Rust Removal

[DaggerBlade]

A friend sent me this picture. The gun was in the nightstand and was apparently laying on something that caused the safety and the grip safety to rust. There is no rust on the other side. Looking for recommendations on how to safely remove the rust without causing more damage.

 

[hotbiggun]

Looks like surface rust. Might have a little pitting. Oil and rub, repeat. Fortunatley those parts a easly replaceable if he wants to make it look new.

 

[davidd]

Looks like surface rust. Might have a little pitting. Oil and rub, repeat. Fortunately those parts a easily replaceable if he wants to make it look new.

I second the suggestion of replacing these parts with new stainless parts. If that's not in the cards, I have a stainless steel rust removing thing I purchased from somewhere decades ago that is similar to this:

Amazon.com

Soak the parts in your best cleaning oil for a while, and lightly rub with the stainless 'sponge' a couple of times. Rinse, repeat. Will remove most of the rust and clean it up, though with the way these parts look, you'll likely have bare spots with no finish. Cheap bluing pen might take care of the bare spots, and it's easy to try.

 

[Magdump]

PB BLASTER
Spray and let soak overnight then wipe with soaked cloth. If there’s any pitting at all, there is no rust removal that will fix that.
I think at worst the parts will need a re-blu.
There’s also white vinegar, but that will remove bluing.
I have a lot of confidence in Brownell’s Phos-blue paste. Especially for small parts. Degrease with acetone and heat the parts in the oven on low and do your work on a foil covered tin.
On a serious note, the pistol needs to be completely disassembled at this point and inspected. Small springs and internals can definitely be affected if there’s rust on the outside. It looks like a summer carry gun that got put up wet. When you sweat on a pistol and fail to spray a little barricade or other light oil and wipe it down, you can expect this.

 

[DBMJR1]

Disassemble the firearm. Boil the effected parts in distilled water. Then apply oil. Never scrub.

 

[foz1359]

"Penny Method" (sending you to the interweb) with Rem oil will remove the rust from those parts. Use some painters tape to seal and protect any part(s) you're not working on at the moment. Treat each piece separately. Take your time.

Bad news is there's no possibility of a "like new OEM finish" after you're removed the rust due to the degradation of the metal surface. Because it's now (and forever will be) a metal surface that's been chomped on by oxidation those parts will have to be replaced for it to look brand new again.

 

[gwpercle]

Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover !
Follow the directions on the bottle .
I used it to clean all the rust from the model 58 S&W in my avatar ... it looked like a lost cause ... But ...the finish cleaned up so well by using the Turtle Wax Rust Remover , I didn't have to have the gun refinished .
It turned out quite well ... you should try it .
Gary

 

[BSGA]

An old gunsmith trick, take one of those coarse erasers that you used to see in schoolrooms. The big flat ones that are beveled on each end. Simply rub just on the rust and it will come off without doing any additional harm to the blueing. Of course, oil afterward.

 

[satoups]

Oil with 0000 steel wool.

 

[Mitch Dufour]

If it was my gun, I would remove the two parts and soak then in oil then gently work them with a 1962 or older penny. If that does not get enough of the rust off, hit them with oil soaked 0000 steel wool. If re-blue is required, there are plenty of DIY products on the market. I am partial to Mark Lee Express Blue #1, but there are easier to apply products that should work fine. As the two parts we are talking about already contrast with the frame, then final hue of blue should not be that critical.

Let us know how it works out.

 

[ammoeater]

A friend sent me this picture. The gun was in the nightstand and was apparently laying on something that caused the safety and the grip safety to rust. There is no rust on the other side. Looking for recommendations on how to safely remove the rust without causing more damage.View attachment 167998

use a product called Evapo-rust. available on Amazon for 30 bucks. just soak it till its gone. amazing stuff. doesnt harm any other parts, just rust. an experience I had with it was soaking a side by side montgomery wards shotgun found standing in a closet of an abandoned house with no roof left. barrel up of course. couldnt see any writing or serial numbers till I soaked for over a week. Amazingly there was a finely engraved scene on the receiver of a hunting dog at a pond with cattails. cant believe it was there. the rust remover has dissolved almost all of the rust except for the area around the release catches to break it open. needs another week in the "bath". unfortunately the pitted barrel maybe too week to fire again but its a nice wall hanger conversation piece. the furniture was all rotted and fell to the floor. not been able to find replacements. might have to be a custom fit for a rainy day project with something close to original size.

 

[gwpercle]

Evapo-Rust is also available at Home Depot ...
Save on shipping and wait time ... $12.87 for 32 oz. spray bottle .
It will remove blue too !

Something that will kill rust and not remove blue is Kerosene ... a long soak in kerosene will kill the rust and soften it so it can be removed with steel / copper wool .
It leaves a brown finish that no longer rusts .
I have saved tools the kids left in the yard ... all rusty , long soak and steel wool cleanings ... get them usable again ...
slow but effective and cheap !
Gary

 

[DaggerBlade]

Thanks for all the replies. She took it to a gunsmith and had all the affected parts replaced. Looks good as new.