Rust!

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Rust!

Post by zobster » 30 Aug 2015, 11:45 pm

Admin, I'm not quite sure if this belongs here, please remove / relocate if it isn't where it should belong.

I just discovered I have really salty hands. I handled my stainless howa after it was clean and place in the safe for about 4wks and where I've touched it, it developed some tiny spots of rust. :cry: :cry:

I put on some oil and used a bit of stainless wool to scrub it off. Now that the rust has come off, there's some "stains" that could not be removed no matter how hard I scrub. The stains are where the rust spots used to be.

Help please. I'm heart broken, I'm going to use gloves whenever I handle them now. :|
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Re: Rust!

Post by zobster » 31 Aug 2015, 12:06 am

rifle-rust.jpg
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Re: Rust!

Post by Hatter » 01 Sep 2015, 2:20 pm

Man that's tiny. Stress less :lol:

Seriously though, is it just stained or is there pitting? I know it's tiny and maybe too hard to tell but is there any noticeable indent where the discolouration is you can feel with your nail or a pin head or something?
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Re: Rust!

Post by zobster » 01 Sep 2015, 5:08 pm

Hatter wrote:Man that's tiny. Stress less :lol:

Seriously though, is it just stained or is there pitting? I know it's tiny and maybe too hard to tell but is there any noticeable indent where the discolouration is you can feel with your nail or a pin head or something?


Honesty I'm not quite sure, could you tell me what to do in both instances? I'll open the safe later and try to tell if it's pitted with a sewing needle.
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Re: Rust!

Post by Bourt » 08 Sep 2015, 11:18 am

That's very light mate which is good.

I suspect you'll be able to get it off. Instead of oil try some apple cider vinegar with some fine steel wool.

For light rust you should find vinegar will dissolve the rust better than oil. Do use apple cider not, not regular white. I've found that to be best.
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Re: Rust!

Post by zobster » 08 Sep 2015, 2:20 pm

It came off with a brounox and steel wool, I was lucky, its just on the surface. I took a sewing needle and check, no pitting!! Yeh!

Will vinegar remove the stain?
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Re: Rust!

Post by heron » 10 Sep 2015, 2:29 pm

Acetic acid (which is pretty much all vinegar is made of) will remove rust.

Try it definitely, it won't hurt anything so you've nothing to lose.

There is water in vinegar too, so make sure you dry and oil afterwards as always :)
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Re: Rust!

Post by bigfellascott » 10 Sep 2015, 8:11 pm

Learn not to handle the metalwork when putting em back in the safe, so many people fall for the SS is less maintenance thing, they usually work it out when they find the same issues as you.

Give em all a good wipe over with oil is the best way to prevent this and remember don't go putting your salty fingers all over the metalwork!
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Re: Rust!

Post by Berper » 11 Sep 2015, 1:32 pm

bigfellascott wrote:so many people fall for the SS is less maintenance thing


Yeah, too many forum ninjas telling new shooters they don't need cleaning. Corrosion will be slower and less of it but you have to do the same routine just as often to stop it creeping in.
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Re: Rust!

Post by Strikey » 11 Sep 2015, 6:50 pm

I might be a bit late on this but try rubbing that stain with one of those green scouring pads with Inox sprayed on it, should remove the stain without leaving a highly polished finish, worked with stainless for over 20yrs and that's how I remove small marks/stains. Wipe your gun down with whatever oil you choose before storing as the grade of S/S used in firearms will rust without maintenance, it is a different grade to your 316 ( usually referred to as food, hospital, marine grade ) or 304 which is more common :thumbsup:
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Re: Rust!

Post by VICHunter » 15 Sep 2015, 3:43 pm

Strikey wrote:should remove the stain without leaving a highly polished finish


A mate recently made that mistake I know, he used 1200 grit sand paper and ended up with a matte tube with about a 1" spot which is mirror finish :lol:
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Re: Rust!

Post by bigfellascott » 16 Sep 2015, 11:15 am

I think Brass Wool is the go from what I've read.
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Re: Rust!

Post by beerd » 17 Sep 2015, 11:30 am

I don't know if it's steel or brass but I got some of the 'gentle' cookware steel wool looking scouring pads.

Takes more elbow grease as it's gentle but gets there eventually without any wear to the steel.
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Re: Rust!

Post by pomemax » 19 Sep 2015, 6:45 pm

Have a look on youtube a guy was cleaning a badly rusted shotty with a copper coin and oil and it looked to work.
All stainless steel will rust to some degree it still has steel in it and is magnetic so that will rust, the other thing that will cause rust on any steel real quick is the gas in a aerosol spray if you don't remove it all and reoil
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Re: Rust!

Post by Strikey » 19 Sep 2015, 10:09 pm

pomemax wrote:Have a look on youtube a guy was cleaning a badly rusted shotty with a copper coin and oil and it looked to work.
All stainless steel will rust to some degree it still has steel in it and is magnetic so that will rust, the other thing that will cause rust on any steel real quick is the gas in a aerosol spray if you don't remove it all and reoil



Yeah, you're onto it, :allegedly:
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Re: Rust!

Post by Farmjer » 22 Sep 2015, 9:19 am

pomemax wrote:All stainless steel will rust to some degree it still has steel in it


Stainless steel has steel in it? You don't say :lol: :friends: Jokes :D

Stainless I thought was actually made to rust my design if that's the right term. Mild steel will eventually rust/rot away to nothing where stainless develops an ultra thin oxide film which seals the surface.
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