How do I remove HEAVY rust?

L

lewdog

Joined
Jan 30, 2006
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My father-in-law sent over a bunch of pieces to work on. One is an old filet/fishing/hunting knife that was his father's--it is of sentimental value to him. I'm talking caked on, 3 dimensional rust. I've used the search function and have consequently tried some of the suggestions I've seen--steel wool, wd-40, vinegar, Maas polish, etc. I've even been using 60-grit sandpaper with wd-40. I have gotten a fair amount of it, but there is still some serious rust left. It's probably pitted into the metal. I don't particularly care about scratching the metal because I can always just sand it back up to 300 or 500 grit and use some polish to make it look halfway presentable. Is there a nuclear solution to get rid of this stuff?
 
lewdog,
If you've sanded it down a lot it might be worth trying naval jelly. You get it at most auto parts places, or even Lowe's. You might want to let it sit for about 10-15 minutes and see what that does for you.

Lagarto.
 
Hit it with some muratic acid (diluted hydrocloric acid) it eats rust for breakfast. Just make sure you sand afterwards to a nice finish.
 
If you have access to a grinder put a wire wheel on it to remove the rust. If not a four inch hand held grinder with a wire wheel will work. A belt sander will also work. If you have these tools and a little working knowledge you can remove the rust quickly.
 
A wire wheel works great to take off the rust. You can use a scotch-brite wheel (various grades) on a grinder for some great results. Be sure to watch your angles and the wheel rotation. A slip can be dangerous! Sometimes I soak old axe heads with wd-40 and let them sit a while before I get down to some serious cleaning. Sandpaper works also but is exceedingly slow and tough on the hands.
 
Sandblasting works well, but you'll end up blasting the whole knife, not just the blade.
 
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