No registration or passwords; no pop-up ads -- just aloha, fun, & answers.
(as an eBay Partner & Amazon Affiliate earns from qualifying purchases).
Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Advertise
 
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
pub  Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989



-----

Zinc nails and rusting



 

I am an 8th grader doing a science experiment! My title is " Which substance will a zinc nail rust fastest in?" and my substances are detergent, vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] and tap water! I need information about rusting and about the different effects that the different substances will have on zinc nails! Do you have any information you could give me? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write me back! It seems almost impossible to find any information on my topic of rusting! I hope you can help me!

Thank you!

Lauren Crawford
- Jacksonville, Florida, United States



Lauren: I am absolutely sure that the point of this assignment is not to read which material is supposed to rust a zinc coated nail fastest, but to actually learn the answer from experiment.

Please do the following: get three roofing nails from a hardware store if there are none hanging around the house. Put one in each of three glass dessert bowls. Pour enough water in one, vinegar in another, and detergent in a third to fully cover the nail. Look at them in a few days and get back to us.

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
 

I have also done a project similar to yours in the past. Try tomatoe juice and milk and see what affect that has on the rusting of the nails! Good luck! (Science fairs are never fun.)

Andrea Ficco
- Dallas, Texas
 

I am a teacher at MIT and one of my students preformed the same expieriment. he also did some reasearch and found that zinc will not rust but corrode

Bob Molerson
- Miota, Massachusetts, US
2007


science fair is so freaking stupid. I am a High school senior and am able to exempt my exam.... but my teacher is making the whole class (there are only seven of us) do a science fair as our exam, a test grade, a quiz, and a classwork grade. I am going to do th easiest lab I can, what corrodes metals faster: vinegar or Coke. I wish you all the luck, though I think you have already done the project. in parting I say: SCIENCE FAIR SUCKS!

Myan F
- Aiken, South Carolina
May 14, 2008



Hi, Myan. You are correct to believe that whether Coke or vinegar corrodes metals more is a subject of very little importance or significance for a high school senior. As you can see on these pages, several 3rd graders have already done that one. Maybe you could just copy their work?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 14, 2008




(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:

 
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g, Train'g
& Software


About/Contact  -  Privacy Policy  -  ©1995-2024 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA  -  about "affil links"