removing surface rust

[gutterman]

I've been told that the best way to remove surface rust from a blued gun, is 0000 steel wool and oil. What kind of oil, and what exactly is the technique for applying the steel wool to the surface? I don't want to create any unwanted tell-tale signs of steel wool cleaning. Never done it-don't want to screw up.

 

[rcmodel]

Any oil or solvent you use for bore cleaning & firearms lubrication will work just fine.

Nothing at all to doing it.

Just put oil on a tuft of steel wool and rub lightly until the rust is gone.

0000 grade Super Fine steel wool is to fine to scratch bluing unless you use it dry and rub hard in one place for too long.

See this:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=7826470&postcount=1

rc

 

[Clark]

This week I have been experimenting with this stuff. No odor and fast.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BNZGY0/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

I have bought rusty firearms and rubbed oil on them every night with a non abrasive scrub pad for a month. That is a hobby slower than gardening. See attached before and after pics.

I have put rusty old screws in a brine of salt and vinegar and heated it up on the microwave. The rust washes off. The screw threads are then sharp. I have heard this is one way to sharpen old files.

 

[Lucifer_Sam]

Vinegar doesnt seem like an ideal choice for a gun. It'll eat through bluing and it pickles the metal so that something weakly alkaline is needed to remove it or it will rust quickly. (I've read that you can use baking soda to neutralize vinegar soaked metal, but that hasn't worked in my experience)

As far as the oil goes, I've just soaked parts in synthetic motor oils and had the rust practically wash off. But they were left in the oil for a while, a few weeks, at least.

 

[gutterman]

thanks for the advise. now I'll try it with confidence.

 

[bigfinger76]

I'm in the process of 0000 steel wool/oil as we speak. I'm using WD40, and it's going very well. Tedious, but effective. It's nice to see the results.