 01-08-2013, 12:47 PM   #16
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I like CLR too, but it seems to me that its effectiveness (especially against rust) has been reduced since they had to take the phosphorous out of the formula.

Of course, removal of phosphorous from cleaning supplies has long been a pet peeve of mine, so I could just be blowing smoke in this department!

Francesca
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Old 01-08-2013, 01:51 PM   #17
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Jelmar makes a line of CLR products, but I think it's reasonable to assume we're talking about the basic CLR liquid Calcium Lime & Rust Remover. The MSDS won't open on my tablet, but anyone who is curious could check to confirm that it is an acidic solution which does not currently contain phosphorus.

From the manufacturer's CLR FAQ:
Quote:
Can I clean my fiberglass boat, tub, or shower stall?
Yes, CLR is safe on fiberglass. Begin with a mixture of CLR and water and progress to full strength if needed.
I use CLR at home, and would certainly consider it for rust stain removal from fiberglass; however, note that the same FAQ also includes:
Quote:
CLR will take the finish off of aluminum and copper.
Our window frames are typically aluminum.
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Old 01-08-2013, 03:02 PM   #18
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I like CLR too, but it seems to me that its effectiveness (especially against rust) has been reduced since they had to take the phosphorous out of the formula.

Of course, removal of phosphorous from cleaning supplies has long been a pet peeve of mine, so I could just be blowing smoke in this department!

Francesca
You could always add the phosphorus back in. TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) powder can be purchased at Lowe's and probably other home improvement stores. We add a little to each load of dishes in the dishwasher, since they took the phosphorus out of the dishwashing powder too.
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Old 01-08-2013, 03:09 PM   #19
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You could always add the phosphorus back in. TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) powder can be purchased at Lowe's and probably other home improvement stores. We add a little to each load of dishes in the dishwasher, since they took the phosphorus out of the dishwashing powder too.
Yeah- I do that, too...but it never occurred to me to add it to CLR.

Thanks for the idea!

Francesca
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Old 01-08-2013, 04:26 PM   #20
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Phosphorous free

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Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles View Post
I like CLR too, but it seems to me that its effectiveness (especially against rust) has been reduced since they had to take the phosphorous out of the formula.

Of course, removal of phosphorous from cleaning supplies has long been a pet peeve of mine, so I could just be blowing smoke in this department!

Francesca
The last box of TSP I bought in Wisconsin was phosphate free . The last bag of lawn fertilizer I bought in Minnesota was phosphorous free. Many states require phosphate free detergents .. I live on a lake where many of the homes have antiquated septic systems and the outlawing of phosphates has done wonders in preventing algae from turning the lake into Pea Soup during the summer . We also are not allowed to use granular lawn fertilizer in proximity of the lake (Nitrogen) and we must maintain a 35 ft buffer zone from the high water mark inland . Times and our knowledge of the environment change
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