thanks for doing the experiment. Not surprised by the results, but then again, I've used most of the products before (wish you had emphasized skin and eye protection in dealing with the muratic acid). For rust removal, EvapoRust is my go-to. For forge scale removal, industrial vinegar (30%) vs the home product shown (5%). I need to try the citric acid... Thanks again!

Great technique! I was curious about the starting material and pulling all those bolts was as good as I could think of! Thorough test and explanation of the results.

@FullSteamAhead thanks for sharing this! I've never heard of the acid that worked well but I would say you can't use it on everything and I don't know if it is reusable. CLR is garbage in my opinion...I cleaned professionally for over 10 years and now I'm into restoration and woodworking... the only thing I found it was good for was killing ants quick... vinegar destroyed thin metal I'm working on...I use pop to clean my drains... I'd never drink it. Not only is evaporust a cleaner but it chemically hardens rust too so it's not coming back soon and if you run it through cheese cloth first then a coffee filter a couple times it's reusable!

If I have time to let something soak I will use the cleaning vinegar from the dollar store. It’s 30% acid.

Heritage Crystal Clean has a product called Mirachem 250. It is not fast, but it is damn good. I sold it to a lot of customers. AND ITS WATERBASED.

I’d be more OCD and clean the tongs between each examination.

🙏

Add baking soda to the vinegar and WATCH WHAT HAPPENS!!!