Old bottle of Naval Jelly... Keep or Trash?

[Bill Gauch]

I have an old (maybe 7 years) bottle of naval jelly that I noticed the other day in my garage. I never opened it or used it. Heck, I dont even remember why I bought it. Maybe for an old boat trailer... Anyway, I seem to recall past (about 15 years ago) experience using it proved it somewhat ineffective for removing rust without much vigorous wire brushing. Its entirely possible that I was too impatient and didnt leave it on long enough. Shortly after buying this bottle, I heard/read that it didnt really work all that well.

So, my questions are as follows: Is it still good or would the potency have reduced? Next, if it is still good, how does it compare to modern super-duper magic rust removers?

[Chris Braun]

Id say... try it!!!  Naval jelly needs to sit for a while to work.  I left my oil breather cap, which was rather rusty, in a baby jar of it overnight, and in the A.M. it looked brand new.  I rinsed it with gas, then H20, painted it, oiled it, and threw it back on.  Of course, I lost it somehow about a year later, but thats another story.