Drove three hours to meet a guy for a gun he described as perfect condition. Needless th say the gun had surface rust all over it. I bought it anyway because the price was right. Any suggestions on how to get the rust off without scratching the gun? Gun is a browning Abolt.
Stainless with surface rust
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http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/visitor/common/pdfs/b/product/dr/ChromaSystem/H-19298_5717S.pdf
5717s is basically phosphoric acid, and as an auto painter, I used it to remove rust on bare metal before priming and painting. It worked extremely well, and the reason I'd use it was to stop rust from coming back under the primer coat--you see that all the time--bubbling paint jobs with rust underneath. Dupont, PGP (Ditzler), BASF, Sherwin-Wms, et. al., all the big paint manufacturers have their own product, and they're all pretty much the same.
If your problem really is just surface rust, maybe a rough terry cloth towel and a lot of elbow grease will be enough of an abrasive to use with 5717s. I never had to worry about scratching the metal, so I always used 3M Scotchbrite pads or in extreme cases, a wire brush. (if your shotgun is SS, though, I don't see why Scotchbrite swirls would be cosmetically detrimental.
The stuff's expensive; see if you can find an auto body shop that will sell you a pint or less... I'll bet it'll be hard to find here though. Most shops will skimp on the expense and go straight from grind to prime.
It's been years since I painted... I can't remember which OEM brand I used that used to darken the metal surface while it etched the metal. I'd suggest calling DuPont before you commit and see if a tech there can tell you if their product just removes rust without changing its' color.
As I said, every paint OEM makes a variation of this 'metal prep' product; calling around to the different 800 numbers will find one that doesn't "stain" SS while it cleans.
5717s is basically phosphoric acid, and as an auto painter, I used it to remove rust on bare metal before priming and painting. It worked extremely well, and the reason I'd use it was to stop rust from coming back under the primer coat--you see that all the time--bubbling paint jobs with rust underneath. Dupont, PGP (Ditzler), BASF, Sherwin-Wms, et. al., all the big paint manufacturers have their own product, and they're all pretty much the same.
If your problem really is just surface rust, maybe a rough terry cloth towel and a lot of elbow grease will be enough of an abrasive to use with 5717s. I never had to worry about scratching the metal, so I always used 3M Scotchbrite pads or in extreme cases, a wire brush. (if your shotgun is SS, though, I don't see why Scotchbrite swirls would be cosmetically detrimental.
The stuff's expensive; see if you can find an auto body shop that will sell you a pint or less... I'll bet it'll be hard to find here though. Most shops will skimp on the expense and go straight from grind to prime.
It's been years since I painted... I can't remember which OEM brand I used that used to darken the metal surface while it etched the metal. I'd suggest calling DuPont before you commit and see if a tech there can tell you if their product just removes rust without changing its' color.
As I said, every paint OEM makes a variation of this 'metal prep' product; calling around to the different 800 numbers will find one that doesn't "stain" SS while it cleans.
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I've used 0000 steel wool and oil together with success many times.
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try it with light pressure and ample oil...perhaps in an area not so immediately visible, and see what you think. Like the base of that scope ring...
I'm certainly no expert, but some of that appears to not be live surface rust. That finish might already have minor pits. I usually deal with blued firearms though, not too big on stainless.
Perhaps one who owns stainless will chime in soon.
I'm certainly no expert, but some of that appears to not be live surface rust. That finish might already have minor pits. I usually deal with blued firearms though, not too big on stainless.
Perhaps one who owns stainless will chime in soon.
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I've used green Scotchbrite pads to freshen-up the matte finish on several pistols, takes the shiny holster-wear away. Go slow with random motion and you really, really have to look closely with the light just right to see anything at all.
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That one's bad enough that bead blasting might be the only viable answer. I don't think you're gonna get anything you're happy with using steel wool and/or any chemical. Geeze, I might go for a wet or dry polish on something that pitted. I think that one is beyond elbow grease. Hope I'm wrong, but that one is pretty bad. It looks as if it was bead blasted originally, so you might bring it back that way. I'm curious as to what the barrel bore looks like. If the outside is that bad, the innards cant be much better. Looks like it went through Katrina and was left in an abandoned house for a few months. Good luck, but I wouldn't count on an easy fix.
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Hahahahahaha wow! Negative much?Hrdnox said:That one's bad enough that bead blasting might be the only viable answer. I don't think you're gonna get anything you're happy with using steel wool and/or any chemical. Geeze, I might go for a wet or dry polish on something that pitted. I think that one is beyond elbow grease. Hope I'm wrong, but that one is pretty bad. It looks as if it was bead blasted originally, so you might bring it back that way. I'm curious as to what the barrel bore looks like. If the outside is that bad, the innards cant be much better. Looks like it went through Katrina and was left in an abandoned house for a few months. Good luck, but I wouldn't count on an easy fix.
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wooo that sure is purty.. ok science lesson stainless steel oxidation is a dull grey. What causes the traditional red rust we see here? Iron particles in the humidity... ok back on topic im still gonna say steel wool. Go to your local ACE, Home dept, Lowes, mom an pop, etc and pick you up some 0000, 000, 00 steel wool. If you still in bad shape then its going to be a PITA. take your stock off and go to local auto shop and get some good 3M wet sanding paper. start out at about 1000 grit and work your way up to 3K. i really doubt your gun is going to be matte finish after that though
I used the 0000 steel wool with wd40 and got most of it off. I think if I would have tried the 000 or 00 I could get it all. I was worried about the bore after I read the above post but after inspection everything looks good. It will serve it's purpose as an all weather hunting rifle. Thanks for all the input.
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I'm surprised it's cleaning up that easily, but I'm glad it is. That's an awful nice gun for someone to neglect like that. I'll bet you'll keep it pristine once you get it cleaned up, though. Some lessons stick with you once learned the hard way. Hope the discount was enough to cover your labor and a nice tip.
Some lessons stick with you once learned the hard way. Hope the discount was enough to cover your labor and a nice tip.
Over 60 years experience shooting and hunting. 40 years experience working on my personal guns.
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Glad you got it fixed. I have been trying bronze wool that I ordered from Brownells. I like it better than steel wool. I also like Flitz and Super Premium Polishing Paste for cleaning small spots and oxidation from knives and guns.
If you can't get it all off you can bring it to me and I will do it for you. Just because there is surface rust on the outside doesn't mean the bore and internals are bad. 000 steel wool will not damage the finish, I had to take care of my buddy's Steyr that has the exact same bead blasted finish and surface rust just like yours. If you take your time and dont scrub too hard in one area it will all clean up and you will never know it ever had rust on it. Once you get done if you can see any scratch marks or anything from where you scrubbed too hard in certain spots use a little Mother's Aluminum Mag Wheel Polish and get a soft rag and lightly polish the whole gun and it will look perfect (I say lightly polish because if you polish it too much you will have a nice shiny bling-bling finish)
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