Getting surface rust off a gun?

P

Pyd

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I have in my possession a nice old Savage, it was inherited by a close family member. Unfortunately in the time it sat in it's waiting period it developed some surface rust on the barrel and the receiver, it is minor but seems dominant near the rear dovetail and the joints on the receiver.
Is this something I can fix myself? I have a nice fine layer of G-96 on it right now but in the morning I would love to be able to get rid of the brown spots without damaging the gun. Making it perfect would be nice, but right now I will settle for just stopping the rusting process.
Thanks!
David
 
This what I have done for similar problems:

Get some fine or extra fine steel wool from a paint shop. Spray on a light coat of G96 and lightly rub the affected areas with the steel wool. The idea is to rub just hard enough to remove the soft oxidization, and not hard enough to disturb the finish on the adjoining metal. Go slow, be careful not to rub too hard, or you'll make it worse.

If there are pits, use a hard nylon or bronze bristled brush to clean them out. Again, use only enough muscle to remove the oxidization without disturbing the finish on the surrounding areas.

Once you have the oxidization removed you can apply a cold blue treatment and apply rust preventitive (G96, etc.) or skip the blueing and just put on the G96. The decision to touch up the blueing depends on how visible the pits are and may not be needed. If the rifle has collector value, you probably should not touch up the blueing.

If you decide to touch up the blueing, degrease several times using the degreaser that comes with the cold blueing kit and a soft brush. Blue may not take well unless you degrease very, very well.

To apply the bluing, wet a clean cloth with the blue solution and wipe it over the affected area for a few seconds. Immediately clean the area with a clean cloth. Do not let the cold blue solution sit wet on the surrounding metal for more than a few seconds or it can stain the exisiting blue. The cold blue may turn out to be a slightly different colour than the surrounding metal, but it will look better than bare metal pits and it provides some level of protection. It may take several applications of cold blue to darken the bare spots sufficiently. When you're finished with the blueing, oil the entire area lightly with G96,which will help it blend into the existing finish.
 
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likewise as jethunter--I use superfine steel wool and gently rub the rust after letting it soak in G96 guncare oil.This takes care of surface rust and doesn't seem to affect the bluing.
 
It is hard to imagine putting steel wool to the gun without it damaging the surface.. But I will try it as recomended. Thanks guys!
 
"...putting steel wool to the gun without..." It doesn't hurt the steel or the bluing. 0000 steel wool and some oil takes surface rust off with no fuss. Using a fine brass wire wheel in a bench grinder and a light touch is faster though. Eye protection is essential.
 
RustonWalther.jpg


Does this appear to be too much rust to remove in the above described process?
 
horseman2, it looks like it may be pitted. you can remove the rust from the pits with the above method but it may require a bit more and you'll probably have to replace the bluing. to remove the pitting will take some draw filing and then polishing before bluing.before you reblue, you can get a good job done if you heat the area where you are going to blue. a few seconds with a propane torch and then wipe on the cold blue. as long as you have the rust out , the pitting isn't really a problem, other than cosmetic.be sure to degrease, degrease and degrease again before you apply the bluing. cold blue does protect the metal surprisingly well. good luck
 
"...too much rust to remove..." Hard to tell from a picture, but try it. The wire wheel will clean it up considerably, however, if there's pitting it won't take them out. Leave the files in your tool box though. Especially if the pitting is deep.
 
I sent a message top the CGN who sold me the gun that he forgot to mention rust on the barrel. With no satisfaction, I posted a negative response. He then went on a tirade, and posted a negative against me, the buyer. An administrator thinks he resolved the problem by removing the negatives, and told us to work it out. That also resolved nothing.
So now I will try to make the best out of a "bad" deal. I guess it is a buyer beware market, and making certain there is a record of a five day turnaround . . . although that does not guarantee getting your money back .
 
Hopefully he removed only the negative from your rating and not the sellers if he didn't mention a pitted barrel he shouldn't even be selling on this site.
 
what?!

if you paid him promptly for the gun, and he sent you a gun with that much rust on the barrel that he failed to mention, you should end up with positive feedback and him with negative unless he refunds your money and shipping.

this is of course unless he mentioned the rust in his advertisement or correspondence or described the gun as in 'poor' condition. if this is not the way it works then the feedback system is flawed and worthless.
 
pics are essential before buying. a few good pics and the rust would have been discovered. i'm leary of sellers that can't find there camera or don't know how to email pics. when i sell a rifle i like to send the buyer ten or so good pics and he can determine the condition. my good rating maybe excelent or average to someone else. good pics can save a lot of hassle.
 
Little off topic but,

It's actually quite amazing how many people can't seem to be able to say the rust word.
Things like visable rust, bubba'd sights, cracked wood etc should be disclosed in the original post but some people subscribe to the " if they don't ask ....I won't tell" philosophy of salesmanship!
It's also interesting to see the responses by the seller when the buyer expresses dissapointment in the described condition.
This ranges from "I'm sorry feel free to send it back" or "What can we do to make this right" to "what do you expect for the price you paid" :mad:

Some people feel that if the price is less then $400 there is no need to disclose obvious flaws that even a non gunnut would pick up on....luckily these people are the minority around here.

Bottom line is ask all the obvious questions if the EE post is vague or offers a limited description of the item.
 
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'im sorry feel free to send it back' kindof misses the point when you are across Canada and just paid $40 to have it shipped to you. $80 shipping later, you get your $200-300 for the gun back :rolleyes:
at that point you are better off just keeping it as it is.
 
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