Rust Removal ?

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Foreman2000

Joined
Mar 16, 2011
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What is the best and fastest solution to soak rusty axe heads in to remove rust. No I do not want to use electricity looking for something that can happen overnight or a 24 to 48 hour period.
 
Foreman2000 said:
What is the best and fastest solution to soak rusty axe heads in to remove rust. No I do not want to use electricity looking for something that can happen overnight or a 24 to 48 hour period.
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This, cover it in vinegar leave it for 2 days, take it out scrub it with a wire brush, put it back in if it's not spotless.
 
Here's a $5 Kelly garage sale find. It was restored with a course wire cup on an angle grinder. The wire brush leaves a nice patina on the axe. I don't use the messy vinegar soak & brush anymore.





 
cooperhill said:
Nice work Tom. I agree with you on the wire brush. best results.
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I think the wire cup brush does the best job, too. But the OP asked for a soaking solution so I suggested vinegar.

Tom, that axe looks fantastic! :cool:


richard thurman said:
what about using a wire brush that fit's on a drill??
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That will work but drills generally turn much slower than grinders so it will take a biy longer to get the same result.

I've posted this before but it might bear repeating. When using wire wheels to remove rust you need to wear safety glasses and a dust mask or respirator. Wire wheels can throw wires and will do so voraciously if you bear down hard with them. Take it slow and they shed far less wires. Brass wire cups leave more patina than steel wire cups just because they're softer. Steel wire cups are made with carbon steel wire. In my experience knotted steel wire cups throw fewer wires than crimped steel wire cups. If you use a wire cup brush and bear down hard than wires will go flying everywhere. You'll quickly wear out your cup and end up with wires stuck through your clothing and bouncing off your face and your eye protection.
 
I've had some good luck with EvapoRust. http://www.evaporust.com/ Not on axes, mind you, but on 20 year old car parts. I've never compared it to vinegar, so I don't know if I've paid too much, but I would be willing to pay to not have to be around the reek of white vinegar. :)

I picked it up by the gallon at AutoZone. It was in the paint section, not with the other chemicals and rust removers.
 
I had a 3.5 Lbs Double bit axe media blasted after rehandling it, it ensures majority of all rust removed, polish it and keep it oiled or in a warm area.
 
Square_peg said:
I think the wire cup brush does the best job, too. But the OP asked for a soaking solution so I suggested vinegar.

Tom, that axe looks fantastic! :cool:




That will work but drills generally turn much slower than grinders so it will take a biy longer to get the same result.

I've posted this before but it might bear repeating. When using wire wheels to remove rust you need to wear safety glasses and a dust mask or respirator. Wire wheels can throw wires and will do so voraciously if you bear down hard with them. Take it slow and they shed far less wires. Brass wire cups leave more patina than steel wire cups just because they're softer. Steel wire cups are made with carbon steel wire. In my experience knotted steel wire cups throw fewer wires than crimped steel wire cups. If you use a wire cup brush and bear down hard than wires will go flying everywhere. You'll quickly wear out your cup and end up with wires stuck through your clothing and bouncing off your face and your eye protection.
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Yup and if you're dealing with small or deep pits use a fine crimped brush as the wires are more flexible and able to work their way into the pits.

I know the OP didn't want to do electrolysis but I really suggest the method. Sloughs the rust right off and it's super easy as long as you can throw the parts together.
 
I tried vinegar, and soaked for 3 days, (along with brushing), to get the rust out of the eye.

Problem is, the acidic vinegar will deepen pits in the good metal too!

I'm sold on the wire brush cup in an angle grinder. Harbor freight had them on sale for $17,

so I grabbed one. They got surprisingly good reviews, and it works great so far.

I also used some "rust reformer" inside the eye. It chemically converts the rust to a stable surface.
 
Square_peg said:
Ospho brand phosohoric acid?
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Nope it's not acidic. Called "Rust Reforner" by Rustoleum. Got it at Wally Mart.

Get the liquid kind, and apply it with a q-tip or similar. Leaves a black surface.

I would only use it inside the eye. Cost around $5.
 
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