Micro rust in bead blasted SS

[7gables]

Anybody ever encounter microscopic dots of rust in there bead blasted stainless smiths? What worked to get it out without damaging the finish?

[JH1951]

Is this something that was bead blasted post-factory? Or are we talking about a factory finish?

[7gables]

Quite sure factory, I realize if something is re BB u have to be careful not to have any remnants of iron flakes from a previous BB that can start rust.

[JH1951]

Interesting. My guess was that there was some ferrous metal contaminant in the blasting media. But if it wasn't redone, I am at a loss.

[7gables]

Well although I don't think it was re BB it's always possible. Actually that was the first thing I thought of. Kinda waiting for someone to chime in that has seen it on a gun they know for fact is absolutely original. I was assured in no uncertain terms that it was all original when I bought it. There was very little of it and tiny tiny tiny specks that until I examined under 15x magnifying glass wouldn't of known to be rust. It was right in the tiny pores-crevices of the BB. Good news is I got it out. That high powered $10 magnifying glass is handy

[Steve912]

Molasses soak, maybe?

[gwpercle]

Yes I have encountered it. The worst was a model 64 carried by a policeman. I don't think he ever wiped it down .
Stainless steel is NOT rustproof . It will rust if not wiped down now and then , it is a lot slower to show rust.
Take some 0000 steel or copper wool , light lube of your choice and remove all rust. I wax my guns and wipe them with a silicon cloth after handling .
Gary

[S&W Rover]

I recently ordered a S&W stainless steel guide rod for the 5906 -- "new old stock" in original envelope from a major vendor. It must have been in there 10-12 years at least.

Shocked me that it arrived mottled in light rust. Good news is that a little CLP and the rust all rubbed off, leaving no pitting visible to the naked eye. But clear proof that stainless steel does rust.

It now sits in the drawer, oily, just in case I need it someday!

[ameridaddy]

Stainless steels are not rust-proof, only rust resistant, and they become more rust resistant the finer the surface finish. Note that SS kitchen knives always come with a high polish, yet if you leave the knife half in, half out of the water in the sink, in a day or so you will see the beginning of a rust line right at the air/water interface.
Stainless with a sandblasted surface presents more surface area to the oxygen/moisture around it, so it's more prone to show rust.
Then too, as JH1951 noted, a shop with only one blaster will probably have ferrous dust in the media, so that can also contaminate the surface.

Whenever we designed a SS part, we specified passivating (oversimplifying - an acid wash) after heat treating, milling, grinding or blasting, whatever the last action on the surface was, to be sure we killed any non-stainless contamination of the surface of the work.

Bottom line: either one of a long term exposure to humidity without some surface protection or a not totally professional refinish could precipitate the specks you saw.

[7gables]

Yep ya gotta stay ahead of the old rust. Now that I've got this one clean of it I'm trying out the Hornady one shot as a preventative, I've read that it's good

[SOTVEN]

HELLO ALL! I OWN A 686-3 AND A 4506. BOTH I GOT USED. THE REVOLVER WAS POLISHED, WHILE THE PISTOL IS MATTE GRAY THAT THEY USUALLY ARE. BOTH CAME TO ME WITH LOTS OF RUST UNDER THE GRIPS. THE WAY I FOUND TO WORK FOR ME IN THE CASE OF THE PISTOL AND REMOVING THE RUST FROM ITS BEADBLASTED TEXTURED SURFACE, WAS SPRAYING WD40 ON IT, LEFT IT AN HOUR, AND USE A PHOSHOR BRONZE BRISTLE BRUSH (FROM A 12 GAUGE CLEANING KIT) AND LIGHTLY SCRUB AND WIPE WITH A COTTON RUG, AGAIN AND AGAIN, UNTIL IT GOT CLEAN. PITTING MARKS WERE REVEALED AFTER THAT. I BEADBLASTED THE REVOLVER AFTER I GOT IT, BECAUSE I AM NOT A BIG FAN OF POLISHED GUNS, AND THAT TOOK CARE OF ITS RUST. SINCE THEN, I LIGHTLY WIPE THEM BOTH WITH SOME WD40 EVERY NOW AND THEN, (LIKE I DO WITH ALL MY GUNS) AND HAVE NOT NOTICED ANY RUST AGAIN. JUST MY EXPERIENCE, AND I HOPE IT HELPS :-)

[Sevens]

Thanks for that insight and welcome to our forum! I bet you'll find a home here. And please take this in the spirit that it is offered... WHEN YOU TYPE IN ALL CAPITALS, it reads to us LIKE YOU ARE YELLING!

[tom 45]

never use steel wool on stainless steel.
The steel wool will leave traces embedded in the stainless.
This will definitely rust.

[SOTVEN]

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SORRY ABOUT THE CAPITALS, MY KEYBOARD IS BUSTED. AS A FRIEND IN AN OTHER FORUM HAD SAID, "THIS GUY IS ALL THE WAY FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC, HENCE HE TYPES IN CAPITALS TO BE HEARD FROM THAT FAR"!! LOL! AS SOON AS I GET ANOTHER KEYBOARD THEY WILL CHANGE TO LOWERCASE FRIEND. SORRY FOR THIS. NO YELLING REALLY. :-)

[JH1951]

Welcome, Sotven. Please keep in mind that WD40 is primarily used for "water displacement", hence the "WD". Other products will serve you better for preventing rust and lubrication. I do not want to reopen the debate on this, so if more information is desired, please do a search on the forum.

[vortex360]

A toothbrush and some penetrating oil.

[0849]

Originally Posted by vortex360

A toothbrush and some penetrating oil.

Will not that penetrating oil leave a somewhat bad taste in your mouth the next time you brush

[DWalt]

"Whenever we designed a SS part, we specified passivating (oversimplifying - an acid wash) after heat treating, milling, grinding or blasting, whatever the last action on the surface was, to be sure we killed any non-stainless contamination of the surface of the work."

After any disturbance of the SS surface (such as by bead blasting or machining), acid passivation is essential in order to dissolve any microparticles of iron which may be exposed on the surface, and will eventually rust.

[Barrie]

Sotven Welcome to the Forum. WD40 is not really that good for guns at all as it draws dirt like a magnet does and is a very serious Carcaginerate as well. You never want any of it on your bare skin as it is a actual poison. My Company that I did my career with banned it from all of our properties in Canada. That was General Motors Canada. There's lots of other safer stuff to use instead.

[Steve912]

Originally Posted by DWalt

After any disturbance of the SS surface (such as by bead blasting or machining), acid passivation is essential in order to dissolve any microparticles of iron which may be exposed on the surface, and will eventually rust.

Would phosphoric acid/ospho type stuff work for passivating?

[SOTVEN]

Originally Posted by Barrie

Sotven Welcome to the Forum. WD40 is not really that good for guns at all as it draws dirt like a magnet does and is a very serious Carcaginerate as well. You never want any of it on your bare skin as it is a actual poison. My Company that I did my career with banned it from all of our properties in Canada. That was General Motors Canada. There's lots of other safer stuff to use instead.

WOW, I DID NOT THINK WD40 WOULD BE ALL THAT BAD??? I ASSUMED THAT SINCE USDA HAD APPROVED IT FOR FOOD PROCESSORS, IT WOULD AT LEAST NOT BE HARMFUL!!!! OUCH!! TO ITS DEFENSE HOWEVER, IT HAS UPKEPT MY SHOTGUNS FOR 20+ YEARS NOW LIKE NEW. BUT THE CARCINOGENOUS THING REALLY BUGS ME. THANX FOR THE HEADS UP FRIENDS!

[SOTVEN]

Originally Posted by 0849

Will not that penetrating oil leave a somewhat bad taste in your mouth the next time you brush

BAHAHAHAHA!!!

[Pisgah]

Originally Posted by SOTVEN

WOW, I DID NOT THINK WD40 WOULD BE ALL THAT BAD??? I ASSUMED THAT SINCE USDA HAD APPROVED IT FOR FOOD PROCESSORS, IT WOULD AT LEAST NOT BE HARMFUL!!!! OUCH!! TO ITS DEFENSE HOWEVER, IT HAS UPKEPT MY SHOTGUNS FOR 20+ YEARS NOW LIKE NEW. BUT THE CARCINOGENOUS THING REALLY BUGS ME. THANX FOR THE HEADS UP FRIENDS!

Please do not confuse the topic of WD40 with facts. Abusing WD40 with hokum is a time-honored tradition amongst members of the gun culture...

[Karl in NY]

I have restored many abused SS handguns (mostly, prior-owned by fellow cops, whether duty or personally owned).

Best solution was toothbrush, with thick paste of Bar Keeper's, in a random circular pattern. Time consuming , but has brought many 80% SS guns to 100% condition. Deep scratches need wet-sanding first, using a semi-flexible rubber pad, rather than finger pressure, starting with 400 and progressing to 1000 grit, then the BK/toothbrush routine, followed by boiling water rinse.

Unless you do a complete detail-strip, after the water rinse, use WD40 to displace water from hidden areas. Unfortunately, conventional zero-residue solvents won't remove the acids from the Barkeeper's...also consider oven drying at about 160-degrees for several hours...most ovens have that as their lowest setting.

[dogzebra]

I bought a 4586 that had gotten doused with plenty of coffee and doughnuts during it's service. The old Pachmayrs were glued in place. Once I removed them there was pitting visible and black gunk in the pits beneath. I took a teaspoon of citric acid(dish machine soap,) added a drop of water to make a paste and scrubbed it all off with a toothbrush. Same drill cleans off powder burns on stainless as well.