I'm currently working on a Gen-2 carburetor set which has obviously spent too much time in a corrosive environment, judging by the condition of the diaphragm caps' interiors.
This will test my philosophy of savaging parts rather than tossing them. Any time I can refurbish a durable original part and give it a new lease on life, that's my preference. In addition, these caps are NLA from Honda (actually, CMSNL has a few available: $53+ shipping & tariff).
Made of stamped steel and likely plated with zinc or cadmium, there's no reason these can't be reused. While this existing rust won't directly affect the carbs' functioning, I don't want to risk bits of flaking rust finding its way into the carb interior. Let's see what I can do with these.
(Below) As Neil Young reminds us, "rust never sleeps," so the long-term solution is to fully remove the rust. I'm going to use a mechanical and chemical approach, beginning with a small steel wire brush. That had minimal effect, so on to the Dremel, set at a fairly low 10,000 rpm, which was very effective, removing about 90% of the corrosion. Next up I try a simple vinegar bath. I expected to need at least 24 hours but after an overnight soak the rust appeared to be fully removed. One more pass with the Dremel using a soft brass brush inside and out, a wash, and finally a coating of metal preservative, in this case Corrosion X, but any light oil would help.
About 30 minutes of effort and minimal cost saved these parts, now ready for their second life.
This will test my philosophy of savaging parts rather than tossing them. Any time I can refurbish a durable original part and give it a new lease on life, that's my preference. In addition, these caps are NLA from Honda (actually, CMSNL has a few available: $53+ shipping & tariff).
Made of stamped steel and likely plated with zinc or cadmium, there's no reason these can't be reused. While this existing rust won't directly affect the carbs' functioning, I don't want to risk bits of flaking rust finding its way into the carb interior. Let's see what I can do with these.
(Below) As Neil Young reminds us, "rust never sleeps," so the long-term solution is to fully remove the rust. I'm going to use a mechanical and chemical approach, beginning with a small steel wire brush. That had minimal effect, so on to the Dremel, set at a fairly low 10,000 rpm, which was very effective, removing about 90% of the corrosion. Next up I try a simple vinegar bath. I expected to need at least 24 hours but after an overnight soak the rust appeared to be fully removed. One more pass with the Dremel using a soft brass brush inside and out, a wash, and finally a coating of metal preservative, in this case Corrosion X, but any light oil would help.
About 30 minutes of effort and minimal cost saved these parts, now ready for their second life.
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