OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Paint and Decals Rust and Corrosion - Removal Options ?

hey guys,

I have a steel VICTA base.. a couple actually and Im wanting to to tidy it. underneath, the bases have become pretty rusty and Im wanting to remove it so I can put down a coat of paint for a little extra protection. im not after anything flash, its not a fancy restore, just wanting to make it look better and reduce the progression of rust. I also want to do it on the cheap too if that's possible?

It would be nice to sandblast.. but, no sandblaster. I could always use that rust-eater chemical but not familiar with them.
I have used a wire wheel on a drill before, but that always seems to leave a fine layer of rust. Is it possible if I did that, can I use a primer with some sort of rust killer to just primer and paint of the top of it ?

Alternatively there's always electrolysis, but, I dont have a big enough tank for the base.. or a current working power source.

What do you guys use, any suggestions?

The other base I have is made of Aluminium and seems to have surface corrosion. It's a pretty solid base with no serious damage.. I'de like to restore it... though have never prepped or painted aluminium.. suggestions on how to restore (clean / prep / prime / paint etc..)?

Thanks in advance

Widget, the Victa bases are notorious for rust, and the Chinese ones are twice as bad, the left hand corner where the handle bolts on is the main problem spot. If you are just after rust protection, I rub the underside back as best I can and then give it a coat of fish oil. Once dry it is probably about the best rust protection you can get. If you want you can give it a couple of coats but it does take quite a while to dry

hey Norm, right about the bases, ive had a couple of vocta bases all rust in the same corner. here's the one im replacing



Thinking of transferring the engine to this VICTA tornbado base



though wanting to fix the underside if it's worth it.. rust seemed to have had a feast under there..

also the wheel on the tornado are seized.. I think there's a bit of rust build of at the inner side of the wheel axel(?) wherfe the inner bearing/bushing slides onto, which prevents it from spinning. tried using grinder on it.. not experienced and I think Im making flat spots..

Widget, it is a built in Victa self destruct method so that people have to replace their mower. The Powertorque motors are strong and will well outlast the bases. I just fish oil them, at least a lot better protection than Victa gave them. Just check the Tornado base, I think it might be deeper. I have a Victa base here that appears much deeper, but I haven't really looked at that one, it is sitting there for ron, lateron when I have nothing else to do.

i line my wheelbarrow with plastic and use it for an electrolysis tank'

That's a great idea Gizmo! Plenty big enough for a mower base.

look at the gunk that came off this rotomo base

Thanks for the tip... though I don't have a wheelburrow lol .. I am however, looking into getting a plastic 44gallon drum. I have a metal one here and the base seems to just fit in.

wow, that base looks nice.. is that after electrolysis or was there further prep work done ?

Hi Gizmo,

Could you please be so kind as to write up a step by step process in exactly how you are doing this so that other members could follow the same procedure and get these type of results ?

Cheers,
BB.

Nice result, very pitted tho. Did you use white vinegar and how long did it soak for? I notice vinegar is quite cheap in large bottles at the supermarket. Will you bother to fill in the pits with bog or spot putty?

widget another way to clean inside your mower base use your angle grinder fitted with flat knot wire wheel
flat knot wire wheels comme in sizes to fit most angle grinders serch ebay for angle grinder wire wheel
these wire wheels not like ones used on drills they really remove rust quickly .
must wear leatherr gloves and safty glasses when using them.

Hello again all.
i used electrolysis to remove all that rust.
i have an old pc power supply and use the 5 volts at 16 amps output. using a sacrificial anode. (my bbq plate).immersed in a solution of water and baking soda then added the bbq plate above the mower base. left for about six hours.
i just removed it from the bath and hosed it off whilst lightly removing gunk with a wire brush.did nothing else. and it was real real bad to begin with.
look up electrolysis rust removal.

I've used Electrolysis in the past and just started using it again. I'm using similar equipment, an old PC power supply running on 12v @ 10amp .. though am thinking of wiring up the 5v @ 30amp wires to see if it gets any better.

unfortunately my sacrificial anode seemed to have dissolved away lol .. quite surprised when I pulled it out.. seemed like acid attacked it.



as you can see.. the missing section isnt suppose to be missing :P .. might have to get myself something a little more solid.


One other thing I noticed, the last piece I cleaned up with electrolysis, I hosed off and left to dry, only to come back to find surface rust.. any ideas how to prevent that from happening ?

Picked up some SODA ASH from Bunnings today, active ingredient being SODIUM CARBONATE, the same stuff the americans use (ARM & HAMMER).. cost a couple $ more compared to Bi-Carb SODA, will see how it goes.

G'day Widget apparently it's used as an electrolyte so shouldn't make any real difference. I have used bi carb and believe it's pretty much all the same. Even the quantity doesn't seem too critical. I read you could use plain salt but it's a little counter productive. Just remember to only ever put steel in there. Again I have read that if you use galvanised it releases the zinc and stainless releases chromium both of which are heavy metals and not very friendly whereas using plain steel releases bugger all and can be tipped out without leaving nasties. As coper is not ideal in there I used concreters tie wire as I find rolls lying around on construction sites so can use it once or twice and then replace it. Apparently the smart battery chargers don't work because they sense the load where as an old battery charger or power supply works fine. They say that too high a power and it will pit the surface more and you could even use a spare car battery then recharge when done.

Hey Slash, thanks for the feedback info


Yeh I've always used Bi-Carb, seemed to work ok. Came across the SODA ASH, figured I'd give it a shot. I also use VINEGAR on smaller items such as bolts.. works rather well.. I should post a pic.. though I think the parts need to go into some water/Bi-Carb mix to nutrilise the acid otherwise it flash-rusts the parts .. soemthing i've noticed on all parts, even the electrolysis parts.

I did hear somewhere that Sea-salt (i.e. ocean water) was a good conductor.. too bad no ocean near me.. would gone down with a bucket, give it a test :p



I wonder what the wire I used was made of... one thing I noticed was the water turned black.. unusual compared to previous electrolysis attempts... even the part I used for cleaning (mower blade plate) came out with black all over it.. even after hitting it with the hose. (might take a pic and upload).

I'll have to hunt around, try and find some normal steel.. couldnt find any before, so I used the wire mesh thing.

What about old car rotors ? think they're made of steel ?? maybe ill give that a shot...


Started off with the battery charger.. worked.. but not well.. it was low amps and waas more of a trickle charge so It'll send out these little pulses lol.. ended up modding an old computer PSU and using the 12v10amp.. though am planning on connecting the 5v30amp and maybe using something to limit the current flow down to 15-20amp if 30amp is a bit high.


Any opinions about using an old steel 44 gallon drum and having the piece(s) hang in the middle then using the drum itself as the anode ?

Too bad you are so far away, I have a couple of really nice Victa high arch alloy bases that are in near perfect condition, solve those rust problems for you.

Trev, Brilliant base those high arch alloy ones, just a pity Victa hadn't come up with the standard catcher they have used ever since

g'day,a guy at my work uses molasses bath's to remove rust and it does a great job.has anyone used this method?