Gun Trader's Trick To Remove Rust Safely, Quickly, and With No Chemicals! 

“But... But... OiL iS a ChEmIcAl!” 😑 “ThE RuSt IsN’t ReMoVeD ThE oIl Is JuST cOVeRiNg iT uP!” 🙄 OK forensic video watchers, you want to tell me the barrel I have in my possession that you’ve never seen in person is actually still rusty? Second edit: I now have a video on my channel showing the same barrel that was treated nearly three years later with no maintenance also with a close up showing rust removal on a Walther PPK. Third edit: I’m seeing more people recommending the “penny trick”. Why waste an hour rubbing a penny over your entire shotgun and leaving copper fouling everywhere when this method works in seconds and does no harm? Fourth edit: Yes WD-40 and 3 in 1 oil and baby oil and mineral oil and Remoil will all work. Fifth edit: I am aware of bronze wool and the added expense and need to remove copper fouling after use. I use steel wool. Sixth edit: rust inside the barrel. There are more detailed answers in the comment section- but shotguns, wrap steel wool around a bronze bore brush with lots of oil. 10-15 passes should clean it up nicely. Rifles- use up several regular bronze bore brushes and oil before wrapping steel wool on the brush. It will destroy the sharpness of the rifling but can improve safety by removing rust that can cause excessive pressure. Both cases go slow and check for results. Seventh edit: yep, boiling the gun will convert red rust to black. This is rust bluing. Rust bluing without prep work polishing out or draw filing pits will give the appearance of a bad refinishing job and will hurt the value of guns more than having a bare patch of steel. Eighth edit: Preventing rust in the future… you should be inspecting your guns for rust at least monthly even if you aren’t using them. You will be able to catch insignificant problems before a gunsmith has to fix them. A wipe down with any oil and a soft cloth will be fine after handling. That’s all it takes. For more durable protection and for carry/hunting/utility guns a light coat of Renaissance Wax will protect them. Johnson’s paste wax can also be used on the metal and wood. Carry guns may need to be cleaned and oiled every night! Guns should always be stored in open circulating room temperature dry air whenever possible, but since most people keep their guns in safes, a dehumidifier is necessary. Guns should never be stored in soft gun cases as the cotton lining will trap moisture and hold it against the steel. Silicone treated gun socks can help prevent hand oils/salts from getting on guns you’re moving around in the safe. But they should still be checked on regularly. Guns stored on racks should be checked regularly where felt pads meet the barrel to make sure rust doesn’t form there. Ninth edit: if you want me to see your comment, post a new one, I never get notified of replies.

The high school students used an angle grinder to remove the rust from a civil war rifle. It's painful just to hear that story.

Thanks..tried it on 22 cal rifle sitting in closet for 50 years. The 0000 steel wool with engine oil took off surface rust while leaving the bluing very nicely. Unfortunately some parts of rifle the rust ate through bluing and into the barrel. Took the rust off but I would need to do some sanding and rebluing if it was a heirloom rifle. It's a cheap $100 single shot so I'm happy with results. My sister gave me recipe to restore wood cabinets (3/4 cup canola oil mix with 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. I rubbed this on stock and it restored the stock to look almost like brand new. Which is not bad considering this was a rifle used for training by high schoolers in a NRA rifle club.

Just what I needed. I have a few collectors items and a house with a lot of humidity.

Been doing this for years...honestly thought I was the only one!

Hello, I love the info. Can I use this method on a rifle with patina without affecting the beautiful patina?

Thanks brother!

Sir were do you buy the steel wool could you tell me will wall Mart have it or order it on line any ideas would be grateful thank you.

it worked great ,however i have one spot i cannot get off. You mentioned using something at the ene of thr video for this. not sure what you said

Thank you 🙏🏾 😭

Oil is not a chemical?

Will olive oil work?

That angle grinder story sent chills up my spine...

Ive used this method for years as a professional gunsmith. I make one substitution: Use Bronze wool instead of steel wool. The leftover bits of steel wool will rust away leaving mure "red rust" spots if not removed by compressor air or such. Bronze is also softer on the blued finish. If you want to strip it down to bare steel real quick, I suggest using a green pot scrubber pad!

I agree and if I could just add one other tip. The 0000 steel wool as you mentioned is very fine and tends to break apart so I suggest to use a compressor and thoroughly blow off any steel hairs because they are rust bombs.

As a gun lover I thank you for helping me in cleaning my shotgun it worked wonders!!! She's as beautiful as ever hitting that sub button

Thanks for the angle grinder tip, I been waiting to use mine.

HONEST, USABLE KNOWLEDGE FOR FREE ON RU-vid! WHO WOULD HAVE THUNK IT? THANK YOU, SIR.

My dad was a gunsmith, seen him use steel wool as you described when I was a kid. Great tip

I just dragged couple of my guns out of the gun cabinet and noticed a little rust in spots after setting for a few years so I thought I'd checked YT to see if anyone has a quick solution... A big thumbs up on video.. Thanks

This is exactly how I clean the rust off of my carbon steel knives.

Hello, I have a Schmidt Rubin 1889 Rifle that has rust inside the muzzle end. Is it okay to use the 0000 Steel Wool to remove the rust or will it damage the rifling?

Great tip with the steel wool. I collect older camping lanterns, several nickel plated. The 0000 wool does wonders for polishing without scratching it up.

Brother your channel is awesome, but what’s even more awesome, is that you take the time to answer everyone’s questions. Even the dumb ones you answer with kindness. Definitely earned a Sub from me. Great content, keep it up 👍🏻

i use this with bronze wool works well with no bluing removal. best thing is to take care of your firearms and quit storing them in cotton lined gun cases under the bed. cotton sucks moisture from the air and rusts firearms and even sucks it down the bore of the rifle. i replace many barrels every year for customers from this happening. wait a minute, please store you firearms in cotton gun cases. i like to eat.

I like this idea. I bought and used one of the "Rust Removers" on a Rem. M700 for a very small rust area near barrel/chamber about five years ago. Maybe about 1/8" by 1/2". Wanted to stop the rust from spreading. Applied the "Rust Remover" stuff and it took off the rust but also the whole exterior finish for about 1" by 3". :-( I just "subscribed".

I do this, I usually however wash first with plain hot water to remove any soluble salts, they can come from several sources like salt sea mist, corrosive ammo, the shooters sweat, etc etc. We hunt a pine forest right beside a surf beach occasionally I always wash my firearms with hot water after going there.

I use a carpenters pencil the wide flat type . The lead is just abrasive yet soft enough to not damage blueing

I do the same thing. I use an industrial lubricant that I get from work for air compressors called R&O, comes in different weights (68, 100) etc. It stands for Rust and Oxidation. It's for carbon steel equipment that sees a lot of condensation. I use it exclusively on everything from guns, knives, tools, guitars, appliances etc. Its a crystal clear synthetic and I love it. Give it a look.

I collect milsurps and I've used this method for years. Works great on tired looking military relics.

Thank you! I inherited a couple of guns with a little rust on them, and this video is very helpful.

That grinder story is the real reason guns are banned in schools.

Thank you! This is amazingly simple.

Funny, I was looking to clean up my Nova ;)

Thank YOU for Intelligent Answer !!

I'm glad I found your channel. I was considering getting rust remover for my shotgun because other videos said that's what you need. Thanks for the info. I'll be heading out for some 0000 on payday.

I’ve used this method for years. Works great. I’ve alway just used Rem gun oil but I like your idea of using motor oil, much cheaper and probably better lubrication. This 0000 steel wool method also works amazingly on chrome although I use chrome polish instead of oil.

Been doing this for years! First time that I actually saw someone else do it!! Subbed!

0000 steel wool is also great on the windshield of your automobile, learned this trick from a gentleman who detailed cars for a living. It removes all the road grime bugs you name it....gone. I've also used it for polishing my firearms. I wouldn't recommend this method on stainless barrels for polishing or cleaning

Thank you so much brutha I have a brand new 10 22 never fired sitting around has a bit of oxidation on it, had me worried

I have used this method to clean up several older guns with great results. You, with this one video , may have saved thousands of guns from total destruction!! good job!

Been doing this since the 50s,,,only I used 3-in-1 oil.

Save the firearms... they matter

Thanks for sharing your knowedge and experience!!!

Video you won't need any chemicals . Proceeds to break out a jug of oil . 😆 great tip though . I will add to break down the fjirearm as far as you are comfortable doing so . Rust gets everywhere .

Been doing that for years,also l have used heavy denim

Will this work with chromed pieces as well? I have a old H&R 12g break action that was my grandfathers. The chromed receiver is pretty crusty. I have left it alone because I didn’t know what would work without destroying it.

I’ve got one a old old gun guy showed me. Works flawlessly.

I have a KK Wehrsprortgewehr i was about to use acid on and I wanted to do more research before I got started. I’m glad I did, thank you.

You say not to use CLP or Hoppe's because they don't dissolve rust. But my understanding is that both contain petroleum distillates which do dissolve rust (well, to a certain extent anyways - I know it won't break it down like certain acids, but it should penetrate and sop it up, or at least that's my understanding and I'd like your correction.) You say instead to use standard oil. What exactly is standard oil? Any motor oil? Does weight of the oil matter? Does synthetic/blend versus regular matter? Do additives matter? Also when you say not to use Hoppe's are you talking about Hoppe's #9 solvent, or Hoppe's oil? I know these are a lot of questions. Hope you don't mind answering. Thanks for the video.

Tried that on the wife. She looked 25 years younger. Big mistake. Ran off with a guy half my age. Just stick to guns with this.

Wow! So simple, yet so effective. Thanks for sharing this very valuable info. I have an older GP WASR-10 that has some surface rust on it. I'll have to give this a try.

This is great and all but it's only a cosmetic fix. The steel wool and oil trick only diminishes the appearance of the rust. Those rusty areas will be the first to start blooming red again the second the oil film breaks down and they're exposed to humid air. To actually fix red oxide rust you need to convert it to black oxide. This is done by thoroughly degreasing the area and exposing it to hot steam. The hot steam reacts with the red oxide we don't want and chemically converts it to the black oxide we do want. Ok, so how do we do this? For spot areas I place a wet rag over the rust and heat it with a heat gun. For a whole barreled action I fabricate a cone out of several pieces of poster board and tape that's long enough for the barreled action to sit above an electric hotplate and a pan of water and wide enough at the base to rest on the ground around the hotplate. I first make my cone then worry about trimming the ends flat. I run a string down the barrel and out the election port and secure with a small dowel in the manner of a toggle. The muzzle end of the string gets secured to another dowel that spans the opening at the narrow end of the cone. I place a rag over the top of the cone to hold in the steam and wrap the cone in a moving blanket to insulate it. It takes 10 to 20 cycles of steam followed by buffing with 0000 steel wool soaked in acetone to fully convert the rust. Steel wool comes fumed with oil to preserve it. This must be removed using the acetone. Any kind of oil including fingerprints will block the steam from converting the red oxide rust to black oxide gun finish. Be warned, the process looks like a trainwreck the whole time right up until you follow the instructions of this video to buff in the base coat of a good quality oil. Motor oil works best. Red rust will bloom everywhere that's exposed to steam. The conversion to black oxide takes place at the surface of the steel underneath the red bloom. The red bloom gets in the way which is why one needs to keep buffing it away with the degreased steel wool and acetone.

I was blessed to learn this trick early on. My stepfather had a circa 1913 6.5x 55. Swedish mauser he brought back from over seas. Sadly the armorers disc was removed but I watched him clean it and he edjumacated me..😉 still have it, still a straight shooter. Took many deer in my youth with it.

I also oil my guns after cleaning. I put and leave oil on gun and loosely wrap in a rag and put it in it's case.

Thanks for letting us know how to make a firearm look like newI have been considering rebluing my childhood BB gun but thanks to you I’ll try it your way thanks thanks thanks

Thanks a bunch, ill have to try this on my rusty 870.

Thanks so much! I have an old Ruger Mark 3 I am going to do this on.

Leave the motor oil on it or wipe it down then use a gun oil?

Worked great! Thank you for sharing.

I'm 65, your average outdoorsman throughout my life, and I've always had a particular interest in "fixin' things".., from an early age. Before my teens, I discovered -- on my own -- how well steel wool worked at removing rust. 60+ years before I've come across anyone else that knew of its worth. Running in the wrong crowd? From some of the comments, it appears that steel wool is not a secret, but it's secret enough. 😉 Thanks for this video. As you mentioned, far too many firearms are ruined unnecessarily. Far too many -- of all types of things -- are ruined by an overabundance of desire, ignorance, and confidence.

The people using the angle grinder also get to vote in elections, hehehaaaaa.

I've cleaned hundreds of guns too. By far the absolute best for surface rust, like the rifle in your example, is the Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaning (pad). This eliminates the rust without affecting the bluing of the metal. For significant pitting oil and 0000 steel wool is probably required but I wouldn't use motor oil - it stinks and is very difficult to remove. But you still have to be able to get into the pits to remove all the rust. That said, steel wool will create oxidation even if immersed for some time within oil or grease. You can't get around this buy using oil and steel wool together. You will always have traces of steel wool held in place against the steel by the oil. I can't tell you how many old weapons I found with active rust growing under grease decades old. For this reason, I rarely use steel wool or any metal that will corrode to remove rust from a rifle or pistol.

I like brass wool myself. Very gentle on the finish.

The ones that used an angle grinder are modern day cave men. Gun owners are usually pretty careful with their firearms.

Great video. Simple techniques proven over time. People have been taking care of guns for about 3 centuries now without harsh chemicals.

the civil war sharps story broke my heart . how can people be so stupid ??? .... oh wait they had high school kids work on it

I just used this method to clean up my dad's Taurus UltraLite that had rust on the sites, barrel, and cylinder. It worked great.

What about a dremel tool with the bronze wire bush extension? In the military we would also use oil and a copper penny which is 1909 to 1982 pennies. Some 82 are zinc so weigh it and make sure it weighs 3.1. The zinc penny will weigh 2.5. The copper pennies are 95 percent copper compared to less than 2% on newer pennies.

I have some boom sticks to try this on...

Got to 1:13. I didn't click on this for old man stories.

I've been using this method for years. People are always amazed at how I make their guns look in a matter of minutes right before their eyes.

clr will remove the blueing off of the gun. I have to buy a new bcg for my ar now.

the good old day's we worked on guns in MR MILLER'S MACHINE SHOP. OVERLEA HIGH. 1978....

This is basically a type of "rust blueing," a very old method of bluing firearms.

Copper penny and oil works good, also brass or bronze wool and oil work great

I have a new redhead gun safe with 2 silica moisture absorbers and a heater. My bolts on my rifles got discolored and any brass in the safe also. The humidity is 32% in the room the safe is in and humidity in the safe is 28%. I’ve read online we’re the drywall and glue for the carpet react. If you have a fix I would appreciate it. Thanks

Thanks for getting it RIGHT! (Ex-USCG Armourer)👍👁👁🇺🇸

Question what type of oil?

For some reason I thought boiling was the way to go to convert the red rust to black rust.

I used an angle grinder to shine up and modify my fathers prized African safari rifles and British double rifles. I can’t wait to see the joy on his face when he sees them 😀

Does this work on chemical blueing?

I remove rust with a water tank with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) electrolysis few hours at 11 volts rust is gone

I'm not a gun guy but I'm gonna see how well this works on classic bicycles where I wanna keep the paint but get rid of the rust

Sir, that wasn't a Rusty Rifle 😁

I have a 308 rifle that may have some rust inside the bore, what tool do I use to clean the interior of the bore?

You just saved my 105 year old gun thanks I was so scared

Got a good price on a old m6 scout ,it has some rust specs on barrel,gonna try this, thanks

Is a Brillo pad with tons of oil okay to use? If I lightly scrub with it?

Thank you! This really helped me understand the concept. I have always been told not to use steel wool (no matter the coarseness), because it is steel, and will damage the steel upon which is lapped. I had been told to use a brass/bronze brush due to the softer steel. I had heard that lubrication should used, but I had never been told that gun lubricants were inadequate (though it does make sense).

Use mineral oil

Can you remove in-barrel rust?

Use that same stuff for cleaning windows dry it 0000 One of my favourite things for cleaning polishing stainless you can use it for all kinds of things that stuff is fantastic

I'm particularly fond of two methods. For light surface rust, I do what the military arsenals did when guns came in rusty. STEAM! It's the same process as slow rust bluing. Gently brush away any grime or rust flakes, degrease, and hang in a PVC pipe hooked up to a pressure cooker for the steam. The Fe2O3 is converted to FeO, card off the black dust, and it perfectly matches the pre-existing finish on many early arms. The other is a process used by museum curators and archaeologist to neutralize and remove rust from priceless artifacts: ELECTROLYSIS. 12v at 500-1200mA will pull off the rust and convert wants left to FeO, very efficient.

Transmission fluid works better!

Thank you. I will try this on an old BB gun setting out in the garage

And here we see a extremely bad bit of advice from a “expert” cloth or burlap maybe a toothbrush some oil and time... but yah know go ahead do what he recommends and take that steel wool to your gun and fuck it up. Put grooves in the surfaces, damage that coating that keeps rust from penetrating beyond the finish. To many times iv seen a perfectly functional firearm fucked up by experienced experts, claiming to have a simple trick for rust. Here’s a simple trick a rag a can of oil time and effort!

Been doing just this all my life to my guns and for restoration. When it comes to old bluing, you really have to use alot of finesse. And he's right about using brass or bronze mini brushes for deep or heavy rust, but they must be fine soft bristle, or it will lift bluing or other finishes around the edge of the pin holes of the rust pits. I often use wd40 and oil mix on very old bluing in delicate areas. Make sure you change to a new pad frequently as you bring the rust down. Or the grit will cut micro abrasion marks in otherwise good save able bluing. On shotgun barrels you can use a solid older copper penny and gently rub back and forth in lines to knock down heavy rust and preserve bluing, but again, lots of finesse and oil. The softer copper is the trick. But learn first on a less valuable shotgun before attempting saving a valuable one and hone your skill. Good luck. Great advise video here. He probably just helped save thousands of historic guns by posting this.

I will be trying this out on my Remington model 31 soon in so glad to see there is somthing I can do to save my super old gun I inherited. I will update this after I try it

Let me add that if you have serious surface rust to clean- lets assume its not in the action or bore...BEGIN Cleaning with clear water, after disassembling. This is the first step to always take with anything more than minor surface rust. Wiping away the obvious build-up then dry thoroughly before taking the steps the video gives. Also you can use old fashioned Crest tooth paste as a make do lapping compound if you need to do the job faster than waiting for the internet to deliver- yes it will be minty fresh too! this will help eliminate minor surface structures that will only collect moisture and dust and rust again. Be careful not to be over zealous and remove good blueing. I have never lapped a bore but I suspect this would work well.