Rust Removing Paste

Here in Europe folks use a twenty percent solution of muriatic acid that is sold inexpensively in grocery stores as a mineral de-scaler.  It also works well to remove rust from stainless steel and rust stains from fiberglass decks.  I use it to get at the rust that lives in crevices around deck fittings that I can not rub or polish out.

The problem with it, though, is that in its liquid form it flows away from the rusty site and onto things that you might not want it on.  You could buy pickling paste that is used by professional welders, but I found an easier solution that you can make on the boat.

Get a glass or plastic container (metal will be eaten by the acid) and pour in about an ounce of acid. Then add a tablespoon of flour and stir well. It is best to wear safety glasses and rubber gloves for this.  The consistency should be thick enough so as not to flow on a vertical surface; add more flour if needed.  You can add a little food coloring so as to keep track of where it has been applied.

Try to keep the paste localized to the rusty area and leave it on for about a minute or two, then rinse it off with plenty of fresh water. Reapply it if necessary.  The paste may dry and harden in the sun but rubbing it off will help polish the spot. If the shiny metal gets etched during the cleaning, simply polish it with a buffer and some polishing compound.

Remember to clearly mark the jar if it will be stored, and do not use it as a wart remover.

Anchor rescue

Recently, while at anchor in Malta, a nearby boater could not retrieve their anchor because they had dropped it onto some rocks in about six meters of water.  After watching them, or rather their windlass, struggle to raise the anchor and then one of their crew snorkel down and resurface proclaiming that there was no way to recover the anchor, I suggested a method to do it.

I thought this was a fairly well known technique, but after conversations with other cruisers, I have come to realize that it is not.  The gist of the method is to get a line down to the base of the anchor shank and draw the anchor away from the obstruction.  The simplest way to do it is as follows.  Use a rope that is at least twice as long as the depth of the water, double it in half and attach a weight to the bight.  Place the anchor rode between the two legs of your retrieval line and let it drop. Then pull the line in the direction away from the obstruction either from a dinghy of by reversing your yacht.   If the anchor does not come away, the anchor is fouled more seriously.  A quick dive into the water will tell you if your chain is wrapped around something or reveal why it will not come free.

If you do not have a long enough rope to double it, a shorter one that reaches down to the bottom with a large enough bowline loop to slip over the shank and down to the anchor flukes will also work.  Just tie the loop around the rode and attach the weight to the loop. 

When I did this for our Maltese neighours, the anchor came free within seconds and they were duly impressed.  Earlier that day we had sold a spare anchor to another boater who had lost his anchor in the rocks the day before.  Too bad I was not around then, because I could have saved him fifty euros.