My neighbor Vern showed me his trick for unsticking rusty bolts and it saved me $80

Had this old lawn mower that wouldn't start because the blade bolt was rusted solid. Was about to take it to the shop and pay $80 for them to deal with it. Vern from two doors over saw me wrestling with it in the driveway. He just said "coke cola and a torch". Soaked a rag in coke, wrapped it around the bolt for 20 minutes, then hit it with a propane torch for maybe 30 seconds. Came right off with a socket wrench. Had no idea the acid in soda could break down rust like that. Anyone else got weird household chemicals that work way better than the expensive stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.brian6d ago

Try using white vinegar on really crusty battery terminals too. @nancy824 to answer your question, the torch part matters because the heat expands the metal around the bolt while the coke keeps the threads wet and breaking down the rust. If you just let the coke sit longer without heat it might still work but you'd probably have to leave it overnight and re-soak the rag a few times. Ive had good luck with plain old baking soda and water paste on light surface rust on tools, scrubs right off with a stiff brush.

nancy8246d ago

Wait so just regular Coca Cola or does any soda work for that? Ive heard of people using vinegar for rust but never thought about the acid in soda being strong enough for that kind of heavy rust on a bolt. Did Vern say if the torch part is important or would the coke alone do the job if you let it sit longer?