Removing Rust with Citric Acid! 2026

Removing Rust with Citric Acid, this is one of the easiest, safest and least abrasive ways to remove surface rust from old steel tools.

Supplies:

• Citric acid powder (available in pharmacies or supermarkets as a health food supplement or baking ingredient)
• Warm water
• Packaging
• Brass scrubber/brush
• Rusty parts/tools
• Gloves

Cautions: Do a test before trying this on anything important. I noticed that it made a chisel turn slightly yellow.
Don't try something like an engraving that you want to keep: it could disappear.

Advantages of using citric acid:

• Does not remove painted finishes.
• Less messy
• It doesn't require anything you don't have in the kitchen.
• Can be poured down the sink (citric acid is the main ingredient in some biodegradable cleaners).
• Much cheaper than sandpaper.

Step 1: Clean the parts

The rust on this wooden plane wasn't that bad. The chipbreaker had the worst of it, but for the most part it was just thick surface rust.
The first step is to clean any dirt with water and a sponge.

Step 2: Prepare the solution

• Find a container that is large enough for the parts to lie flat. This way you only need to cover them with a shallow puddle of water.
• Place the parts in the bowl and cover with warm water.
• Add the citric acid powder and stir in. Experiment with the proportions here. I used probably 1/2 ounce of citric acid with 15 ounces of water.

Step 3: Wait, scrub, wait, scrub

• After a few minutes, small air bubbles will form from the chemical reaction.
• After 30 minutes or 1 hour, you may see rust flakes in the solution.
• Scrubbing the parts with a scouring pad or brass brush will speed things up.
• There will be a black haze in the area, but it will disappear.
• The blade and most of the screws were ready to come off after 1 1/2 hours.
• Add more citric acid to the solution if necessary.
• Wait, scrub, wait, scrub until the rust is gone.
• I left the chipbreaker for 7 hours without damage. A very lightly rusted piece should be rust-free after 30 minutes and a little rubbing.
• A moderately rusty piece only needs 2 to 4 hours, depending on how often you scrub it.

The solution can be poured into the sink when finished.

Step 4: Oil the parts

• After removing the parts from the solution, rinse them with water and dry thoroughly.
• Oil everything or the rust will reappear when the parts get wet. I used camellia oil, made to prevent oxidation, but any oil is better than none.
• The nice thing about this process is that rust is removed even in hard-to-reach places, and it helps preserve the original markings without over-restoring the piece.
• The finish is a little dull straight from the acid, but can be easily brightened with fine steel wool or fine sandpaper.

Step 5: Before/after

The before and after results are quite spectacular considering how little you need to rub the pieces.

I wanted to share it here because it would have saved me countless hours of sanding over the years!

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