Removing rust from hard to reach places

S

Svet

Inactive
Hi guys, do you know of any good methods to remove rust from steel?
Yes, I know about rust removers. They all require the use of a wire brush and that's exactly what I am trying to avoid.

I need a chemical or something that would take the rust off the steel surface without the need of any mechanical actions. And I need the rust removed, not transformed into another form of better looking... rust.

I've heard that gunsmiths use such solutions to remove the rust from the inside of barrels and other hard to reach places.

Most probably I don't have access to USA made stuff and product brands, so any recipes for a DIY (homemade) rust remover are highly appreciated.
Or maybe if you know of any European made products?

Thanks!
 
electrolysis

Could you use electrolysis to remove it. I use it and it works very well.

what I suggest is getting some sodium carbonate, washing powder and mixing it in a five gallon bucket of water. I then use a iron rod to hook up the positive lead of a battery charger and then hook up the negative lead to the part. I use a 2amp trickle charge and let it sit over night most of the time. If you're interested, I can post a couple of links for you to look at. It really is very simple to do and removes all of the rust.
 
brownells has a solution called steel white that chemicaly removes rust. as far as I know it can be shipped worldwide. i have used it on badly pitted firearms,it really works well. you should have no problem accessing brownells web site. hope this helps. jim
 
If you're hoping to remove the rust chemically and not remove any bluing, it won't work. Bluing is rust. If you don't care about the bluing, use CLR, Naval Jelly or any other product designed to remove rust.
 
The problems with the acid removers is they activate the surface so you need to be ready to apply another finish or to passivate the steel immediately afterward. The Steel White mentioned earlier is pH neutral. Another producti I'd never heard of came up in another forum described as follows:

"Put some Evaporust at the top of that list. It's a non-acidic, biodegradable, non-toxic liquid that looks like weak antifreeze. You soak rusty parts in (it) for 2 hours or 2 weeks, and they come out rust-free and otherwise unchanged. Hard steel with carbon content comes out looking black. Great stuff. I've used it on machine tools that looked hopeless, and everything from taps to gun barrels to brake rotors.

"It's available online, runs $20 or so per gallon. It's re-usable until it stops working, then you pour it down the drain."

If you can't buy this chemical where you are, you can request an MSDS sheet from the company and the raw ingredients will be apparent from that.

Nick
 
Electrolysis Rust Removal

I wrote a little article in the March 2006 American Gunsmith which describes the electrolysis method of removing rust in some detail. If anyone would like a copy of the piece, email me your snailmail address and I'll send it.
 
I used hydrocloric acid to clean rust out of a motorcycle gas tank befor with excelent results. Its for swimming pools I think , but it stripped rust to smooth clean bare metal without damaging the steel. BUT like someone said you do have to put somthing on it or it will rust pretty fast.
 
I've ready you can bury it with a lot of damp oak leaves, as the tannic acid will remove the rust, but personally I would not bury my firearms!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top