What is the best rust remover you have found?

[AckleymanII]

Thanks in advance

 

[savagedasher]

JB and a brass toothbrush . Let soak in and make circles with the brush Doesn't polish or make the barrel shine . Larry

 

[Alex Wheeler]

A mix or muriatic acid and water will clean down to bare metal. Used to use it when playing with cars. You could drop a brake drum in a bucket and later that day it would be like a brand new grey casting. I assume your taking about a rifle though. In that case a little wd40 and steel wool, draw file any pits, buff and finish.

 

[JohnKielly]

Squeeze the mouth of a case flat or to the form you're working on to scrape off rust without damage to the metal surface. The gun restorers would have told us to use a penny, but that's too small for my arthritic hands to hold.

 

[nicholst55]

If you can submerge the item in question, then buy Evapo-Rust from your local auto parts store. Cover the item with ER, let it sit for 10 minutes, and the rust is GONE. It doesn't etch steel, but it WILL remove bluing and black oxide finishes.

 

[savagedasher]

Seems every body don't care on the finish . If it minor rust my way works . I never would use a file . Steel wool polish the blueing brass wont scratch or polish the surface finish . I never tryed the brass case but I will .
Larry

 

[Steelnecktie]

Good comments, if it's not a rifle, naval jelly works wonders

 

[AckleymanII]

I am using it on tools, not a gun, thanks for all comments!

 

[Intheshop]

It depends....is it your G-dad's collection of pre war II ,Brown & Sharpe/Starrett machinist tools?

Or the Rigid pipe wrench loaned to your dumbass B.I.L.,who left it in the yard for two years?

Old tool folks love electrolysis.And for pipe wrenches and other cast,forged heavy pcs,that's fine.Get into tool steels or machined/turned bits.....need to evaluate much more carefully.50/50 atf and mineral spirits with mechanical methods work pretty good.Soft wire wheels,steel wool,scotchbites.

 

[eddief]

Sandblaster

 

[JRS]

Vinegar and a bronze wool pad. Steel wool leaves behind little stragglers that rust.

 

[perry42]

On old rusty nuts & bolts COCA COLA overnite.

perry42

 

[jds holler]

The reason the colas work is from the phosphoric acid. You can use one of the phosphoric solutions such as "Prep and Etch" and it will dissolve the rust. If I recall the science of it correctly, it leaves the surface molecules as iron phosphate, which is less prone to rusting than bare steel. Phosphoric acid is the solution that you use to parkerize steel. Perfect for re-painting.

Muriatic acid will remove the rust quickly and completely, but leaves the surface VERY susceptible to re-rusting. jd

 

[JohnKielly]

On old rusty nuts & bolts COCA COLA overnite.

The garage I pumped gas at as a kid had a squeeze bottle of coke to persuade rusted on nuts with.

 

[Paul Seaman]

Nevrdull cotton wadding for fine pieces is awesome! I've cleaned rust off speedometer needles with it, also works on brass nickel bronze steel chrome! Bikers love it! Another product is Glitz I've used for years it's a paste I use with polishing pads either buffer or by hand, takes rust off old chrome like nobody's business!

 

[Ggmac]

A mix of pool acid and water for heavy pits or vinegar for surface rust .
Love the vinegar for light surface red rust , let sit overnight , wash off and oil .

 

[Eddie Harren]

2 Oz. of Maiden Oil mixed with a Tsp. horse urine.

Makes about as much sense as some of the above potions.

 

[Barlow]

Just cleaned up an old axe and some small tools with vinegar and salt. Check it out on the web, it works. Barlow

 

[shortgrass]

2 Oz. of Maiden Oil mixed with a Tsp. horse urine.

Isn't that the formula for a 'slow rust brown' solution?

 

[eric n]

How much rust and what kind of tools?
Sandblast and coat with sealer is the proper way.
http://ospho.com/ works pretty well for a rust converter. It will remove light rust and turn heavier deposits into iron phosphate. It does leave underlying rust on heavier deposits however. You will need to seal the bare metal after use.
Phosphoric and muratic acids will remove light rust and etch bare metal but will leave underlying rust on heavy deposits even though it looks bright and shiney. Rust will return quickly if a sealer isn't used.
Some converters such as http://corroseal.com/ leave a film that eventually peels off.
Converters like http://www.por15.com/ have better adhesion but are prone to chipping if used roughly.
Whatever you use, the metal needs to be treated afterward to keep the rust away.
I have a steel boat in saltwater. I've tried most rust products and nothing comes close to blasting and sealing.