Restoring rusty hardware (lacquering)

[Vala]

This is what I found to be an effective way to restore rusted hardware.

http://weir-residence.blogspot.com/2015 ... dware.html

If I left out any fine points feel free to let me know and I'll explain further

[lovesickest]

Hi Vala.

I was just reading up on using molasses as a rust removal substance. Opinion varies - from a 1:10 molasses/water ratio to a 1:4 mixture. Some use distilled water.The item must be completely immersed - and it will take two weeks or so. It is said to ferment and get stinky during this time (hint - use a tightly lidded container). However - it is a very cheap and non-toxic method to use on cast iron parts. It was said to be bad for pot metal, though. The item should be thoroughly washed afterwards - it may need a little scrubbing to get the rust off. It should be dried then oiled (tools) or laquered, painted,etc. shortly after to prevent new rust from forming.

I am very curious to try this method or hear your feedback of this v.s. the product you mentioned in your blog post. Car restorers use this, and I saw a video using this method to clean and restore tools that had rusted.

[Al F. Furnituremaker]

When I need to remove paint/rust from old iron hardware on an antique, first I'll strip it if it has paint on it, then I get the majority of the rust off with whatever mechanical method (scraping, sandpaper, steel wool, wire brush etc.) works best. Buff with a soft wire brush mounted on a bench grinder. Once cleaned, I coat it with phosphoric acid (sold in auto body supply stores as rust converter, or something like that). It turns any remaining rust dark and gives the iron a really nice dark patina. I then coat it with a flat or satin clear coat, to prevent rust from coming back. I think it gives a nice old natural look, without the painted look.

[Gothichome]

Another way to get your freshly cleaned steel/iron parts to not re rust is to heat the part up really realy hot. And drop the part into a vat of waste engine oil. The dirtier the better. For most of us with out touches you can put the part close the flame in your gas fired BBQ. That will get to the bottom temp for this to work.
The carbon in the waste oil will anneal itself to the metal giving you a beutifull carbon black finish. Because it gets into the steel at the molecular level it'll be decades before any rust starts to re acure. This is what gives a lot of blacksmithing items that unique black.