Anybody have experience with small mower repair? I was able to fix what's wrong with my push mower but I got a little curious during the process. Basically, I had rust where rust isn't supposed to be so the spring that holds my brake off the flywheel wasn't working. Because the spring wasn't working the spring wouldn't close an electrical connection and then it wouldn't fire.

Any-who, on to the actual question, when I was cleaning rust off I was using vinegar. There were a couple components that had a gold tint to them. After the vinegar, it was a grey metal color and the gold tint was gone. Anybody know what that is/was? What are the chances that gold tint was my corrosion protection? I'd really like someone to say that was a byproduct of the thing being 15 years old and I just put it back to OE conditions.

 

If the gold tint was actually a brass or copper part, the color change could be the chemical reaction of the vinegar, a mild acid that will put a patina on the surface that will turn greenish gray.

 

Agree with the above poster. You removed the rust from the metal but created the finish as a result of a reaction between the metal and acid. Nothing to be concerned with. Are you still experiencing issues with your mower?

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I didn't realize I had a picture but see attached (the one with less rust) for what I'm referencing. I'm 99% certain these things are stainless so I don't think the finish is base material (i.e.-copper/brass). If you look at the bottom piece in my hand, look to the left by the splines; you'll see how that whole section is "gold" colored. Then you can see a line where it becomes a traditional steel grey. That line is where the vinegar line was when it was dipped.

Anyway, no more issues, I got the thing back together and it works like a champ. The other picture that shows the rusty spring; that spring was rusted excessively so the throttle cable couldn't pull the brake (the other piece) off of the flywheel. Also, because it wouldn't lift off the flywheel, then it would never close an electrical connection and then it wouldn't allow it to start. Sorry if that's confusing.

 

Looks like the gold was just gold paint or powder coat.
Glad it worked out.