How to Get Rust Off Of Small Iron Objects W/O Electrolosis?

[RelicHunter97]

Hi, I'm Anthony, I'm 13 years old and I'm new to this site.

Soo a while back I was stealthing, (detecting at night), I was digging alot of iron, and I first thought this was more junk. After we got back and cleaning it with a toothbrush, i discovered it was a little iron toy gun, cool. But the problem is, it's covered in rust, giving it an unattractive appearance. It appears to be 18th-19th Century. Was Dug in an area that goes back to (mid?) 1600's (Deerfield, Ma, if you've heard of it) So i want it to look nice. Any Suggestions?

[Felinepeachy]

Well, you could get a sanding sponge for a dremmel and very lightly sand it. Have to be careful though.

[pgill]

I have left stuff soaking in white vinegar with pretty good results. It does eat the rust, so if the item is very bad, you will not have much left..... Try for an hour or so and see what happens. I have left items over night before without too much problems. I coat my relics with candle wax to help preserve them, and this seems to work well.

God bless
Peter

[funkman]

i have found a nice product by Krud Kutter that is for removing rust. I have tried it with a few items like skeleton keys and have been happy with the results. Now these items have had a build up of rust so it was helpful in removing and getting back to the metal. If the rust seems that it has eaten away the original metal, then removing that rust might destroy the item completely. The keys had a build up of rust so it ate it away. I bought the stuff at Home Depot for about 5 bucks a bottle. Make sure that the item you want to get the rust off is an item you could part with or you can say "hey I found it and I know what it is" and be happy in case the rust removal does not go according to plan. Even better is if the site has any rusty square nails and other rusty items, grab one of those, let it soak overnight in this stuff and the next morning using an old toothbrush or something soft, rinse the stuff off. Now this product does STINK so proper ventilation is a MUST!

Good luck with whatever rust removal technique you go with.

Funkman

[boogeyman]

Citric Acid works great. You can buy it from stores that sell equipment for home brewing beer & wine. Mix a couple spoonfuls in enough warm water to cover what you're trying to clean. Let your item soak, and check every half hour use a toothbrush to clear away what's already dissolved. When it's cleaned to where you want it, rinse it real good in water. Soak it in some sort of oil to protect it from rusting more. Scotts liquid gold works real good.

The nice thing about Citric Acid is it's edible, same stuff they put on the sour gummies.