Cleaning Rust Off

J

John A. Larsen

Joined
Jan 15, 2001
Messages
3,792
I keep seeing postings about soaking rusty axe heads in vinegar to clean off the rust. I just cleaned up a Finnish E-tool, made by Billnas, supposedly from around WWI. Rusty blade but very solid and I used multiple coats of "Naval Jelly". Put it on, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, wash it off with water and hit it again with a brush bit on a drill. After the final washing with water, I dry it, then hit it with WD 40, to displace any remain water. Works well, and just wonder why no one seems to use Naval Jelly for axe heads? Thanks.
John
 
It can be AznInvazn, and I think most people choose vinegar instead of naval jelly for two very good reasons John. Its cheaper and simpler, there are no latex gloves or leaving the jelly on too long and having it dry, and it tends to be more effective IMO. Also, it patina's the metal, which can be a pro or a con. I know I used to use naval jelly, and found vinegar to be much better. Dump it in, and ignore it for two or so days. Done. :)
 
TheAznInvazn said:
Interesting...
Can this be obtained at your average hardware store?
Click to expand...

Yes. Vinegar is popular because it is cheap and very readily available. For me, a wire cup brush on an angle grinder is the very best option by a wide margin.

ETA: Crazyotter posted while I was still typing. Didn't mean to be redundant.
 
i've got some navel jelly and use it from time to time. many times after i've used the NJ i still throw the head in a vinegar bath. the NJ just dosent do the job as well in my experiences.

plus as mentioned above; its much cheaper and less of a pain in the a$$ IMO...
 
M3mphis said:
For me, a wire cup brush on an angle grinder is the very best option by a wide margin.
Click to expand...

I like that fact that a cup brush leaves an old axe's patina alone. To me there's no better finish for an axe then its own natural patina. But I still soak the really nasty ones in vinegar.
 
Has anyone tried OSPHO? It's a phosphoric acid based solution for treating rusty metal surfaces. It turns rust into a hard black coating very quickly. You just brush it on like water. It's very popular in the marine industries. I've used it in the construction industry but never tried it on an axe yet. I think I'll try it on my next rust bucket.
 
Square Peg and M3mphis are dead on correct. Vinegar on left versus original patina on right. Hmmmm.

fokkdd.jpg



Edit: Pic came out bad. Ah well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top