I recently returned from a sea duck hunt and immediately took my Benelle SBE out to clean it since it was a wet day. I found the exterior of the barrel completely rusted in just a few hours of sitting inside by gun case. I thoroughly cleaned it but the rust stains are still clearly visible. Any suggestions for how to get it completely cleaned.

Fine steel wool and oil.

And elbow grease, a bit of that. I try not to scrub too hard, but keep the steel wool moving using long straight strokes.

won't the use of steel wool damage the bueing

quote:

Originally posted by AndreC:
won't the use of steel wool damage the bueing

If you're hesitant to use the steel wool, use bronze wool instead. You should be able to find it at better paint stores or at a marine supply store. If not, Brownells carries it.

Had a friend brought me a gun in similar condition not too long ago. The best method I found was to wipe it down with Break Free CLP with a rag first to get the light rust off. Then if you hold the gun so that the light reflects off the metal you can see where the rust has started to pit.

Put a little Break Free CLP on the spot and rub it in with your fingernail. Keep rubbing, your fingernail will not harm the blueing. You will see the oil get rusty. Keep working at it and you will get the most rust off possible without harming the finish.

If you use 0000 steelwool, it won't hurt the blueing. I have used that grade of steel wool and light oil and it does the job.

I did exactly the same thing many years ago on the TX coast, and was horrified to find my 870 Wingmaster orange. I crumpled some newspaper sheets and worked the shotgun over with them. No bluing loss and the rust disappeared...

I have a real super fine bristle brass/bronze brush that looks like a finger nail cleaning scrub brush, that I got at the hardware store. It works great with some kroil oil .

I like it because unlike 0000 steel wool it doesnt leaves steel wool shaveings and hairs all over the gun that have to be washed off and blown out with a air compressor

Get some corrosion x and your rust problems will be just a memory. Removes and protects from rust. Hunt in fowl weather all the time and have been using it now for the last two years. No problem with rust.

OK, as a Psych professor, I'm certifiably crazy. Try using a pencil eraser on bad rust. If that doesn't remove the rust, use the old pencil-style typing eraser. This will get most of the rust off easily. If it doesn't, go to the harsher methods.

AndreC, you might want to pick up a bottle of the new Breakfree long term storage oil.....supposed to work for up to five years.

River Rat 1969

The 4/0 steel wool & light oil has always worked for me as a gusmith. I get a lot of rusted guns. I've also seen houshold cleaner like comet used.
I recommend a product called rustguardit from kleenbore. http://www.gunaccessories.com/KleenBore/LubricantsSolvents.asp
I did a salt spray corrosion test a few years back in the lab using a bunch of oils & rust preventive products. This was the only one with zero corrosion rate.
I've had guns coated with it stay in the closet for 10 yrs or more with no problems. Great for bad field conditions too.

My vote goes for Eezox, been using it for over 15yrs, never have a rust problem here on the wet side of Washington. CLP is good too, but Eezox dries to a protective film, doesn't collect dust like CLP.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

Flitz. It's a very mild rubbing compound that won't damage gunblue.

http://www.novumsolutions.com/BLUEWONDERGunBlueInstructions.html Just bought some Blue Wonder from Sinclairs to take light surface rust from Unertl scope, there is some good instructions for this product's use as well. r in s.

Good info/test results on well known products:
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

Have used Corrosion X for years.
Sako

quote:

Originally posted by SakoL61R:
Good info/test results on well known products:
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

Have used Corrosion X for years.
Sako

Thanks for that link. The test I did was an actual salt spray continuously for 100 hours in a corrosion laboratory using mild steel corrosion coupons. This approximates abrasion of the coating as well as corrosive conditions. I didn't use corrosion-X but have heard some good things about it. I used WD-40, RIG, 30 wt motor oil, Remoil, 3 in 1, and a few others I can't recall, along with Rustguardit. The corrosion rate was measured in "mils per year" which is much more accurate than appearance (though that is a good indication).
Rustguardit is a wax based inhibitor that was the only product that recorded zero MPY (mils per year) corrosion rate. I've used it in AK hunting in constant rain for a week without recoating. I've found it to be better than a stainless steel gun

Greg,
Thanks for the info on RustGuardit. I'll give it a try sometime.
Charles

I was taught to use trewax by a master gunsmith never had rust!