Snake Oil or Miracle Cure?
By John Novak
It seems like the wonders of modern science can solve the largest problems of mankind! Everything from super computers the size of a dime, to lasers in the operating room. So, why can’t I get that rusted nut off my old Chevy without scraping my knuckles?

I have always wondered if the penetrating oil that I am using at the time is the best product for the job. Surely modern chemists have solved this one too! So, I finally got 4 different samples and ran some heads-up tests to see if something actually worked. I’m just using some good old common sense tests and viewing the results. You can make up your own mind as to the best one, if any will work better for you.

We will be looking at 3 Premium specialty products, and using WD40 as our Control. I chose WD40 as the control product to give a base line of performance because it is moderately priced and has been easily available for decades and most people have some knowledge of its performance. The Three specialty products are: Gibbs, Strong Arm, and Rust Reaper. The first two like WD40 are aerosol spray cans of clear chemicals. Rust Reaper is in a small squirt bottle with an extended metal needle type applicator.

With a good shake of the can, and a press of the button the Gibbs product gave a solid squirt on my test piece of heavily rusted metal. The Gibbs flowed evenly, and spread quickly in all directions across the surface. Next up was the Strong Arm Spray. After another good shake of the can (not sure if that is absolutely necessary with any of the products, but it makes me feel like I am getting something ready) I gave another piece of my rusted metal a good shot. The Strong Arm Spray seemed to stay where I put it, and had minimal flow in other directions.

Next up was the Rust Reaper liquid. It was not a spray but I gave it a good shake anyway, just to stay consistent. I gave the plastic bottle a good squeeze, and the product went exactly where I wanted it. Unlike the others it was very neat to use, stayed where I put it, very little creep. Finally the WD40 was given the same shake & spray on a piece of the test metal. It went everywhere, and thinned out fast.

After about 10 minutes, I did a Scrub Test with a wire brush to see if there was any progress. Not much progress with the Gibbs, The Strong Arm Spray was starting to melt some of the rust. The Rust Reaper had darkened in color, but not much progress with the heavy rust. Nothing happened with the part sprayed with the WD40, as it was starting to dry out. I gave all the samples a second application 30 minutes after the first, and then waited for another 30 minutes of soak time. Now after 1 hour from the original application, a scrubbing and a second application I reviewed the results again. The Gibbs product continued to flow and expand into a larger area, The Strong Arm Spray continued to melt the rust, but had very little creep into other areas. The Rust Reaper stayed right on target, and did not go all over. The WD40 expanded and started to dry out.

The next day, the Gibbs sample was by far the wettest, and the product had expanded into a large area on the rusted part. The Strong Arm Spray had by far the best Melt of the surface rust of any product. The Rust Reaper once again was very neat, and stayed right where I put it. The surface had a very nice appearance, a chemical reaction that turned the surface black. The WD40 was almost dry, and did not look very different from the start.

Next I moved on to some rusted bolts. Some time ago when planning for this I wet the threads of some 3/8 inch bolts with water and threaded them into a heavy piece of steel. I put a torque wrench on them before putting oil on them and they all pulled to 100 pounds without budging. Next I applied all of the products to the bolts and gave them 3 or 4 taps with a hammer to help with the shock factor, and it’s always fun to hit stuff with a hammer. None of them budged right away. After about 30 minutes the Gibbs started to move, but not much. I gave them all another application, and a couple more taps. Eventually the Gibbs, Strong Arm and Rust Reaper bolts all came out with relative ease. The WD40 Bolt required lot’s of extra work, but I managed to muscle it out after applying some heat.

A week later, both the Gibbs and Strong Arm Spray were still wet to the touch. The Rust Reaper surface looked the nicest of all. So I would say they all win in different areas of performance. I would use the Gibbs on intricate parts that have lots of tiny little nooks and hidden areas that need a product that will flow and creep everywhere. The Strong Arm Spray would be the best for removing the surface rust, as it had the best melt of any of the products. The Rust Reaper was by far the best at staying where you put it, and would keep it from going everywhere you don’t want it. It also gave a very nice surface to the final product. And the WD40 is 10 times less expensive compared to the other products, and makes a good general cleaner / lubricant to spray everywhere, because that is where it is going anyway.

So now I need a bigger shelf in my garage, but it is good to have a few new tricks up my sleeve.