Rust on stainless steel?

[Fltr09]

I just bought a 63 on the Internet. The trigger guard has a large rust area on the bottom of it. Obviously, it was scratched or something. I also have a 657 that has a few small rust spots on the barrel. They weren't there when I cleaned it and put it the safe six weeks ago? Any advice?
Thank you.

 

[KSDeputy]

Stainless steel can rust. Do you have a Goldenrod in your safe? If not you had better get one. If you can't get electricity, there are models you can put inside that show you when they need recharging. Take them out, plug into an electric socket until the meter shows they are recharged. For the rust use very fine steel wool or sandpaper, once you get it off, oil the gun.

 

[g8rb8]

If you can show some pictures of the rust you might get some good suggestions how to "fix" it. Stainless is very forgiving of superficial scratches and rust because it can be touched up to look like new. First you need to identify the type of stainless finish you have.
1. Brushed finish. Will have fine superficial swirls or linear polishing marks. This is the finish your model 63 and 657 should have. There are a number of posts of how to "fix" this with Scotch Brite pads. I'll provide a link below.
2. Polished finish. This will be bright and shiny like a nickel finish and is also easily "fixed" for superficial problems by simply re-polishing.
3. Bead blasted or matte finish. There is a technique using a hammer and a particular grit of sand paper for fixing minor superficial surface problems but I have no experience with this technique and I do NOT believe in taking hammers to Smith & Wessons --- it's against my nature. Someone with a bead blaster can help here.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1980-present/419076-refinishing-stainless-steel-s-w-revolvers.html

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1980-present/414099-smith-wesson-high-polish-stainless-refinish.html

If you can "fix" the rust then do something to try to prevent it, either applying wax to the surface or a fine coat of oil. Minimizing moisture as suggested by KSDeputy is a good idea. I have found Bore Stores silicone gun storage rugs work well for long term storage especially if the Bore Stores is placed in a Zip Lock bag with the air removed.

 

[murphydog]

Fortunately, you can refinish the rusted areas if they are not too deep with Scotch-Brite pads (there are posts here about how to do it, but it needs to be done in steps with different abrasive levels, not using the kitchen variety).

S & W uses a process called passivation to put a thin rust-resistant coating on the metal, but after you get the metal looking the way you like you can just wax it. Since you know it can rust that might be motivating for you .

 

[ontargetagain]

Is there carpet or felt padding on your shelves in the safe? If so they will like hold moisture against your gun and accelerate corrosion or stain the gun at times from chemicals in the die or adhesives for gluing them down.
Sometimes something as simple as a very fine bronze wool with a bit of WD40 oil will clean off the rust . Make sure to always wipe the guns down with a silicone wipe or protectant for gun surfaces. Also there are many 'damp rid' products that can wick away moisture present in the safe.
Karl

 

[H Richard]

Do not use Steel Wool on stainless guns. It can imbed small particles in the pores of the gun and those rust easily. Once cleaned up, keep oiled or better, Renaissance Wax after every cleaning.

 

[garbler]

As a person who has spent most of his working life in the marine trades I'm pretty familiar with stainless alloys. Okay now you know what I think I know. So Stainless Steel (SS) firearms are generally 400 series alloys or more technically 'martensitic' with a chrome content around 12-14% , hardenable and mildly magnetic. This is an alloy seen in aircraft, food and industrial piping, guns etc. It is not corrosion resistant enough for most marine applications. 400 series including the very popular 416 series barrel alloy like all SS relies on the chrome in the alloy to provide a protectective passive layer. Chrome is oxygen hungry and with it forms a chrome oxide surface shield that prevents rust or corrosion. The down side, if any, to most 400 series is that the chrome content is just shy of a perfect non-stain surface in exchange for hardening and better maching characteristics. 300 series on the other hand is truly stainless and 316 or 304 are alloys used in marine, breweries, food processing etc. but these alloys cannot be hardened and have many quirks and issues when machining.

When the chrome oxide passive surface layer is scratched or attacked chemically or deprived of oxygen it can and will blush but most of the time these red stains are related to minute particles of iron or steel. These red blushings or spots are superficial only on guns since oxygen is almost always present to regenerate the passive layer. However submerge the gun or bury it in a oxygen deprived environment and pitting or ' crevice corrosion ' can develop.

Bottom line is that the reddish blushes are really only cosmetic if they are found on the exterior frame, barrel etc. it is possible to remove this staining with various formulations of nitric acid but I ain't going there.

 

[dogsoldier]

DO NOT under ANY circumstances, use STEEL WOOL on a stainless gun.

 

[chief38]

That is why they call it stainLESS Steel and not stainPROOF steel. Given the right circumstances (moisture and heat or caustic conditions) stainless guns do rust, although not nearly as bad as Blued ones. Always wipe down your guns with a good rust preventative (Rig #2 Oil, Barricade, Remoil etc.) each time before storing and I'd suggest using a piece of VOC Paper for each gun stored if you do store them in the box or in a rug.

I'd also evaluate your storage area and evaluate it for moisture. If you have a humid area use a Golden Rod and a Desiccant where you store them.

Rust will form on areas of roughness or that are scratched faster than on smooth areas - just so you are aware.