Rust on Stainless Model 700

Maybe a short soak in some vinegar?

publiuss said:

As the title says, rust on a stainless 700. Most of us know that stainless isn't so. If it is abused it will develop some rust. Got a second hand 700 with light rust on that damn rough stainless finish. How in the world am I going to get it off. Steel wool won't work because the rust is down in those pores. Afraid a stainless toothbrush will make the finish in those spots look different and don't know if it would work anyway.

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Do you have a compressor? If so or if you can use one a cheap blast gun with some bead media can BUT, play around with something else first to see how it works. If you can get the finish you can live with then you can do the entire gun to make it look the same.

Stay away from steel wool, that might be where the rust came from initially.

I'd soak it in oxcilac acid or Evaporust. Won't etch iron like most acids including vinegar or citric acid.

Marine supply stores carry bronze and stainless steel wool.

Amazon, too,

Well it is "stain less", not "stain proof". Not something I'd lose sleep over. Clean as much as practical then keep a film of gun oil on the metal surfaces just like any other rifle. If it is pitted you aren't going to get it all out. But you can keep it from getting worse

Kp321 said:

Stay away from steel wool, that might be where the rust came from initially.

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Nice point.

Soft toothbrush and polishing compound?

publiuss said:

good point kp321. It would be easy to leave a little carbon steel "slush" in those rough pores. It wouldn't work because of those pores anyway. Good idea ,Alex. I am about to buy a small blaster anyway to KG a couple of cheap guns. Very well may give me a finish I like better, too.

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They make several kinds of media for them. It's cheap and can be bought in small amounts to play with. Once you get the hang of it and find a finish you can live with it's easy to at least have it all look the same. I have seen a LOT of things tried to "spot" fix stainless since it started to be used for guns. Never seen any that really blended perfect. Seemed that there was always sign in the repaired spot of the fix. Often of course could be done well but, always seemed to me that when I knew the spot was there it just seemed to stand out and bugged me no end First time I tried this was a slide on a 1911. Everything I tried "worked" but I could still see where i had worked on it and just irritated me. So took it to work where we had a blast gun and did the entire thing. It did not look the same as before from the factory but it was all the same now and I liked it. Hope you can get it to where you are happy with it

A bast cabinet would remove the rust and make a uniform but utility finish. First Plug muzzle, action and chamber holes. Wash in parts washer. If you want pretty, or polished you will need a good bit more equipment.

Armorer 101 said:

A bast cabinet would remove the rust and make a uniform but utility finish. First Plug muzzle, action and chamber holes. Wash in parts washer. If you want pretty, or polished you will need a good bit more equipment.

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For one job you can use your back yard. After I found out how well it worked I have done a couple more in my back yard with a very cheap gun I bought from Harbor Freight. You just lose the media but it's very cheap for doing some small job like this. Just cover eyes and use a mask of course. Best to take off whatever clothing you use outside after and shake it out good so you do not get the stuff all over in the house.
For flats, like on the slide of my 1911's a simple buffing wheel can bring back the nice shine if so desired. Only thing you have to do to make sure it comes out nice is practice on something else first to see how different stuff works. Round surfaces are hard to do if you want nice an shiny but even that can be done well with a good bit of practice. The simple bead blasted to me looks great and is easy to make all look the same.

Alex Clayton said:

For one job you can use your back yard. After I found out how well it worked I have done a couple more in my back yard with a very cheap gun I bought from Harbor Freight. You just lose the media but it's very cheap for doing some small job like this. Just cover eyes and use a mask of course. Best to take off whatever clothing you use outside after and shake it out good so you do not get the stuff all over in the house.
For flats, like on the slide of my 1911's a simple buffing wheel can bring back the nice shine if so desired. Only thing you have to do to make sure it comes out nice is practice on something else first to see how different stuff works. Round surfaces are hard to do if you want nice an shiny but even that can be done well with a good bit of practice. The simple bead blasted to me looks great and is easy to make all look the same.

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Blast into a 55 gal trash can, but be aware it can get blown back up. run that thru a screen and you can collect and reuse your media. It does break down tho, and best I've gotten is 3 or 4 passes before its pretty fine.

Look at a cheap non-cabinet blasting set up as noted above and then research DIY soda blasting.

You can do it almost anywhere. Easy-peasy!

Todd.