Me Thinks I'm Screwed!

[Biscut]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[vintage40s]

... My understanding is this PC model is a bead blasted SS.

Confirming that...
PERFORMANCE CENTER(R) Model 629 | Smith & Wesson
I had not thought that SS could rust or corrode in any way.

 

[Dan Christopher]

Flitz and a soft cloth will clean that up good as new.

 

[Narragansett]

wrap bad area with pieces of old T shirt. Then soak t shirt with Kroil. Let sit a couple days, then soak again, and let it sit a couple more days. Then remove cloth, and take the sharp edge of a pure copper ( wheat penny ) to the scale, and lightly scrape. When done, LIGHTLY rub with BRONZE wool( not steel) and see what you end up with. OK to use stiff toothbrush and Kroil, AFTER T shirt is removed

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
Unlike hi-carbin steel SS tends to rust on top rather than pit.
Looks bad but should not be deep....
First try ,, K-1 or clear kero sock a few days .
Second , search the "tube" for "derusting a motorcycle fuel tank".
This is what us used to remove rust from Civil War guns and stuff.
An older typ trickle charger ,wire, iron bolt , and electrolight..[found in vid] .
A friend did some stuff and works well....

 

[BigBill]

I had stainless discolor from body sweat in the summer heat. A quick polishing with simi chrome polish fixed it.

 

[SLT223]

See if it cleans up simply with oil and copper wool. If it's pitted and you can't live with, have It bead blasted again, which is the original finish.

 

[CajunBass]

Flitz and a soft cloth will clean that up good as new.

I agree. I've cleaned up worse than that with Flitz, a soft cloth, and a little elbow grease.

Won't make it any worse anyway.

 

[Gamecock]

I have had success with mild rust on blued guns using steel wool and oil.

Don't use steel wool DRY! Keep spot wet with oil and rub lightly with steel wool. Increase pressure as needed. It will remove surface rust. Won't do anything for pitting.

 

[Stroker468]

Hey guys. Regarding stainless steel, there are several different grades with differing degrees of corrosion and heat resistance. The percentages of nickel, chrome and molybdenum vary from grade to grade, affecting its ability to resist oxidation a or corrosion from chemical exposure. For example, a lot of auto mufflers are made from 410 stainless. It has abt. 11% chrome...and it will rust away over time. 304 stainless is a much higher grade with 18% chrome and 8-10% nickel, and offers much better corrosion resistance. There are many other variations. Also, some stainless grades are magnetic.

All that bs being said, I have no idea what grade is used by SW.

 

[Alexei]

That is stainless steel and not supposed to corrode like that. Have you tried to remove any of it?

Out of curiosity because I own close to same PC gun (different cal) Did you remove the grip and cover to see how it looks in those parts? Were other guns stored similarly and not effected?

The American Rifleman did a rather extensive study of rust on blued vs, stainless a number of years ago. One of the conclusions was that stainless was generally (of course), more resistant to "casual" rust than carbon steel, but once rust occurred on SS, it was significantly deeper and more destructive. (And, aluminum can of course rust - one can actually buy "aluminum oxide").