Stupid Rust

Suppose you acquire the family heirloom. It has been passed back and forth between brother, father, and stepfather for over thirty-years.

By the time it gets to you, it has lots of surface rust and pitting on the outside, blued surface. You get out the Hoppes #9 and a soft cotton cloth, and you scrub. A month or so later, the rust is back.

Short of full on re-blueing, how do you stop the rust from coming back.

thanks

 

I'd try some thing other than Hoppes.
It does a pretty good job on cleaning.
But for protecting it is not the best.
Try Barricade, or CLP.

I once bought a shotgun that was FULLY rust on the outside.
Apparently it spent most it's life in a barn.
I used 0000 steel wool to remove the rust.
Then applied a WET coat of CLP to all metal parts.

So far so good. I was expecting it to start to rusting with a few weeks. About 7 months now, and it seem to fine.

You could also use a wax. Johnson's paste wax.
Or Eezox. I have never used them, but many on here have with GREAT results. You would first have to make sure the metal is free of any rust or oils before applying the wax.

 

The one time I had a rust issue , I oiled the gun real good and then used a plastic bore brush in a cordless drill to scrub ..... cleaned it up then re-oiled and never had a problem again.

 

You have to get all the rust out of the tiny pits it lives in, and get it stopped.
A cotton cleaning patch is not aggressive enough to do that.

I'd recommend a going over with 0000 (extra fine) steel wool & oil. It will not hurt the remaining bluing if you don't get crazy in one spot.

After you get it all cleaned, continue to wipe off all the oil until it is down to dry steel.

Then apply several coats of Johnson's Paste Floor Wax to fill all the microscopic pits where the rust gets a foothold again.

That should take care of it if you remember to wipe it down after handling every time. For that, you can use a silicone cloth, RIG, or CLP on a patch or rag.

rcmodel

 

Breakfree CLP once you get the rust off. I go through my safe once a year and re-do each piece with it... have never had a problem since I've been using it -- since it came out. I also keep two pair of cotton gloves on one of the shelves to avoid getting oils from my hands on pieces when handling them. And I hand a pair to anyone who'll be handling them, also -- such as sons and daughters who are oggling something they'll inherit someday.

 

Breakfree CLP is good stuff, but I've read a few tests where Eezoz has given much better corrosion protection.

I had my firearm collection in an unprotected outdoor barn for 3 years while I deployed overseas. When I was able to retrieve them, there was not a speck of rust even after those humid southern summers and wet southern winters. They had, of course, been thoroughly cleaned and lubricated with Eezox before I left.

 

Eezoz or CorrosionX are easily the best rust protection products out there