About 30 years ago I happened upon a method to remove old paint and rust from old pressed steel toys and antique car parts. Hey believe me, Model A Ford spoked wheels can be a real pain to sandblast!

Not everyone has access to a bead blast cabinet or sandblaster and using Naval Jelly never seemed to accomplish much, plus keeping paint remover on vertical surfaces always seemed to be an issue, so I discovered a much easier way to remove paint and rust.  It's what I refer to as "The Lazy Man's Way to Paint and Rust Removal."

First, go to your local bargain store (Wal-Mart, Dollar General, etc.) and buy a large 44-50 gallon plastic container (the kind college kids like to haul their clothes back to the dorm in or take to summer camp - it comes with a snap-on lid and is about the size of a footlocker).  The lid part is important and I'll tell you more about that later.  You can get a garbage can if you wish but I prefer the rectangular container.  Mine is a 44 gallon "Storage Tote" and has a snap-on lid that is hinged in the middle which makes it convenient to open just one end to remove your toy/car part or just check its progress.  As long as you are in Wally World or Dollar General, buy some rubber gloves - preferably the long type gloves ladies used to use when they did dishwashing by hand (what's that?). ha  I would also get some safety goggles if you don't already have some.

While you are out shopping for the plastic container, swing by your local hardware store (Home Depot or Lowes) and buy two gallons of Muriatic Acid.  It should be in the outdoor/garden section because it is used to treat swimming pool water.

When you get home, place your plastic container on a porch or patio area (or out behind the garage out of Momma's sight) and grab the garden hose.  Fill the 44-50 gallon container about half-way full with ordinary tap water from your garden hose.  Then put on your new pair of rubber gloves and carefully and slowly pour the Muratic Acid into the water trying not to splash it on yourself.  Read the warning on the container and you'll discover that Muratic Acid is really Hydrochloric Acid so BE VERY CAREFUL!  NOTE: Always add the acid to the water; never add the water to the acid!  And don't stand directly over the vat as you pour the acid in - the fumes will knock you over!

While you might think this stuff can't be very harmful since it is added to swimming pool water that people swim in, take note that it is also used to clean brick, stone, concrete, etc.  So, be careful where you spill it - it etches concrete.

Two gallons of Muratic Acid added to about 22-25 gallons of water is about the right recipe.

Grab a supply of old coat hangers and straighten them out and use your pliers to make a hook on each end.  Hook your old toy part with one end of the coathanger and use the other end's hook to slip over the edge of the container (you'll be glad you did that later when you are trying to fish out the part).  Be sure to use the lid and close the container to protect unsuspecting wildlife or small kids while you are away.

Depending upon how many coats of paint you have to deal with or how much rust you have, I have found that leaving something in the vat overnight is usually sufficient.  There have been cases where I have left the part in for 24 hours and even as long as three days to get rid of the rust and paint.  The sheet metal on old pressed steel toys such as Tonka or Buddy L, etc. survives the bath great. 

When it's time to check the progress, don't forget to wear your rubber gloves and simply pull the part out of the container and hose it off (this is where the safety goggles come into use).  I use a high pressure nozzle on the end of my regular garden hose and the paint just glides off and the rust has disappeared!  You may use a power washer if you have access to one.  Either way, the old paint just floats off and there is no rust left.

Dry off the part immediately with an old towel and prime it or it will begin to rust again immediately.  If you decide to wait a day or two after drying it off before priming it, you might need to use a rotary wire brush to clean off the new surface rust.  Wipe it down with paint thinner to clean off any dirt and residue and prime it.  I like to wet sand my primer prior to painting to get the smoothest paint job possible.

You will be amazed at how successfully this method removes all paint and rust from your old toy or old car part.  Now you can use the "lazy man's" method of removing paint and rust and be doing something else you enjoy while your acid bath is doing all the work for you!

WARNING: This method works only on pressed STEEL toys and STEEL car parts; do not put die cast aluminum toys (some Structo trucks and Smith Miller cabs) into the acid bath or they will dissolve away.  If you are unsure of the metal type, use a magnet - if it attaches to the part it is steel; if it does not, it's aluminum.  I dropped a Doepke Caterpillar D-6 Bulldozer in the bath since I knew it was pressed steel however the air cleaner attached to the dozer was cast aluminum (pot metal); the dozer itself cleaned up nice, however the air cleaner dissolved. If in doubt, always try the magnet test first!

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Enjoy!  Fred Carlton ~ TonkaToyMan from Tonka Town