I didn't use CLR, I used Evapo-Rust.

For that, I left them in overnight, and it did wonders. 1 leg had to go another day because of the rust on it, but after that, it was good.

The legs just rinsed off, then I waxed them to prevent future rust.

i always use SOS pads (steel wool and a special soap) and elbow grease and I have had a lot of luck with that!

I did full strength, then regular carnuba wax.

I've never used CLR, so I can't speak to it, but with what I used, it was so easy. I never thought the rust would actually just come off in the solution without some elbow grease, but it did.

I looked it up, I used Evapo-Rust. It was great stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BO1DGY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

I picked it because of the reviews, but because it is also non-toxic. Which meant I didnt have to worry about my kids because I spilled some.

How much Evapo-Rust does it take to fill the pvc tube to cover the leg?

I put 2 legs in my 3" PVC. I think it used the whole jug. 2 gallons? Can't recall. It worked great but most of the chrome had flaked off. I ended up sanding them down and sprayed them light grey. In hindsight I would have just bought new legs for a few dollars more.

It really depends on what diameter pipe you use, etc...

For mine, I used a 36" wallpaper dipping tray. Took 1 gallon to cover 4 legs in the tray.

I have been using the CLR/PVC method for about 8 years. You only need about 20% CLR to be effective. I can usually get about 8-12 legs done before having to change out the water. It takes about 24 hours and then they are good to go. Rinse them off, wipe them off, then I use some Novus 2 to polish them, and then some wax, and wipe clean.

For rustier legs, you just have to soak, rinse, then resoak, then rinse, until the rust is gone (essentially removing in layers).

I have a buddy that has amazing results using a method similar to this(He doesn't like to pay for CLR)-

You have to do that one outside though.

That's pretty cool...^

I'll have to give that a try.

Is there a problem with using plain old naval jelly?

I just took one of my legs out to the bench buffer and buffed the rust off of it, then wiped it off with a soft towel. It looks like brand stinky new and only took me 15 minutes of minimal labor.

I used to be a fan of naval jelly, until I tried Evapo-rust. Naval jelly is an antique compared to some of the new stuff like Evapo-Rust.

Take a look at the MSDS of Evapo-rust compared to the MSDS of CLR and naval jelly.

ER: http://www.evaporust.com/docs/MSDS%20Evaporust.pdf
CLR: http://mfc.engr.arizona.edu/safety/MSDS%20FOLDER/CLR_Cleaner.pdf
NJ: http://www.henkelcamsds.com/pdf/553472_235119_Loctite_Naval_Jelly_Rust_Dissolver.pdf

Bumping this up, has anyone tried using this on habitrails? Wondering if you would get good results.

What about black legs? Will clr clean those up without screwing up the paint?

I would use evapo-rust with no hesitation after my experience with it on the legs.

I wonder how Hank would handle this?

Nice bath of Sulfuric Acid?

Thanks wolfmarsh, thinking of trying it.

Water and aluminum foil. It works wonders. Amazing...

Here is a place to buy the evap-o-rust:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-gallon-evapo-rust-rust-remover-96431.html

No problem.

My kids factored into my decision to try evapo-rust, since its non-toxic. I try to keep really caustic stuff out of the garage since that's where the pins/games are as well, and I tend to leave things out on the workbench.

The fact that it is biodegradable made it nice too, I was able to just dump it out when I was done, and not have to follow any kind of disposal stuff.

O'reilly auto parts sells evapo-rust also, haven't seen it at Autozone.

Just for kicks I soaked a couple of coil brackets in a bucket of evapo-rust overnight to see what it could do. Here are the before and after pictures. The main thing that stands out - before they were fairly rusted and lightly pitted, after-rust was completely gone, looked pretty good.

The other good thing about evapo-rust is you can use it over and over until it turns black pretty much.

IMG_20130723_180844_677.jpg IMG_20130724_154737_040.jpg

Here is an Evap-o-rust post I did.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-up-old-legs

Use it all the time.

Good stuff!

That worked great!

Thanks for the link!

I really like that as well. Also my time is at a premium, with a 17 month old I only get about an hour after everyone goes to bed. I know that the coca cola and foil method works great but it is such a time suck.

Don't forget your 25% off coupon too http://dealspl.us/images/coupon/43/harborfreight-coupons_43011.jpg