Barrel rust removal

[Everycal]

Hi all.
Had a search and can’t find anything so hoping some on here could help.
I have two issues I am looking for solutions for.

1. Tikka T3 stainless that has rust spots and streaking on the barrel and action. Is there anyway I can remove it and stop it coming back? Or what can I do to stop it getting worse?

2. An old CZ ZK601. Blued barrel. Shoots like a dream but barrel is starting to show external rust spots. As above really!

Thanks all.
Luke

 

[Colonel]

I use a bronze suede brush which takes the rust and marks off without taking the bluing off. Them clean with WD40 or similar,

 

[Fosbery Holster]

Without being able to see the offending rust spots and marks, my immediate thoughts would be to acquire some ‘0000’ wire wool and cut a smallish lump off the roll, l use scissors, form it into a pad or ball then into this l apply 3 in 1 oil don’t skimp on the oil, lightly rubbing the offending area but in one direction only.
Using gloves helps to keep any of the wire wool from piercing your skin, can be worse than a splinter.
The wire wool along with oil should not affect the blueing, if the rust spots are raised what l personally would do is take the top off then continue with the wire wool and oil.
This is the way “l” would remove light rust spots if anyone knows a different better method.......I’m all ears......my misses calls me Dumbo.

I’ve always used ‘Break Free’ oil to give my guns a wipe over before they go back into the cabinet.

 

[Tim.243]

Hi all.
Had a search and can’t find anything so hoping some on here could help.
I have two issues I am looking for solutions for.

1. Tikka T3 stainless that has rust spots and streaking on the barrel and action. Is there anyway I can remove it and stop it coming back? Or what can I do to stop it getting worse?

2. An old CZ ZK601. Blued barrel. Shoots like a dream but barrel is starting to show external rust spots. As above really!

Thanks all.
Luke

Eliminate the damp....they are getting it from some where. I know use GT85 on all of mine.

They all get a light wipe of it with the rifles just a tiny light bit from blue towel cloth.

 

[enfieldspares]

On old classic guns if you are very very careful and have a steady hand and know what you are doing (because you have done it before) you can use a razor blade. Just as you'd use a paint scraper to remove a dried drip of paint that had fallen from a window frame onto the glass when painting a window. But if you get it wrong you'll have been not taking enough care. Other methods are to wrap the thing is paraffin soaked rags. But in the UK of course with secure storage the law where then do you put it for the next three days or so?

But as rust is simply what is formed when you traditionally rust blue a barrel the way to stop it forming again (assuming you've solved what caused it in the first place) is to boil the barrel. Just as a gunmaker boils his barrels. That will stabilise the rust and turn it to a fine black residue. The steel underneath that residue will have been rust blacked. You can simply remove this with the finest of fine wire wool. As you are not going to re-blacking after that one off you can oil that wire wool if you want. As traditional rust bluing is just that...forced rusting!

 

[Fidget]

Eezox got a good write-up (think it was on accurateshooter) for all round corrosion protection following a salt spray test.

It smells lovely too.

 

[Miki]

Hi all.
Had a search and can’t find anything so hoping some on here could help.
I have two issues I am looking for solutions for.

1. Tikka T3 stainless that has rust spots and streaking on the barrel and action. Is there anyway I can remove it and stop it coming back? Or what can I do to stop it getting worse?

2. An old CZ ZK601. Blued barrel. Shoots like a dream but barrel is starting to show external rust spots. As above really!

Thanks all.
Luke

Both metals are 'oxidising', both in a different way. The oxidisation/passivation is a form of protection.
Ferrous metals (like iron) produces a reddish brown coating (iron oxide) which we call 'rust'.
The process starts with the bare metal being in contact with oxygen and moisture (water).
Stainless steel also has some iron content and the type 416, common;y used to make guns from, is more susceptible to corrosion than the 300 series alloys (used to make sinks and cutlery from).
The protective layer of rust on stainless steel is invisible.

In both (your) cases it is the presence of water that is causing the redox reaction.
The wire wool and oil method described by others will sort out the blued barrel, keep it dry and wipe with a very lightly oiled cloth and the reaction will not take place.
You could clean the barrel and treat the bare steel with a copper selenium compound which produces a black oxide (rust) called magnetite. This will make it more 'resistant' but you'll still need to keep it oiled and away from moisture to stop the red oxide from appearing.

The stainless steel is similar in that it is the presence of water that is causing the iron oxide to appear. The iron is probably concentrated enough on the surface to show, possibly as a result of the manufacturing process.
To remove it, is a similar process to the blued barrel although a chemical stripper is better and more effective than rubbing with a light abrasive.
The paste used is Hyroflouric and Nitric Acid in a gel form (pickling paste) This efficiently removes scale, discolouration and contamination and restores the stainless steel properties by dissolving any free iron or other contaminants from the surface.
It leaves a mat finish (ie if was polished to start with, it won't be when it's pickled).
It will efficiently remove the skin off your hands too so be careful...

To repassivate the chromium content of the stainless steel it then needs to be exposed to oxygen (air), which creates a thin layer of (invisible) protective rust. Once done it's protected, oiling stainless is pointless as it stops the oxygen getting to the metal and forming the protective layer.

 

[AB54]

Pardon our interruption...

I used one of these on a blued barrel which had spots of rust. Worked a treat! Rub gently then oil.