Secret way to remove rust from your firearm! 

Most of us old timers were aware of cleaning rust from pitted finishes with brass. However, this is a great video for those who were unaware. Youi've probably been responsible for saving the finish on many firearms by sharing this. Thanks.

Anyone who's served in the military should recognize that brush. It comes in every standard issue cleaning kit for the M16/M4 series rifles. They're outstanding brushes.

Mark Novak, the Anvil gunsmith, had a video showing how to restore a lightly rusted blued gun surface. He put the rusted part in boiling water for a time, then removed it, and the water evaporated immediately. A very fine buffing wire wheel gently applied to the surface removed the discoloration to reveal that the bluing had been restored. It didn't repair pitting or loose scale rust, but the brown rust patina surface was restored to blued, not the base metal silver color of raw steel.

Brass brush followed up with bore solvent works even easier. The solvent is designed for copper fouling and removes the brass stain easily. Just wipe with oil and you’re done!

I have used CLP and a penny to remove rust without damaging the finish. A drop of CLP on the area, coat the entire area by using your finger. Next I take a penny , hold it between my thump and index finger at a 45* angle using the edge/side lip and get to rubbing with the penny. Being that copper cladding is softer than the steel it won’t damage the finish and the edge of the penny will do a more efficient job of removing larger pieces/areas of rust. Then when I’m done I wipe down the surface with an alcohol prep, gauze and alcohol (denatured works best) or a mild degreaser. Finally, I will wipe down the entire surface with a silicon clothe or rag with CLP.

I always used a pre-82' real copper penny and gun oil, lubing the rusted area and rubbing the penny on the barrel till the rust comes off, works perfectly.

For those wondering why the wool removed the red oxide but not the black oxide it's because black iron oxide is very hard while the red isn't. In fact black iron oxide is used to coat drill bits to extend their lifespan.

Use a STAINLESS STEEL WOOL pad and your favorite gun oil. It will remove the rust without damaging the bluing. Been doing that for over 40 years.

I dont know why people say that they can remove the rust but preserve the finish. To me the finish is the protective coating over the bare metal. If there is rust the finish is already compromised. The metal needs to have a protective coating put back on after removing the rust

From my experience, even cloth or a brush made from something softer than the steel still picks up oxidized particles that have the potential to scratch the finish. I use the pre-82 copper penny trick with a liberal amount of oil to float the particles away.

Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner does the same thing, but little pieces can be pulled off and used to run through the bore to remove lead fouling very well. I like brass brushes also.

Great tip for cleaning rusted barrels I have used a brass brush for years and it has always worked for me. Thanks and I subscribed to your channel.

There is also the theory to never use a nonferrous brush, as the brush leave particles of a dissimilar metal on the steel. Moisture could cause galvanic corrosion to occur between the two metal particles. Of course, moisture would eventually cause oxidation anyway, so whatever. One actual tip though. With a wire brush (or any stiff material) the natural springing back and forth of the bristle tips create the cleaning action. Once bent the tips aren't aligned and are less effective. If you are bearing down and bend the bristles, you are pressing to hard.

Great tip. I live on the Pacific Northwest coast where rust is a big problem with blued gun metal. They also sell copper wool that works very well. The biggest concern with that much rust pitting is what the inside of the bore looks like, hopefully the rifling is not to bad.

Motor oil and triple O steel wool worked on a used lever gun I bought.

PB blaster is really good for removing rust in tight places, also with the brush. I’m almost finished restoring a Revelation 350 shotgun, nothing worked in the trigger assembly. Could not open the barrel. Thanks to PB blaster.

Found some light rust on my rilfe. Took a brass tooth brush and some hoppe's nitro solvent and went to work. Put some gun oil on it as done in the video above. When I was finished the rusted spot was unnoticeable, almost undetectable. The blue finish was still there, as in the video.

I live near the ocean. Going back to the late 1970's, I invested in silicone treated gun wiping/cleaning cloth(s) and silicone treated gun socks - both are inexpensive. After cleaning or periodic wiping down, place silica gel packets - they're also inexpensive - in every case, safe, or drawer in which you've got a firearm stored. I rotate the silica packets about every other year. 30ea., 20 gram, food grade packets, I put two - 1 top, 1 bottom - in every soft rifle case and pistol case. The packets will set cha back a whopping $1.50 each and are - trust me - worth every penny.

I’ve been shooting my entire Life ….. this is all news to me !!! I love to learn new techniques to treat my firearms. Thank You for Your content. GOD Bless You and Your’s ….. Happy 😊 Thanksgiving !!! ❤️🇺🇸🌞

Hardly a secret. Been doing similar for 40 years, using any brass tool - brushes, commercially available brass pick and scrapers, and my favorites, either pure brass wool or a .308 brass case cut in half and smashed flat. Works like a charm. Just make sure your brushes are not brass coated steel - many are and that will ruin you day. If you insist on a brush I highly recommend the 24 pack of wood handled brushes available from the same source, for just over 50 cents each.

I’m constantly learning. Thanks for sharing.

I always keep my guns along with a bunch of desiccant containers I change out every few months. No moisture, NO RUST. Great maintenance post. That big pit on that first barrel gives me great concern. I would be reluctant to use it anymore. Thanks again.

I’ve always used baking soda mixed with water to make a slurry then scrub with a plain old tooth brush it’s worked pretty well for me on surface rust I’ll try this on deep pits.

You can remove all the rust using many different types of cleaning solutions. There are solutions in many categories, everything from household, firearm , automotive and even Tool/ hardware solvents that will completely remove rust. They will also do so with nothing more than a cotton rag while not leaving behind non ferrous metal behind in the puts of the steel.

Use a 50/50 mix of plain old white vinegar and water. Let the rusted object sit submerged for 2 to 3 days. The rust will just fall off. You can also place the object in a container or zip lock bag with b b,s or gravel, shaking the bag several times daily to clean off the heavy rust. This works great also to remove rusted motorcycle gunk out of gas tanks, using gravel, shaking daily. After several days, metal will be completely free of rust at the microscopic level without any abrasive action, aside from shaking the bag. Simply wash with soapy water, then rinse clean with just water, then a cloth dipped in linseed oil. Any painted surface will not be damaged by the mild white vinegar. If worried about damaging vintage paint, don’t use the b.b/gravel part. Just remember, after the rust has been removed, the metal will rust again without some sort of protectant applied. This is the best on things like old antique rusty painted metal you don’t want damaged. Cheap, effective and completely non abrasive if skipping the b.b/gravel part. Works like magic.

Great video Big Sam! Being in the swampy part of Texas I tend to see a lot more rust than I'd like to.

Evap o rust works amazing and leaves a protective coating. No abrasives neccessary

Thank You Big Sam for Helping on this info.

Gunner Newman great job ! I took this a step further . For the pitting a fine grit oscillating sander - All pitting was eventually gone !

This method can have fine results. Something to watch for is that the tiny particles from off the rusted surface can embed in the brush tips and make scratches in steel. I like the pre-82' penny idea. I'll try that later.

You can also use oil and a 0000 steel wool pad and it will remove rust. This is how I clean them and it works.

On my rifle barrel, I just used a kitchen scouring pad to get the worst of the rust off then washed the area over with a lick of rust convertor. It has never rusted since.

Also. Polishing the pitted area with some compound and a soft pad will help smooth the surface which will help prevent rust in the future.

Very useful video. My son inherited a couple of long guns from a grandparent, and they may need a bit of this treatment.

There is a chemical that will literally boil the rust off of the metal, but you will need to go over the barrel with cold blue afterwards. I have used it on old shotguns before and it works really well.

Boat propeller paint, airplane propeller paint, and Tremclad or Rustoleum black metal paint in either gloss or matte. They all can be used to paint a firearm “instead of” bluing. ~Another thing is when you’re handling gun oil or toxic solvents then wear disposable “nitrile gloves” (they come in boxes of 50 or 100. I use XL size). Do not do it with your bare hands because toxic poisons can be absorbed through the skin.

Good tip with the brass brush.

If Mr. Rogers had a RU-vid gun channel. Great stuff Big Sam. Thanks for the tip!

I like the Hoppe's Elite gun cleaner and foaming gun cleaner (bore) with a nylon brush. There's an Elite kit with more. Anyone used any Metalloid products like Green Gun Oil, Metcor57, Bore Shield, etc? I just did some guns with them, they look good. The gun oil did clean very well. Supposedly 4 years protection with BS and Duck Hunters Delight.

I find soaking the rust spot in penetrating oil for 30 minutes or so helps soften the rust also.

Holsters, particularly leather ones but also the black fabric kind can rust your handgun. I leave my handguns out of their holsters most of the time.

Great vid , TY ! Gotta say seeing pitting and rust gave me anxiety because I’m OCD about cleaning and caring for my weapons. I use my firearms and nothing is made to stay in the safe that I have .

Thanks for the info my flintlock barrel is all rusty after using it for the late season this year. Definitely will be trying this on it thank you!!!!

For surface rust I use a standard size skewer, split lenghtwise, and put light oil on rust and rub the rust with flat side of skewer. Even if the bad section ios pitted at least the bluing left is not damaged.

No, the answer is to clean the metal with acetone, boil the piece in distilled water for 30-45 minutes, and then use a carding wheel. If you're not going to convert the rust, you might as well sandblast it.

A copper brush (any non ferrous material) is part of the job but the cleaning afterward is important. I like to use a gun oil list Palistol

That has to be completely finished to bare metal and reblued preferably hot blued. To be protected correctly.

Currently getting the rust off of my great grandpa’s model 1896 12 gauge Winchester. Thanks for the tips

I might suggest using vinegar to convert the rust to an oxide after scraping. Then apply your CLIP

Thank you Very informative yes it works 👌

It's important to note that using a brass brush can result in the unfinished (bare) metal being exposed. This is not because the brush removed the finish but because the rust had already eaten away at the finish and the brush is merely exposing that.

I use 0000 steel wool and oil, and it acts like a carding wheel.

Exellant! I was thinking you had a new way. This is what I've done in the past. I'm open to different ways of caring for my guns and some think a brass bore brush will harm a bore. But, it won't! Light rust can be removed with white vinegar also.

Frontier 45 steel brush works well. Will not hurt the bluing.

With rust pitting that deep who caresabout the finish It needs to be reblued any way.

clean your weapon, polish the parts and apply the molybdenum disulphide spray grease with a cotton cloth over the entire weapon without using oil, you will have a weapon that is dry to the touch but perfectly hydrated, remember that the oil from the skin with sweat makes rust so use the patch with the grease you used without adding more to remove your oil from the surface, I have a patch that I use to clean the slide of my glock with the same grease I put on 4 years ago!! I use this grease on my Browning Gold, on my American Ruger and on my Glock and I assure you that after understanding how to use the grease, the oil will disgust you!!

I have learned to never grab the gun by the barrel . The salt in your sweat will start the rust and if put away like that . Wipe with light oil before storage . Your advice is good .

Thanks so much. I needed this for my finnish mosin

I have restored and repaired multiple guns and while the video actually shows one of the possible ways to get rid of the rust, that's by no mean the less invasive and it DOES NOT guarantee that the finish will not come over - especially with rust pits like those. And it may also leave scratch marks on the weapon, although very light ones. Methods to get rid of the rust of a firearm (From the least aggressive to the most aggressive) 1)Boiling the part. It's really time consuming but relatively simple. Just boil the part for enought time to remove the rust. 2) Rub it with soda. Soda is lightly abrasive and can slowly remove the rust. 3)Electolysis. Immerge the part in a water container filled with salt and water and trigger the reaction by connecting a car battery to the system (+ terminal to the part, - terminal to a metal rod that hangs on the container) 4) Hydrochloric acid. That's kinda aggressive. Just put the part into a container full of acid. This will remove all the rust. Beware: It may leave the a mate like finish on the part if you keep it too long in the solution. 5) Brushing and grinding. I would advice you not to use this one. The probability to leave marks is extremely high.

You can use Blaster PB Penetrating Oil which will eat the rust then use Dupont Rust Inhibitor which will kill the rust and turn it black.

The led in a #2 pencil works very well cold blueing and polish with flitz polishing compound

Rub an old Copper penny along the rusted area. The copper in the penny will safely remove the rust and leave the metal alone.

Im onto this very quickly. When I get in from shooting I’ll rub it with an old copper penny. But it is nowhere near as bad as the rust on your guns. And then I use gun oil to cover the barrel. Constantly doing this seems to keep them in good condition.

Nice! I use a copper penny & some 3-in-1 oil. Thanks for the share!!

A another method I did not read here and have not seen in a few gun videos I have seen, is using a rouge jewelers rouge, ,they come in a various grades, but red or white will work and a buffing wheel or possibly just a pad or gauze on a sander or gauze on a palm sander? rub, the rouge on the rust into a thick layer, buff slowly and keep repeating until the rust and the pits are gone, I have not used this on guns per se a lot ,but worked daily final finishing auto glass like this and used it for yrs doing high end ornamental brass hand rails etc. never had any issues with this and & removes pitting, scratches in everything from LG. glass to jewelry. Another oddball flashback ,as a kid had a neighbor who always cleaned our guns and would soak a nylon stocking in what I suppose was hoppes red oil and after cleaning would slip the gun in the stocking and let it sit while he cleaned something else:)used a diaper to wiper it after he removed the stocking ,it would also seem obvious to me now a days if I were storing guns in a gun cabinet it would have some sort of dehumidifier in it? Thanks Peace. Rick

I use Ballistol I use the straw it comes with on my Glocks especially One of my slides have the slide cuts holes in the sign so I’m cleaning the slide I sprayed decide a little more and take a Q-tip because it seems like I always get rust out of that area and where the barrel in this line or put together I cleaned it all really thoroughly but anywhere I see rust formingI’ll just have extra Q-tips and clean everything really good I’m going to have to give me a brass brush I would always use a toothbrush it wasn’t too soft and not too hard

Thank you for the link. I ordered the 10 pack. John from Fallbrook, CA. I request you start with the darkest black (but still good rifling barrel of a Mosin) and bring it back to like chrome-looking bore.

Glad I live in Arizona, about 95% of the used guns at my local shops never have rust on them thanks to living in the desert.

Wipe your firearms down every time you use them. Coat them lightly with oil or even gun grease when they are to be stored for any length of time, will avoid this. If you buy a used firearm that has a spot on it clean it to bare metal then reblue it.

Big frontier 45 metal cleaner is magical. It does not remove the finish. And it can be used to clean the inside of the barrel as well. I love it. Brass works too but big frontier 45 is far better.

I havent had any pitting on my firearms, but I found spraying the gun down with WD-40 and scrubbing it with paper towels aggressively took all the surface rust off after my gun bag got wet in the woods.

Really helpful.....thank you very much!!!

I once left a couple blued magazines out in the snow once and then they rusted pretty bad. I hated the way they looked and thought the only way to restore them would be to take them to a gunsmith and have them re-blued. Shortly after that I learned this trick and felt like an idiot. That gunsmith was nice and charged me a fair price but it was still a lot more money than a $1 bronze brush.

I would have wrapped the oxidized area with a shop towel soaked with Evaporust. Then, after about 24 hours, as EVR leaves a slightly grayish finish, bring it back with a muslin buff and black emery compound. This does not remove the original finish. I restore and refurbish vintage machinery. Light industrial. This happens on a daily basis. Good luck.

I use an empty brass shell to "Erase" the rust and also the brass brush. Nitro solvent to clean off the brass and some cold bluing to make it look nice. Something every gun owner should know.

Thank you for sharing this most valuable information.

Simple but makes sense. I left my .243 in a closed sleeve for months to find rust around the same level as the rifle in this video.

I restored My friends grandfathers winchester 30-30 lever ..I used fine sandpaper and sreel wool ..dont worry about the finish ..i then used BIRCHWOOD-CASEY GUN BLUE ..use water wet steel ..put on gun blue then wipe off ...buff and repeat ..untill blue is unifom ..it came out beatifull ..I also REBLUED my Dads old ORGTIES .25 pistol which had lost most of its bluing came out fantastic

A carpenters pencil those wide flat ones . Is just enough grit to do smaller areas and with time an patience larger ones .

Great Tip - thanks for sharing.

This does not stop active rust. It temporarily delays further decay, but more rust will begin again in time. The only way to stop it is to covert iron oxide to ferro ferric oxide through heat

Great vid! Thanks!

The damage is sufficient to employ sanding it to bare metal then refinish the bluing?

Clamp the brush to a Sawzall blade and let the Sawzall do the back and forth work!

This is giving me horrible flashbacks of the summer of 2008. Being in basic training cleaning the rust off an old musket some kid from the previous cycle never properly cleaned and having mu drill sergeant refusing to let me sleep until it was spotless. Also... rainy days at the range. So much traima.

I've used the steel wool pads with the detergent in them with good success.

use gun oil and 0000 steel wool and lightly rub. The 0000 steel wool is fine enough to really not scratch and the oil makes it easier to remove the rust.

I'm confused. Your video says brass but the brushes in the link are bronze?

STRAIGHT 👏 TO 👏 THE 👏 POINT! THANK YOU!

Humidity is terrible here.. I keep a bucket of DampRid in my gun safe.. and I'm sure it would work in a closet as well. I have used the ole copper penny and WD trick a few times.

If you take a piece of chaulk after it is clean, rub it over the pits to fill them in and use cold blue to blue it.

Apply good gun oil , at and near rusted area , two to three hours before brushing.

I was expecting something that literally everyone didn't already know. Thanks!

Just ordered a brass brush and same lubricant you used! Thanks

Great video. Was the mosin barrel still safe to shoot with big pit spot? Thanks

Thank you for the tip.

Thx for the tip now i knew i can remove rust spot without using sand paper

In the Army, we used a #2 pencil. The graphite does an incredible job of removing rust with no damage to the finish.

Thanks for the video 👍

First, degrease thoroughly. Use a fine steel brush instead to remove all the flaky rust (gently), do not use any oils at that stage. With something like a barrel, boil a pot of water and then run the part over the steam. That will convert the rust to black iron oxide (bluing). Once cooled, gently rub the blackened part with a fine wire brush or steel wool again to remove the loose black oxide.The process may have to be repeated with heavily rusted parts, you want to remove the rust to close to the surface as it will not penetrate heavy rust flakes but the point is you do NOT want to remove the rust completely, you want to convert it. Smaller parts may be boiled in a pot of water for 5 minutes or so. After you are done soak the part(s) in kerosene for a day. They can then be dried and oiled. That is the way to properly preserve a rusted firearm. Simply brushing the rust off and then applying oil does not remove the rust, though it may look black after oiling, the rust is still there.