Rust Goes Better

A few weeks ago, I dug a brand new pair of skates out of the closet.

They were given to me as a gift, but, at the time, I was already using another pair of skates.

You know how it is, once you find a pair of skates you like, you wear them until they can no longer be worn.

I had never worn the skates I found in the closet, but one of the blades had a patch of rust on it.

I had also decided I should take my son’s old skates to a buy-and-sell sports store. His little skates, which hadn’t been worn in years, had also developed some rust on one of the blades.

With possible products like CLR or Brasso in mind, I headed to a well-known hardware store. I found a clerk in one of the aisles and asked him to recommend a product for the removal of rust from a skate blade. He recommended CLR and gave me an aisle number.

I was perhaps thirty steps away, when he came running after me with the suggestion that I buy a 2-litre bottle of Coke instead!

I expressed surprise that he was recommending something we drank, but he insisted, rather enthusiastically, it would be as effective, and cheaper. As he put it, “Ca va faire top clean!”

It’s probably not wise that an employee of a well-known chain store is recommending a popular beverage for the removal of rust, which is why I’m not mentioning the name of the store!

Eventually, I bought the Coke, poured it into a plastic container and put the skates in it to soak.

I have heard stories about dastardly Coca-Cola eating away at screws, nails and coins!

I let the skates soak overnight and the next day, was able to remove small flecks of rust, but not the biggest spots.

Really, I’m no further ahead.

Whether we’re talking about Coke as a beverage or as a rust remover, I still can't say for sure whether it’s the real thing.