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safely removing rust

NHSWHunter
I need some advice on safely removing rust spots on blued firearms without damaging the blue anymore than it already is.
I had some surface discoloration on a nickel revolver that looked like it had been stored in a holster and used "Never Dull" and it cleaned it up pretty good. ( I tried it on an area under the stocks first just in case it didn't work)
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  • temblor
    The simplest and least expensive way is to just add a dab of gun oil and rub it out gently with very fine steel wool (#0000 super fine steel wool) or brass wool if you can find it. Rub gently and don't use corse wool. There are other things you can use. Recently alot of people have started using Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner the same way and you hear alot of good feedback on it.-- There are other methods but oil and fine wool is the age old standard way. -- Good Luck.......[8D]
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  • Bert H.
    Hello NHSW...

    I use two different methods... depending upon the severity of the rust spots.

    For light surface rust, I put a liberal coat of light weight oil on the rust spots, let it sit for 24 hours or so, then apply some more oil and "gently" scrub the rust spot with a small piece of super fine steel wool (and not the stuff with soap in it). The key to being successful and not damaging the surrounding finish, is to use the absolute minimum amount of pressure necessary to remove the surface rust. Keep the cleaned/scrubbed area well oiled.

    If the rust spots have turned into minature volcanos, I soak the rust spots in Kroil for a mimimum of 24 hours, and then take an old copper penny (not one of the modern copper plated zink pennies), and use the raised rim to scrap the top off of the volcano. If you stray a little bit off the rusty area and on to the blued surface, the copper will not remove the bluing (it may leave a copper colored burnish streak, but that can easily be removed with Hoppes bore cleaner. Use a 10x loupe to inspect the area that you have worked on to ensure that you have all of the active rust removed.

    The most important thing, is not rush things (take your time), avoid getting over exuberant (use as little elbow grease as possible), and inspect your work often. Once the active rust is removed, stop. The areas that have had rust removed will forever and always need a light coat of oil on them, otherwise, it will be the first place that new rust will form. Good luck with your endeavors.



    Bert H.

    Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!
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  • A J Christ
    Erase that rust. Use a #2 pencil, scrub the rust away and then use the eraser to clean off the graphite, oil it and you're done.
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  • Iconoclast
    Also consider Blue Wonder cleaner - it does an incredible job on rust as well as cleaning. Use bronze wool instead of steel to minimize damage to the undamaged areas of bluing. Both products are available from Brownell's and the Blue Wonder is available from a host of sources. For my money, there's not a better product on the market than BW for any firearms metal cleaning chore.

    "There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain) ". . . And liberals / DemoWipes" (me)
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  • beantole
    Where does one get bronze steel wool? Thanks.

    Bruce
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  • Hangfire
    I'm anxious to try BlueWonder, but its going to have to go a long way to beat Flitz!!!Totally non-abrasive, and applied with a cloth.Available from Brownells. They also have the bronze wool. Most boat supply shops carry it as well.

    Love them Pre-64's!!!!-Bob
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  • jjmitchell60
    I just picked up a stainless steel "pot scrubber" that takes rust off yet does not bother the blue. No joke, it works!

    The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.
    Rita Mae Brown
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  • asa
    I have also used oooo steel wool and gun oil with success to remove rust from blued areas. I recently discovered Flitz, and like so many others, admire it's qualities-but with one caveat: the instructions in the box containing the tube I bought said it wouldn't harm blue except on pre-war guns. I tried a small amount inside the gripstrap of a 1936 Official Police and was down to bare metal in no time. So be careful. On stainless steel, however, it is without doubt the finest scratch remover and polish I've ever used-terrific stuff!
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  • NHSWHunter
    Thanks to all for the advice. I will try the slooow method
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  • boltthrower
    P.S. try it out on something you can afford to mess up first before applying it to your gun.
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