Bilt Hamber Deox-C Rust Remover is a powder you dissolve in water to make an immersion bath. Rust lifts off the steel in that bath, without acid and without attacking the metal underneath. You put the part in the bath, let it soak and brush off the loosened rust. That is how you use Deox-C to dissolve rust in a bath on tools, components and metal panels that fit fully under the surface.
What is Bilt Hamber Deox-C?
Deox-C is a powder concentrate for removing rust by immersion. You mix it with water yourself, so you decide how strong the bath is. The bath is acid-free and biodegradable. The manufacturer says it is intended for steel, stainless steel and most ferrous materials, and harmless to glass, plastics, aluminium and chrome. That makes it handy for restoration work, where you want a part back clean and bare without damaging the metal.
Deox-C at a glance
Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
Type | Rust remover for immersion |
Form | Powder concentrate |
Pack size | 1 kg |
Mixing ratio | Standard 1 part powder to 19 parts water (about 5%). The manufacturer gives a range of 5 to 20% |
Yield | 1 kg makes a 20 litre bath |
Acid-free | Yes |
Biodegradable | Yes |
Suitable for | Tools, components, metal panels |
How to do it
Prepare the part. Remove grease, oil and thick loose flakes of rust, otherwise the bath cannot reach the rust everywhere. Tip: degrease the part first and let it dry before it goes in the bath.
Pick a container. You need a tub the part fits into completely under the liquid. Use a plastic tub rather than a metal bucket. A common trap is a tub that is too big, because then you need a lot of water and powder for one small part.
Mix the bath. Dissolve the powder in water at the manufacturer's ratio: 1 part powder to 19 parts water gives about 5%. For heavy rust you can mix stronger, up to 20%. Stir until the powder has dissolved and wear gloves.
Immerse and soak. Put the part fully under the liquid. The manufacturer's example is a camshaft in a 10% bath at room temperature for 12 hours. It gives no fixed soak time and you do not need to heat the bath. Tip: check in between, because light rust is done sooner than deep corrosion.
Brush off the rust. Take the part out and brush it gently with a stiff brush. This frees the rust that surface tension keeps in place. If rust is left, the part goes back in the bath.
Rinse, dry and protect. Rinse the part with clean water and dry it straight away. The metal is now bare and picks up moisture quickly, so protect it at once with a primer or preservative.
Common mistakes
Using a metal bucket. Choose plastic, so the bath only reacts with your part.
Only half immersing the part. Only what is under the liquid gets treated.
Leaving grease on. The bath cannot reach the rust under a greasy patch.
Leaving bare steel unprotected. After the bath the metal is clean and exposed, so paint or preserve it immediately.
Mixing too weak for heavy rust. Raise the strength within the manufacturer's range instead of simply waiting much longer.
Throwing the bath away while it still works. It darkens as it works and is only spent when it is completely black.
What to combine Deox-C with
After the bath you want to protect the bare steel. For a zinc-rich layer on bare steel and weld seams, choose the Bilt Hamber Electrox Zinc Primer. If you want an etch primer you can still weld over, Bilt Hamber etchweld fits. For areas that do not fit in a bath, such as a wheel arch or floor pan, Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 is a water-based rust converter you simply apply. For cavities and the underbody, use the Bilt Hamber Atom-Mac Corrosion Inhibitor.
You can read more about existing rust and the right approach in our guide to removing rust from your car, about protecting after derusting in rust prevention and underbody protection and about the converter in using Bilt Hamber Hydrate-80. The full range is in rust prevention and preservation.