doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Ridding Surface Rust

Sorry for the big yawn of a topic, but I just want to check to see if there's a better method than the old standby of rubbing an oily toothbrush for getting rid of as much surface rust as possible.

Many Thanks

Bronze Wool (like Steel Wool) in 0000 grade and a good quality gun oil will remove the rust from a surface (but not deep pits) quite easily and the bronze will not damage the surface if used gently. The only problem is finding the Bronze wool. I haven't seen any here in the U/K for a couple of decades.

Harry

My local hardware emporium has bronze wool. The plumbing/soldering section also has brass bristled toothbrushes that are indispensible for cleaning safely. A marine shop may be another source for the wool. I also use large brass cartridge cases, such as the 30-06, with flattened mouths to scrape thick rust. These items will not harm any remaining finish or actual patina. Good luck!

Brownells sells what they call a "stainless sponge" that is made of some kind of stainless steel, and looks like something you wouldn't bring within 10 feet of a decent gun. But, it WORKS:
Put oil on the gun, and scrub it with the sponge, and Viola! the rust will make a red slurry and come off. It will not take off the blueing.
As you use the "sponge" it will get to looking pretty ratty, but it still works fine.

Another trick, taught me by an old-timer, is to put oil on the gun's flat surfaces, and using an old "wheat" penny, rub it, keeping it flat, and it will take off rust.

Anyway, try the "stainless sponges," they really work.

Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE

Krakow Kid,
The following old english method for polishing steel works! Coat the rusted area with any light oil.Then Take a stick of White Board Chalk,rub the the rusted area with the chalk stick,the rust will be lifted without damaging the origional finish.Repeat the process until all traces of rust are removed. This is agreat method for cleaning damascus and steel barrels that have surface rust.

Hello KK,

These are the kind of topics that show The Board's greatest potential, as the
sharing of accumulated knowledge and experience shows itself fully.

Not "yawn topic" at all imho.

Thanks for posting it.

JC

Hello Sam,

Is this how the Brownells "stainless sponge" looks? I have this one lying around and it is
really "soft to the touch" as the steel curls are very thin. I can rub my hand with it
with no ill effects.



JC

A while back at my local Cabelas, I picked up a ziploc bag full of cleaning brushes. About a helf dozen each in stainless, brass, and nylon bristle, double-ended.

I think I paid like $4 or so.

I never use the stainless, but the brass and nylon come in very handy for cleaning, not just after normal use but also the old gunk that sometimes comes with a new-to-me gun.

General makes a scribe tool with a replacable hardened steel scribe. I replace the scribe with a piece of brass rod that I've filed to a chisel point. Tedious but works good for stubborn areas and hard to reach areas like next to the rib.

Phil

A very good method for removing rust is electrolysis. Immerse the part in a solution of washing soda (not baking soda) and connect to a battery charger - the other terminal is attached to a chunk of scrap iron/steel. The rust disappears.

CAUTION: this will remove all oxide including blueing so use it only on non-blued parts unless you want a naked barrel.

It is very fast and effective - I have used it on iron and steel machine parts.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the NEGATIVE lead goes to the piece you want to clean and the POSITIVE to the sacrificial iron.