Question about rust

[aterry33]

I have an old Model 10 that I bought with some rust on it. I carefully cleaned it all off so that all the "red" is gone, and only a little blemish on the steel remains. I keep the gun well oiled now.

I am debating getting the gun refinished but I'd rather not. Once the surface rust is removed, and if the gun is regularly oiled afterwards, is the "rusting" process over with? I don't care about the blemishes but I want to make sure they do not get worse or pit over time. I don't think they will but I'm curious what others experiences have been.

 

[robertrwalsh]

As long as you got ALL the rust and you keep the surface sealed from corrosion (oiled) it will, at least theoretically, not rust any further.

You might want to consider some cold blue, it will look better than the bare spots and help keep the rust from coming back. It's safe, fairly easy to do, cheap and looks OK (not great, but better thant he bare spots).

 

[pownal55]

+1 cold blue is added protection.

 

[Pisgah]

No blue, cold or otherwise, gives the slightest rust protection. A blued gun will rust as quickly as a bare-steel one -- but neither will rust if kept oiled. (A stainless-steel gun will rust, too, but more slowly.) I have an old, old Hand Ejector from which someone removed every scrap of bluing several decades ago. It has developed a nice, gray patina but there is zero rust -- indication to me that whoever owned it before me kept it wiped-down.

 

[chief4guns]

Cold Blue

No blue, cold or otherwise, gives the slightest rust protection. A blued gun will rust as quickly as a bare-steel one -- but neither will rust if kept oiled. (A stainless-steel gun will rust, too, but more slowly.) I have an old, old Hand Ejector from which someone removed every scrap of bluing several decades ago. It has developed a nice, gray patina but there is zero rust -- indication to me that whoever owned it before me kept it wiped-down.

Believe you're slightly off base on this one. Cold Blues which chemically react with the base metal and form a protective scale ( example Brownells OXPHO-Blue) do give an added layer of protection aganist rust . I've used a number of products with good results and even developed some techniques for advancing the coloring and protection qualities. Chief

 

[dant]

nah, bluing is bluing, cold or hot and is ONLY "controlled oxidation" keep it oiled.....the damage is done.

 

[2152hq]

Some (most!) cold blues are acidic (selenous acid ) and will actually cause rust if not carefully rinsed or flushed with water after application. The stuff is not too good for the users system either ,,selenium compound,,so handle with care.
44-40 brand cold blue is one of the worst offenders.

Brownells Oxpho-blue is non-acidic or they've put something else in it and will not cause rusting on it's own.
It works quite well in most instances, though at time some strange colors will emerge!

Removing all the red rust from the surface does not ensure that the rusting will not come back. Rust forms deep down in the pits and pores in the steel and that can really only be taken out with chemicles. Repeated oilings will have a pretty good effect though and the Brownells product can be used with decent results sometimes over some oil residue still deep down in the steel. Sometimes not!

Personally, it's skip the cold blue for now and just keep it oiled and wiped down and watch the areas to make sure the rust doesn't come back. Cold blues can often make an area look worse than when you started. It's an area of pitting and it's never going to clean that up.

 

[Centenniel]

I have a few guns that I bought used through the years that have "blemishes" like you describe. If you take care of the active rust, and take reasonably good care of the gun, you are good to go.

 

[pinoy007]

keeping air and moisture out is the way to go..

 

[Jellybean]

pinoy007, welcome to the forum, and I agree with you on this 100%.

The main ingredients of rust are iron, oxygen and water. You want the iron so keep the other two away from it as much as possible.

 

[LDThornton]

I would spray it down with G96 or CLP or Corrosion X and let it soak in for 24 hours to kill the rust. That's what I do to long-guns.