Was given this project at work and it's been a major up hill battle

I need to remove the rust built up on dog kennel doors over 20 years

So far I've been removing the doors and totally emerging them in hot water and vinegar

To break down the rust and then grinding it (rust ) off the metal with a wire brush type drill bit

Connected to a drill .

It's working with mixed results ,since it's not a flush surface I have to kinda grind around the tiny bars and the wire bit can only get to about 50% of the rusty areas .


I know the most common solution for rust is to cut it out but can't do that here

Should I be sanding it off , blasting , fileing or what .?

And is there anything better then hot water and vinegar for soaking it in .?


I 've got about 20 doors I have to do so any suggestions are appreciated .

Can you just order new doors?

Being chrome plated, try cocacola and steel wool.

You would think but this grooming shop operates on a tight budget
And it's not my call

I'll try coke and steel wool but I thought the steel brush
Drill but would be much quicker then doing it by hand

Go to harbor freight and get a gallon of Evaporust. Put it in a shallow plastic
bin that will fit the door flat. Soak for a day or so.

never tried it but have heard/read a bit about using a battery charger and sacrificial annode (cathode?) in a tub of water one lead to the workpiece and one to the sacrificial piece of iron (a nail or something)
Google it -seemed pretty cool might be fun to try just for the science/chemistry of it
cjl

Looks promising , I already have a bin in which I
Can totally emerge the door in but soaking for a day
May not fly with the boss man .
He might go for soak ing over night

What your boss is asking for is impossible. Since the doors are chromed, you will lose the chrome when rust removers are used. Rust removers can also discolor chrome permanently. Also, when you use abrasive methods, you also remove the chrome as well. They will continue to rust forever. I have dog crates and all of these doors rust. Your boss may not want to sped money, but that is what needs to be done. Your labor will go to waste because stripping the rust will not replace the damaged chrome. Here are some solutions:
1. Find the cheapest replacement doors available, they will rust in the future as well, they all do eventually.
2. Take off all of the doors and get prices from a chrome shop, they can be replated.
3. Take the doors to a shop that does powder coat. Powder coat will not let the rust come through again and they can do any color. Just make sure not to lose the small parts for reassembly later.
4. Remove all of the rust by immersing in rust remover and then prime and paint.

As you can see all of these options require money spent. What your boss wants is not realistic. Even rust remover costs money, it will take the longest and the most amount of labor on your part.

Good luck keep calm and carry on.

new doors will be the least expensive solution.
Dogs will destroy powdercoat much faster than chrome.
paint will only last a day or two.
new chrome will cost more than new crates
crates can be purchased pretty cheap on ebay

By the time you spend time and money stripping the rust off the doors and painting or powder coating, you could get new doors for less money. Tell your cheap ass boss it is a waste of time.

Your best bet is soaking each one in an acid type rust remover which will etch the chrome as well, and then dipping each one in epoxy paint.

STAINLESS steel pads. the animals could chew on the bars so the whole toxicity issue comes up with paint or coatings. that's prob why they come chromed and for durability. after a cleaning you might be able to, or will need to encapsulate the rust. ospho, mar-hyde, etc. rust will be gone but black colored. seems like a silly make work cosmetic task.

It may cost a little more but less than buying new doors is to take them to a plating company and have them cad plated. They will remove the rust and replace. Not chrome but will keep from rusting for a while.

Another thought. The plastic crates are not professional grade. If you look at what vets and adoption houses use, you will find that everything is stainless steel. SS can be polished, burnished and abraded as necessary. Can also be cleaned with steel wool if necessary without harm to the metal. Your boss may want to consider putting some cash back into his business and make the space look more professional and clean. It will pay off in the long run. Who wants their pet inside a nasty rusted cage?