UPDATE **** Chore Boy pads still Copper.

[crsides]

**** UPDATE ***: I just picked up a box of chore boy from grocery store and it is not attracted to the magnet, so I assume Chore Boy is OK to use. Says Pure Copper on the box.
Sorry if I have besmirched the good name of Chore Boy. (but I would check before use just in case).

Don't know which forum this goes in, but wanted to get the word out.
I and a few others on this forum have suggested using Chore Boy copper pads and Kroil penetrating oil to remove surface rust on blued guns. The copper is harder than the rust, but softer than steel and when kept wet with the Kroil will not scratch the bluing. Steel wool can and will put micro scratches in the bluing.

I bought a 32 smith at a gunshow last week, brought it home Sat night and gave it the chore boy and kroil treatment to remove some light surface rust on the sideplate. Well, it scratched the bluing significantly. I had just changed from some old worn out copper pads to a new one. I picked the pad up tonight and saw a silver thread in the pad. A jewelers loupe showed that the pad was silver thread with a copper coating. I got out a magnet and sure nuff, the pad was attracted to it. I still had an old worn pad and it was not attracted to the magnet.

Now, I do NOT know for certain that this was in fact a Chore Boy Brand pad as the packaging was thrown out long ago. I don't remember buying anything other than Chore Boy, but with my memory who knows.

However, I advise you to check your pad with a magnet to make sure it is pure copper. I looked on the Chore Boy website (yep, they got a website) and it says PURE COPPER. Could be I bought a chinese knockoff. I will look for a new Chore Boy pad at the store and check it before using it on my smith & wessons in the future.

Charlie

 

[jsfricks]

Ace hardware carries bronze wool. That and Kroil is all I use. Thanks for the heads up though!

 

[BC38]

Ace hardware carries bronze wool...

Yup, best thing there is to use on blued finishes. Lucky me there's an Ace hardware less than a mile from my house.

 

[k22fan]

Both pure bronze wool and pure copper pads will thin then eventually remove bluing. The internet rumor that those metals are softer than bluing is just wrong. New pure copper Chore Boy pads are coarser and their strands have sharper edges than bronze wool. Consequently they remove rust and bluing faster. Most pawn shops remove rust with oil and 0000 steel wool. A lot depends on how hard and long you rub.

Often fine rust will come off with just a soft cloth and oil. I more on to denim before resorting to metal wools.

 

[snake803]

Both pure bronze wool and pure copper pads will thin then eventually remove bluing. The internet rumor that those metals are softer than bluing is just wrong. New pure copper Chore Boy pads are coarser and their strands have sharper edges than bronze wool. Consequently they remove rust and bluing faster. Most pawn shops remove rust with oil and 0000 steel wool. A lot depends on how hard and long you rub.

Often fine rust will come off with just a soft cloth and oil. I more on to denim before resorting to metal wools.

Burlap works good w/ Kroil...
JIM...........

 

[CatboatWilly]

I've used burlap and Kroil and works fine to a point. Of course it all depends on how deep the rust is.Bronze wool in finer the grades can be had at most boat supply stores.
Happy New Year !

 

[deyomatic]

Where do you get Kroil, besides online? I have Rem Oil, CLP, Ballistol, etc...is Kroil THAT much better? Doesn't it just lube up the (in this case) bronze wool?

 

[W.E.G.]

ATF (the stuff in your transmission) will do 99% of what Kroil will do, and without the stench, and from a container that leaks less.

 

[rwsmith]

Look for copper wool....

Look for copper wool. It is probably better than the course material to get rid of rust. Bronze wool may be fine, but pure copper would definitely be soft.

 

[JSR III]

Kroil is basically kero and oil. If the gun isn't badly rusted, I sometimes just use my fingernail and a little oil. You can also use toothpaste and a soft cloth if its just surface flecks.

The whole point here is that a blued gun is merely an oxidized finish on steel. If you rub the beegeezus out of it you WILL rub off the bluing. If the rust is through the bluing, there will always be fine evidence of it having been there and you are merely trying to stop its spread.

Once done, wax the gun with Renassiance Wax and it will be protected from finger prints and dust that cause most rust to form. Oiling a gun is not good for long term storage as it eventually dries out and the dust that has landed in the oil remains. Dust attracts moisture and eventually will leave small rust specs in the finish. If you oil you gun daily or weekly or probably monthly, then this probably will never be an issue. Any gun left longer than that should either be waxed or greased for long term storage.

 

[flagman1776]

I'd start with kroil or Breakfree on a patch. Move to denium before I even thought of anything else.
First, do no harm.

 

[H Richard]

I have found Kroil on a paper shop towel works pretty well for mild rust.

 

[rct269]

Chore Boy knockoffs (copper plated/otherwise covered/just plain colored steel) have been around for years. Needless to say, they are a bargain priced alternative to the real thing. "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!!"

We should probably try to define "bargain" right about now. I bought a box of (real) Chore Boy Copper Pads about 20-25 years ago. I use them (in an altered form) to remove leading. As an aside, this is the absolute best lead removing tool known to man----fast----cheap!! I don't know how many leaded barrels/cylinders I've cleaned in those 20-25 years----a BUNCH! I still have over half that box of Chore Boy Pads left. That seems like a bargain to me. As another aside, it would never occur to me to use such to remove rust from a blued surface. Mild surface rust is gone in minutes---seconds using bronze wool and oil----any kind of oil. I have never removed any severe rust. I have no intention of ever removing any severe rust.

"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!"

Ralph Tremaine

 

[DWalt]

My Chore Boy pads are definitely all copper. Regarding Kroil, It is probably OK, but if you don't have it, about any light oil such as gun oil or 3-in-1 oil works fine, as would ATF, penetrating oil, etc. So will whatever you are using for a bore cleaner. I usually soak the affected area for awhile, wipe it off with paper toweling, then polish a bit with a Chore Boy pad, repeating if necessary.

 

[quinn]

Home Depot has bronze wool on their website... ships to the store for free and is inexpensive. I also got caught on the copper plated steel wool pads sold as copper. Also, marine supply stores carry bronze wool as it is used on teak and brightwork on boats. I also find ATP cut with mineral oil or acetone a whole lot cheaper and easier to get than Kroil.

 

[glowe]

Don't worry about what type of penetrating oil you use, as I am certain that all will do the same job. It is important to use a penetrating oil since they are designed and use ingredients that loosen corrosion. I think Kroil is the most expensive, so I guess it must be better. There is no kerosene (CAS 8008-20-6) in Kroil, but rather refined heavy and light petroleum distillates.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CAS #__________%

Severely Hydrotreated Petroleum Distillates . . . . . . . . 64742-52-5 . . . . . . . .30-50
Light Petroleum Distillates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64742-9. . . . . . . . . 30-50
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64742-88-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64742-47-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64742-96-7
Diisobutyl Ketone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108-83-8 . . . . . . . . . 0-15
Proprietary Ingredient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proprietary . . . . . . . . . .1-10
Dipropylene Glycol Monopropyl Ether . . . . . . . . . . . . 29911-27-1 . . . . . . . . .1-5
Aliphatic Alcohol #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123-42-2 . . . . . . . . . . <3
Aliphatic Alcohol #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78-83-1. . . . . . . . . . . <3

 

[k22fan]

Where do you get Kroil, besides online? I have Rem Oil, CLP, Ballistol, etc...is Kroil THAT much better? Doesn't it just lube up the (in this case) bronze wool?

Kroil is designed specifically to be a penetrating oil. The three gun oils and cleaners you have are not. How much difference it makes logically would depend on how long you let the penetrating oil soak in. FWIW I've never seen a gunsmith's shop that did not have a can of Kroil. I bought my Kroil from Brownells. I've never seen Kroil in a retail store.

 

[JudgeColt]

I have heard that Chore Girl pads have been copper-plated steel wool for quite some time. That would seem to conflict with the website information. Be that as it may be, the copper strands are coarse and sharp, so I can understand that the product would scratch polished steel.

Why not use a product actually designed for surface rust removal, such as Big 45 Frontier metal cleaner? I have used it for years with great success.

 

[j38]

Which oil? I've had very good results with CorrosionX.

Jerry

 

[DWalt]

Which oil? I've had very good results with CorrosionX.

Jerry

It really makes no difference. Any light oil or bore cleaner. Use what you have. Even kerosene is good. Keep the area wet for awhile before you wipe it off.