Hi guys, I have some razors which have some rust. What is the best way to remove it? I want to take Jamie up on his kind offer of honeing the blade for me but I feel that I should make some effort towards cleaning it up first. Some blades have engraving etc so I don't want to remove it but I do want to remove the rust. Any secrets?
I'd say first soak'em in WD-40 and then try to rub the dirt and rust away with cloth. Some rust can be grinded out only with sandpaper or grinder. Besides, there are many WD-40-like liquids that you can use. But often grinding is the only way... There are a lot of restoration videos on SRP and Glen/gssixgun also recorded some very useful clips plus a tutorial in this section.
I'd hit them with some oil, WD-40 is a solvent and will help stop rust but you should oil it afterward, to see if there is pitting under the rust. Then scrub it with a toothbrush to remove and verify the extent of damage. Pick the one with the least pitting and send it off to Jaimie.
Naval jelly will get rid of the rust but I think it stains metal too. It's great for cleaning up an old truck bed but on any ornamental metal I think it may be a bit harsh. As far as the oil type goes, I use mineral oil, but there are several kinds that are apt for the job. Just don't use vegetable oils as they can get gunky and require cleaning. All-in-one oil, or sewing machine oil.....any machine oil will suffice I reckon.
I tried a but of wd40 but i am afraid with sanding I may remove detail from the blade is there an option which may save it? Also with hand sanding it removes the hi polish finish on the blade, would Brasso bring it back
Nope, you need to get finer sanding media. Micro-mesh or XXX fine steel wool. I'm by no means an authority on this though so take it with a grain of salt coming from me. See if SRP has any content for this.
Big question is: how much rust and how deep is it? Surface rust is just a light coating with no pitting. Once it pits, the whole game changes. There's a product I use called Evapo-Rust and I buy it by the gallon. It dissolves rust. It's biodegradable, non-toxic, doesn't stink, doesn't burn like Naval Jelly, and when it's spent you can throw it on the garden. I take whatever needs to be de-rusted and put it into a shallow stainless steel pan I have just for this purpose. Leave it in for a day or two and then take it out and wash it with clean water and a toothbrush. Haven't found it to hurt plastics, bone, or wood either! If I'm in a rush I'll use - as a different method - a 3M abrasive pad. It can leave a satin finish when you get down to bare metal but it's quick. I rarely use a wire wheel anymore due to the wires coming out and getting everywhere and the grabbing and throwing danger. I have replaced their use with red Norton coated abrasive wheels which are somewhat pliable and not only remove rust but also polish the steel. They're more expensive but last a whole lot longer and you end up with better de-rusting and polished steel instead of a satin polish.
Brasso really works well on non-ferrous metals but for steel I'd recommend Flitz. I've also used Simichrome but seem to go back to Flitz. Flitz puts a nice polish on it. Polishing, like honing, is a progressive process. You're polishing out finer and finer lines until there are no visible lines and then it's polished. I've also had good luck using a diamond paste between my fingers and it leaves a nice polish. Had really good luck with this on a nickel silver guard on a knife. Very pretty and attractive finish.
Do you have any firearms shops in your area? They usually have very high quality products for recovering from rust problems and also preventing problems. Didn't catch that you were in the UK so don't know if Evapo-Rust or Flitz are available there.
If you would, let me know what you come up with for a solution. I'm ALWAYS dealing with rust as I reclaim a lot of old tools (I find it therapeutic).
