Removing Surface Rust on Moore Wright Combination set

[harvestbarn]

What is the safest way to remove a small amount of surface rust on a high quality measuring combination set?

 

[JimB]

This is purely personal and I'm sure others will have different ideas but I'd use the finest wet and dry you can find with oil (sewing machine oil). Use your fingers as a rubbing block. Keep plenty of clean rags on hand so you can constantly wipe off and check if it's working. ps use newspapers if you do it on kitchen surfaces .

 

[lanemaux]

I've had pretty fair luck with metal bristle brushes lately. If the metal is steel , a brass brush with some baby oil used sympathetically might be just the thing. The brushes I use look very much like toothbrushes and can be got at the dollar store (pound shop ) in 3 - packs . One nylon , one brass and one of steel bristles. As long as the brush is softer than the item you are cleaning you should be fairly safe using it.

 

[AndyT]

For localised patches of fine rust I quite like a glass fibre brush. These are like a propelling pencil but with the core being a bundle of fine glass fibres. Aimed at model engineers and available from eBay or others.
I've used them on old drawing instruments where a gentle approach was essential to keep the surface patina on the steel.

Otherwise Micromesh is very good. Have a look at the tool cleaning and restoration sticky post at the top of this section of the forum.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a friend who cleaned his feeler gauge with emery cloth...

 

[matthewwh]

Restore Gel

Completely non-abrasive and Ph neutral, so no effect at all on the remaining good metal and all of the accuracy that is left in the instrument is retained.

 

[lurker]

Restore Gel

Completely non-abrasive and Ph neutral, so no effect at all on the remaining good metal and all of the accuracy that is left in the instrument is retained.

Any idea were I might buy some

 

[matthewwh]

Hmmm lets see,

I'm pretty sure they stock the whole range here!

 

[custard]

Mathew, that looks interesting. Have you tried it, does it do what it says on the tin?

Thanks

 

[JimB]

If it is really light rust even something like brasso might do the job.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I've just today been restoring an old Woodfast lathe which was covered in fine surface rust and got truly excellent results with Garry blocks. See here.

The blue is coarse grit, grey = medium, brown = fine. Just rub any metal surface with them including cast iron and the rust literally melts away. They're also flexible so will fit round profiles though not with too tight a radius. Fabulous product.

 

[AndyT]

+1 for Garryflex blocks. Really effective and controllable. Seen in a photo they look like ordinary cheap grit covered foam blocks but they are entirely different. The abrasive is embedded in a friable rubbery background and cuts all the way through the block. Available from Proops and other engineering suppliers.

 

[bugbear]

What is the safest way to remove a small amount of surface rust on a high quality measuring combination set?

I'd use SiC paper, around 800-1200 grit - lower is too scratchy, and might remove actual amounts of metal, lowering the accuracy of the item, higher would introduce a high polish that's not normal for the item.

I would use a small piece of metal as a sanding block. You certainly don't want to dub the edges and corners of a precision item. You might want to lubricate/wash with white spirit,WD40,diesel or some similar light oil, but for light rust it's probably not needed.

BugBear

 

[Water-Mark]

I've had good results using deox c from bilt hamber.

Used loads of it on various car parts and very rusty planes and it often requires no abrasives for light rust.

 

[woodpig]

Battery charger and a solution of washing soda works well. I'm a big fan of Garryflex blocks as well but I'd use non abrasive (blue) scouring pads after the electrolytic process. If staining still persists then green scourer and fine Garryflex.

 

[AndyT]

An obvious but possibly necessary rider to all the helpful advice - a photo showing the rust would help a lot. You don't want to take any metal off the precision surfaces but if that's where the rust is then the accuracy is already compromised. If it's just on the face of the rule, obscuring some of the numbers, then it's all much easier.

 

[bugbear]

Battery charger and a solution of washing soda works well.

Yikes - if a precision item has enough rust to need electrolysis, it might be rust free afterwards, but it won't be precision!

BugBear

 

[RogerP]

Battery charger and a solution of washing soda works well.

Yikes - if a precision item has enough rust to need electrolysis, it might be rust free afterwards, but it won't be precision!

BugBear

... but then it's not going to be precision with the rust on it and as electrolysis only removes rust no further harm is done. At least it'll look better

 

[Bod]

Daily use.
Will soon remove light rust, and dirt.
Just be careful that the work surface won't be harmed.

Bod

 

[matthewwh]

Mathew, that looks interesting. Have you tried it, does it do what it says on the tin?

Thanks

Hi Custard,

Yes, been using it for years, both the gel and the concentrate, with excellent results.