Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Rust removal from blued gun

I’ve never tried it on guns. I’ve used it on other things though, and it will darken steel. We actually used it for that purpose at one shop I worked in. I made up some steel pins as components of a device we made and, rather than send them out for chemical finishing, we just left them in a plastic bucket with ExRust, agitating it every little while. It provided an adequate finish. I don’t know if I’d use it on a highly polished, rust blued gun, but I wouldn’t hesitate to try it on a typical commercial/industrial finish such as is found on most production guns today.

I did as well.

Glad to hear it, thanks for following-up.

Do Big 45 pads also work with stainless steel slides, or only blued barrels?

Years ago I bought a pad that looks like a shiny Brillo pad. Back then it had no name but sounds like the Big 45 pads mentioned. I had a 7mm08 barrel that was covered with rust but no pitting. A good soaking of oil and a few minutes of rubbing with the pad and it looks great. Its on my favorite hunting rifle now and you'd never know it was a rusty mess years ago.

Pullet recomended 0000 steel wool saturated with WD40...takes off surface rust and will not harm bluing.

My buddy had a pristine blued Colt Python that developed a coat of surface rust sitting in his gun safe....he was scared to death when we went to the hardware store and bought the steel wool...took the rust off and the gun looked like new

Anytime I get a new to me used blued gun I take it out of the stock and clean it with 0000 steel wool wet with oil. You'll be amazed at the surface rust that will come off most any gun.

Do not forget to keep the steel wool pad and barrel wet with some kind of oil.

I've always got a "ghosting" or whiteish ring around the rust I've removed with 0000 steel wool. I've always removed bluing with this method, even while keeping it wet. Perhaps I didn't use enough oil.

Frontier 45.

While 0000 is a useful tool, it is steel and not suitable for blued firearms.

That is pure nonsense....0000 steel wool saturated with oil will remove light surface rust without hurting the bluing. I was told the procedure years ago by prominent gunsmith and friend in the Memphis area.

Once the rust has damaged the bluing or metal nothing will remove it where it's not noticeable....except re bluing.

Problem is you have to know the difference between light surface rust and rust that has set in.

Makes sense.

I have both 0000 steel wool and Frontier 45 pads; I'll do a side-by-side comparison next opportunity.

Years ago I watched a Frontier 45 demo at a gunshow....took the bait hook line and sinker.

Also took the bait on the quick blue demos neither worked as good as their stagged demos.

I've been using Ezzox on my blued guns for 40 years and have never had to worry about rust.

I'm on my second or third quart....best place to buy it is on Ebay

Hard to believe that the removal of any kind of rust from a blued surface using any materials or methods would be undectable.

Yep, great stuff. I've been using it for years.

I bought my oldest son a youth Remington 870 with the bead blast finish that will rust if you look at it. Started doing my research and bought some Eezox and never looked back. That youth 870 is still rust free and my oldest is now 27; he's been hunting with it for 20 years.

I have done it often but the final results do depend on how advanced the rust is.

Use the edge of a real copper penny and WD-40, good wiping with Hoppes and a clean rag at finish.

I was a non believer until I bought a abused Weatherby Mark V with a scratched and rusted barrel. Frontier pad and broil and then ox-pho blue and it looked fantastic.

Had the first real need for my Frontier pad...yesterday. The is the barrel from a 1960's Browning T Bolt with what is referred to as "Salt Wood".
I was looking to trade for it when I saw a little shimmer of rust down inside the barrel channel....trade was no go....Guys a pretty good friend so I offered to take it home clean it up put a coat of varnish inside the stock. Sure didn't look this bad before I took it apart.

I used the Frontier 45 pad on the bad spots then gave the rest of the gun a once over scrubbing of OOOO steel wool saturated in Ezzox....I plan on several coats of exterior grade varnish inside the stock and some Ezzox on the metal all The rust damage is done for now....the salt is still in the wood all you can hope for is to slow it down.

I notice on my blued guns the tips are rusted. Three guns were laying on a box in the basement and I did not notice the box would cause this rust? At least its not causing rust in the stainless barrels.
Looking around I found someone recommend Frontier Big 45 to remove rust. I have some Steel wool 0000 and read someone using a bore cleaner oil and this. But maybe I should get the Frontier Big 45.
Where are you ordering yours?

Time to look up creating a vertical stand and my rifles so this is step two lol.

Tagged.

I use bronze wool with Flitz. Follow up with Oxpho Blue, if necessary