Phosphoric acid

[Stephen Newell]

Will it damage chrome? I bought a used hubcap off the internet and the outside is fine but the back side is very rusted and I thought about chemically treating the rust but don't know how it would affect the chrome exterior.

 

[Steve@Advance]

I would try something specifically for rust, like Evaporust.

As long as the chrome is still intact and the rust has not eaten through, it should be ok. If it's that far gone, it's probably beyond saving.

 

[Stephen Newell]

It's just surface rust on the back side. It's actually a separate piece of metal than the face. Externally the hubcap is in great shape. I just want to keep it from deteriorating any further. The sheet of metal on the back is where the hubcap is bolted on. It uses a bolt which has a special tool to remove which was done to help retard theft. All the good it did, the reason I had to buy a hubcap is someone stole one off my car. Maybe if it wasn't for the bolt they might have taken all of them.

 

[504]

Take a wad of aluminum foil,and use it like piece of sandpaper,if you need to polish a piece of aluminum, use 0000 steel wool.0000 works on lite rust too.

 

[MarkB_MI]

In my experience it will not harm chrome. But test a spot first.

 

[showcrop]

Yes, phosphoric acid will dull chrome, but only very slowly. I have used it to kill the rust pits on chromed pieces but giving it only 20 seconds or so.

 

[kearby]

We have used a product called Ospho on the farm for years. When applied to rusty iron it combines with Oxygen and Phosphorous and ferrous metals to create Iron Phosphate which is black, hard, smooth, and shiny, and can be painted or left as is. It gets rid of the rust and lasts for a long time. When used according to the instruction it is safe and environmentally harmless. Best place I have found to purchase this product is Ace Hardware. It can be shipped only by ground transport.