Thread: The "benefits" of using rust remover

I know the use of harsh chemicals on razors is generally seen as a high risk/low reward scenario at best. I have looked through the forum a bit and found some mixed opinions on what works and what doesn't. I will be getting a Wade and Butcher razor in the mail in the next few days and it has some etching that I would like to preserve. That got me searching through the forum for solutions, and of course I came upon the topic of rust removers.

Before I put down any of my thoughts, I would like to make it known that I would love discussion as well as criticism. I don't pretend to be an expert despite my whopping 100 posts (how humble, I know). I was debating whether or not I should bring this up at all, but I think this quote sums my thoughts up pretty well:

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Guys don't ever just take our word on this stuff try different things yourselves, no telling what you might stumble upon that works....

So, here it goes. I found this post the other night http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...mong-rust.html and it looked like the rust remover gave pretty good results. A friend of mine gave me his grandfather's razor to restore and saying it looks a bit rough is an understatement.




The pictures don't do the razor justice, but it looks like the razor is made of rust. Given that this razor belonged to my friend's (now passed) grandfather, I didn't want to remove the character of the blade if at all possible. I got a prescription bottle and filled it with some rust remover and let the blade soak for a while. I had to flip the blade to cover it all and change the solution a time or two. After some time had passed, I applied some Mothers with some #000 steel wool. The result is below.





Mind you the razor does not look brand new. It does not have a mirror or even a satin finish, though it looks considerably different. The stamp can actually be read now with no difficulty. I don't plan on sanding the blade down due to the extensive pitting as well as the pretty small blade size. Though I can't say for sure that it will hold an edge, the blade doesn't look damaged beyond belief.

From what I read, a lot of people tend to shy away from rust removers due to acid. I used a calcium/lime/rust remover from Zep and I couldn't tell if it was acid based. Given all of the warnings on the bottle though, it is certainly caustic. A forum member mentioned Evapo-Rust from harbor freight to remove rust. The description states that it isn't acidic and I imagine that could make it safer for metals.

I certainly don't think that a chemical based rust remover is the end all problem solver for razor restoration. I personally don't think it should be thrown out entirely though as part of the restoration process as an option.


I am by no means a chemist and am pretty ignorant when it comes to metallurgy and reactions. All of my opinions are based on physical observations, so I could be missing a lot on the molecular level. Again, I really hope to see some opinions and thoughts from senior members as well as people that are familiar with restorations. Thank you all for your time.

Cheers,
Jonah

Whenever I what to try a new product and also want to know the ingredients I search for it's MSDS sheet.

If you used ZEP Calcium, Lime & Rust Stain Remover MSDS.

Here are it's Composition/Information on Ingredients:
HYDROCHLORIC ACID; muriatic acid; hydrogen chloride; HCl 7647-01-0 1 - 5
HYDROXYACETIC ACID; glycolic acid; hydroxyethanoic acid 79-14-1 1 - 5
SULFAMIC ACID; amidosulfonic acid; amidosulfuric acid 5329-14-6 1 - 5

That's some acid

Jonathan

That has been discussed here a bunch. If you want to try something new, give it a quick search and see what has been said on the forums.
I am not sure if there is anything that ha not been tried already when it comes to razors.

Originally Posted by mainaman

I am not sure if there is anything that ha not been tried already when it comes to razors.

Do you think that we could train those little fish that eat dead skin to eat rust?

Just a thought here,,,

You have no Control group, ie: you should have done one side with the Chemical and one side with the Steel Wool and Polish then compared the difference

The red rust that these chemicals remove well can usually be removed faster, and much safer with a sharp DE or SE blade, this is just some of things we have found over the years...

Agree with the above. On red rust I soak it in drug store alcohol, usually the 91% stuff for a couple of hours and then use and old SE blade to lightly scrap and then see what I have.

Originally Posted by johnmrson

Do you think that we could train those little fish that eat dead skin to eat rust?

with the right condiments definitely possible

Originally Posted by mainaman

I am not sure if there is anything that ha not been tried already when it comes to razors.

Charles H. Duell, the commissioner of the US patent office in 1899 said, "Everything that can be invented has been invented." New ideas are spawned from failures and successes.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Just a thought here,,,

You have no Control group, ie: you should have done one side with the Chemical and one side with the Steel Wool and Polish then compared the difference

The red rust that these chemicals remove well can usually be removed faster, and much safer with a sharp DE or SE blade, this is just some of things we have found over the years...

If I come across a decently rusted razor I'll give it another shot and have parameters set up, thanks for the suggestion.

RUST ERASER

TYPE: Neutral Rust Remover

(1) 5-Gallon Container

BENEFITS: Zep Rust Eraser is a neutral, ready-to-use, non-acid, non-caustic product for removing rust from iron and ferrous-based metals. Immerse parts in Rust Eraser and let soak to remove rust without damaging the base metal. Rust Eraser is non-corrosive, and is excellent for restoring numbers used for matching parts. It will not harm chrome, copper, stainless steel, brass, aluminum, plastic or rubber. Zep Rust Eraser also contains a rust inhibitor that prevents flash rusting