Rust removal - Best method

[StanDeasy]

This only costs pennies

Try scraping the rust spots with the edge of a copper coin. Be sure to use a coin that is real copper, not copper-washed steel (check with magnet).

The coin should be hard enough to remove the rust, but not the remaining bluing.

Finally, apply Hoppe's or similar, to remove the remaining rust AND the smears of copper left by the coin!

Stan

 

[Bob Brushingham]

Blue Wonder works great and won't hurt the blueing.
Bob

 

[dlay]

I have used several things but the "big 45 frontier metal cleaner" pad is the best thing I ever used. It will not scrach the blue.it is better than anything previously mentioned.

 

[Roy Allain]

Well, I dood it

I have 4 bottles of Break Free CLP which I use on my AR15. I tried it with a piece of 0000 steel wool on a hidden part of the mag. tube. Beautimous. Works like a charm.

Rubbed verrry lightly on the rusted parts. The only part that did't revert to the original was the sides an top of the receiver. Pretty far gone. However, it does look better than it was. I told John to just keep it "erled". A touch up monthly should be right.

I think any light oil and the steel wool will work fine. Was unable to find Flitz anywhere in Metro New Orleans. Go figure.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Roy

 

[Old Gunner]

I use a pencil eraser to remove rust ... then oil. Has always worked well.

I've used erazers a few times myself, avoid ink erazers they have grit of some sort in them.
I use balistol to remove rust, sometimes 0000 steel wool if nothing else works.
I break up crusty spots with a wooden scrapper.

IIRC
some Winchester 94 receivers are made of Sintered Iron, to get a blued finish they had to plate then with another type of iron and blue it.
If I've got that right then wearing away the coating will leave un bluable blotches. the sintered Iron turns reddish purple if blued.

the few Jap rifles I cleaned had been blued with a cyanide based process, or so the book said anyway. After polishing away crusted rust, bare spots turned black again over night, which suprized the heck out of me.

PS
The magazine of my savage 23B 25-20 was speckled with crusty rust spots. Balistol removed the rust and theres now no visible sign that it had ever been rusty.
I've noticed when cleaning a 120 year old shotgun that Balistol sometimes turns any remaining rust in a scratch or pit black and the pit or scratch seems to disappear.

 

[Old Gunner]

Soak it in kerosene and I mean for a minimum of a month. Rub it down with four O steel wool and put it back to soak. After all is said and done, I de-grease with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. Then she gets a rust blue, but only a few coats. rub out each time and oil. I really like to use non-carbureted Vaseline. I use this for all outside preservative and rub outs.

This has worked for me for decades, even for micrometers.

I broke loose a totally rusted shut Crosman M-1 carbine air rifle by soaking it in kerosine, then hanging it by a wire and lightly tapping it with a rawhide mallet. The vibrations made rust pour out or it like blood. Once I got it apart the remaining rust cleaned up easily with steel wool.