Rust removal

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

What is the best way to remove surface rust on cast iron. ?

I have some castings which have been machined. They have not been painted yet as I wanted to finish the rest of the project and paint them all at the same time. Did not want to coat them in oil as cast iron is porous and absorbes it and makes painting difficult. The machined castings, some of which have been machined months ago have had no sighn rust on the surfaces while in my workshop but after a 6 hour trip in my car they are slightly rusty. (Note: has not rained recently and no sign of moisture in the car).

Any suggestions on best way to remove it ? (wire brush, steel wool, rust converter, )

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Yes there was moisture in the car, unless you held your breath all the time you were travelling. If its only a light film of rust, a Scotch Brite pan scourer is proberbly enough. Ian S C

If you put Rust in the window at the top of the page, you'll come up with 16 more threads about rust, and how to get rid of it

Edited By Ian S C on 17/04/2013 12:25:50

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

I have recently been renovating a cylindrical grinder where a lot of the cast iron components had suffered from rusting where the paint coating had parted company over the years. I have a hard brass wire wheel mounted on one of my offhand grinders which is excellent for removing rust without damaging the surface of the part.

Once clean, a light coat of red oxide keeps them protected until final paint coat.

Graeme

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

a simple option is to make an electrolysis bath…all parts can be found at asda for little money, just dont do what I did and get the polarity wrong…10 years of rust in 10 minutes!!

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Sometimes when making new old parts for old machinery you can age them by using the reverse polarity method with the electrolisis bath. Ian S C

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