Removing rust from hard to reach corners

Svet · Apr 22, 2006

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 rust remover are highly appreciated.

Thanks!

GGaskill · Apr 22, 2006

Phosphoric acid is the active ingredient in rust removers. It can be brushed into corners and cavities and washed out. You could also try the electrolytic method of rust conversion; it uses washing soda and electricity.

epkid · Jun 6, 2006

Try using electrolytic removal. It's cheap,easy and doesn't hurt the base metal. Here is a couple of links
http://www.davesweb.com/houndawg/HowTo_ElectrolyticRustRemoval.asp

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/rust.htm

http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tools/Electrolysis.htm

I use PHup from Home Depot. I is in the pool chemical section.

Chad

ahall · Jun 6, 2006

Electrolytic is probably your best bet.

Phosporic acid products do a good job on light rust, not heavy scaly stuff, and can often be rinsed clean if applied thick enough.

I have also heard of a product called evaporust or something like that. Some of the blacksmiths I know use it to clean up old tools. They like it, except for the cost, and that it evaporates.

The action is not an acid but some other sort of enzymatic action.

Any of these techniques will attack iron oxide - rust, gun blueing, etc. So think before you leap.

Also, plan to oil everything up as soon as your done. The bare metal exposed after cleaning will rust quickly if not protected.

Rex TX · Jun 7, 2006

Try some Evaporust. It does the same thing as electrolytic except you just soak it. Doesn't get near as nasty, doesn't remove blue (didn't for me anyway), non-caustic. No, it's not phosphoric acid solution.

I've soaked gun parts, precision tooling, anything with rust on it, works great. Hardened steel comes out looking black, but clean. I kinda like the look.

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Removing rust from hard to reach corners

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