Removing Rust From Camping Gear

Its the holiday season again and schools are on vacation, It may just be time to get out those rusting camping gears off the store rooms and get them in tip top condition.Let me share some tips on four excellent ways of removing rust from an electric camp burner in order to ensure your Camping Gear lasts longer.

Here are ways of removing rust from the steel base part of your electric camp burner: use oxalic acid cleaner, use scouring powder and potato, employ a soft carbon steel wire brush, and apply an alkaline process in cleaning.

Camping stove is an equipment that is prone to rusting since it is constantly in contact to all kinds of temperature and stains. Constant cleaning will keep the equipment away from rust. In cases that rust formation has already build up on your electric camping burner the following tips is effective in removing them:

Use oxalic acid cleaner

Oxalic acid is a strong component that could effectively remove rust. For deep cleaning of electric camp burners that have thick layers of rust, use cleaning products that contain high oxalic acid concentration. Look for cleaning powders that have an oxalic acid component in any local home improvement stores and hardware. Any cloth or brush could be use to apply oxalic acid in scrubbing thick rust layers in your electric camping burner. Since acid could easily contaminate dishes and other utensils, store it properly. Immediately dispose the cloth or brush that is use in applying oxalic acid to prevent ingestion.

Use scouring powder and potato

The best way to remove rust particles from any cast-iron parts of your electric camping stove is by using potato and scouring powder. This old-fashioned yet effective way of removing rust from your stove equipment is done by having a slice of raw potato. Sprinkle any brand of scouring powder found in any local grocery stores to the potato. Scrub the rusted area with the sprinkled potato. Continue scrubbing until the surface of the potato turns into grayish or blackish color. Do the same process of preparing a fresh potato with the scouring powder to slowly scrub off the remaining rust. After scrubbing wipe the steel parts with water and dry thoroughly. Once the rust is remove you could wipe the camping stove with a thin layer of vegetable oil to prevent the clean metal parts to rust again. You could also remove thin layers of rust build-up using a very fine sandpaper.

Employ a soft carbon steel wire brush

Thoroughly wipe the different parts of your electric grill to free from any dirt and stains. To remove soft rust stains, it is advisable to use metal cleaner abrasives. Do not just use any kind of abrasive as this could leave scratches and might damage your equipment. There are metal cleaners that have a fine abrasive such as carbon steel bristles. These steel wire brushes will remove the rust with some good scrubbing. It is most effective in cleaning flat, soft, and ferrous metal surfaces.

Apply an alkaline process in cleaning

Another way of removing rust from electric camp burner is by chemically reducing the chemical components of the hydrated iron. This chemical reaction can be initiated by following the alkaline process. This process is done by making a lye and water solution. The ratio is measured by having an amount of water that boils at approximately 132.2 degrees Celsius. Dissolve any zinc oxide to the lye and water solution. Dismantle the metal parts of your electric camping burner. Place the rusted metal part to the prepared solution and bring to boil. Rinse them well with a cold running water and grease them with up. Dry the parts by heating them on a tin can lid to ensure the oil to rise on the surface and the water to dry up. Once the metal part of your electric burner is dry and cool, brush away the gray residue. This is the most effective way of removing rust from any metal steel.

Taking care of  your electric camp burner means preventing them from having rust. Following these effective tips would not just make your camping stove rust-free but could also make the equipment last longer.