doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Cleaning finely rusted metal surfaces?

Builder that is exactly the kind of stuff I am talking about.

Riprap has it right. If you don't want to scratch (or remove) a delicate surface like bluing you must use a material that's softer than the microscopic layer of color left by the bluing process. Steel wool will remove dirt, grim, rust, corrosion and yes BLUE too. No matter how much oil or solvent you use to cut the "crud", steel wool is still steel and it's harder than the patina surfaces you're trying to retain.
The only safe approach is to use a Bronze brush or Bronze or Copper wool with Hoppes No. 9 or Break Free as a solvent.
If it's case colored I'd go with Chuck's suggestion of Simichrome albeit lightly applied since it's a polish.

Storms, Builder,
The 'freckling' discoloration is what's left of an oxide layer that the rust left behind. This is what blueing and browning amount to. So, per the posts about 0000 steelwool not removing rust blue, you should expect that it won't remove the 'discoloration' from rust/freckling. You're going to have to cut thru the oxide (pretty hard stuff) to get rid of it.

Formula 3 Gun Conditioner by Kleen Bore and a copper penny can remove superficial corrosion but you're likely to find some pitting underneath. Sportsman's Warehouse sells 2 oz plastic bottles for about $5.

One worthwhile process on any piece you can take off & isolate is to simply boil it for a while in water. This will help loosen any free rust & convert that which adheres to black, thus enhancing the color. A rub with 4/0 steel wool & oiling will in many cases be all that's necessary. Be sure & use good water, same as for bluing. This may not retain as much "Patina" as you might want, but Patina is not original. Oft times it is hard to preserve patina without risking "more patina" build up.

Mobil 1, a synthetic oil. Slather it on the rust spots. Keep using either someting softer or, yes, the copper penny or a round tip. The rust will keep getting softer as you work away the surface. When there is no longer any red rust you have gone as far as you can go. Someone said to submerge it in Mobil 1. Phoey. The rust doesn't know if there is a silly millimeter or a foot of Mobil 1. So just slather it on.

I am working on an old action (Husquvarna)and it was full of rust, albeit not very brown but more dark grey. I have removed all the surface rust and much of the dark gry freckles but I am left with quite a number of them still. They are much lighter than when I started but I would like to remove as much as possible. Is it possible a dunk in a mild acid might work? As Chuck feels it is an oxide layer ( some sort of chemical radical attached to the iron molecule) akin to rust blue, and I agree, would you think a rust blue remover might work on this?

Milt

Milt,
Yes, it (blueing/rust remover) will take it off.

Be VERY careful what you use to clean anything that is case colored. IMO: Any product that is abrasive, and Simichrome certainly is, should NOT be used on case coloring.
Jim

I don't know about StormsGSP but there is no case color or bluing on the action I am working on. I don't know if there ever was but someone might be more familiar with the basic Huskies with the Lefacheau type levers.