How to Use Naval Jelly
It's rumored that Naval Jelly was invented by the Department of the Navy during World War II for the purpose of removing rust from ships. Whether true or not, this reliable rust remover contains a concentrated phosphoric acid, a product long used aboard ships. Homeowners today use Naval Jelly to eliminate rust with minimum fuss from garden furniture, swing sets, pipes or any metal surface.
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Things You'll Need
- Rubber gloves
- Safety glasses
- Naval Jelly
- Inexpensive plastic wading pool
- Paint brush, sponge or roller
- Garden hose
- Soda ash
Instructions
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Put on rubber gloves and safety glasses before using a paint brush, sponge or paint roller to spread the undiluted Naval Jelly on the rusty surface. The amount you apply will depend on the extent of oxidation---the rustier the surface, the more Naval Jelly you'll need.
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Leave the Naval Jelly on the rusty surface for at least 10 minutes, but no more than 15 minutes. Longer exposure to Naval Jelly may damage the metal, leaving small pock-marks in the surface.
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3
Wash off the Naval Jelly with running water from your garden hose. If you are concerned about the environmental impacts of the water run-off, contain the run-off and sprinkle a few handfuls of soda ash on the contained water; this neutralizes the phosphoric acid in the Naval Jelly. Contact the solid waste disposal division of your city or county for information on disposing the water.
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Tips & Warnings
You can contain water run-off by setting the rusty surface in an inexpensive plastic children's wading pool before rinsing it.
Soda ash can be found at garden supply stores.
Add a protective coating, such as paint, on metal surfaces that have been cleaned with Naval Jelly as soon as possible.
Naval Jelly contains concentrated phosphoric acid. Wear the appropriate safety gear and take appropriate precautions when using this product.
The Naval Jelly, once neutralized by the soda ash, represents no environmental hazard. However, paint that may have been removed along with the rust by the Naval Jelly may contain hazardous elements. It's recommended that you check with your local waste management agency before dumping the water run-off since governments have varying requirements for disposal of small quantities of potentially toxic materials.
