How much rust treatment is enough?

[ScottInPDX]

I have a Mauser Standardmodell that was very nicely reblued at some point. I saw a little bit of rust creeping out from under the handguard around the bayonet lug, so I disassembled it for a deep clean. This uncovered small amounts of rust on most parts, but fortunately only on the interior surfaces.

I tossed all the parts in a Kroil bath months ago and as I find bits of spare time here and there, I pull some parts out, give them a brass brush scrubbing, and toss them back in.

A couple of parts are looking great after much scrubbing and a final touch up with OxphoBlue. Others have very persistent spots of reddish brown tint that can't seem to scrub away or get covered by the OxphoBlue, which is supposed to work with very thin rust present.

Do I need to be sure every little bit of rust discoloration is gone to prevent it from coming back or spreading? How do I protect the parts that contact wgood since I don't want oil on there seeping into the wood?

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[Vernonia MW]

It's very hard to tell from the pics, but the reddish tint I am seeing on the trigger guard and the bayonet lug looks to be more of a discoloration that can sometimes occur during the hot bluing process. Not rust.

The parts with the bad pitting, I would try cleaning them off really good with acetone and then boiling them for 20 minutes or so. See if that converts the rust. Hit it with your brush and kroil after, and I'll bet it looks just like it did when it got reblued.

The biggest key in preventing rust is controlling the climate your firearms are stored in. Dehumidifiers are cheap. You can try putting linseed oil on the steel where it is touching wood. I also have a linseed oil/turpentine/beeswax mix that I use on walnut stocks. It forms a paste, and would also probably do an excellent job at protecting the steel without harming the wood.

 

[po18guy]

Rust is easy to neutralize. The cost is that the bluing is removed. Maybe try Big45 metal cleaner wool. I coat the interior metal surfaces with a dry film lube, like Hornady One Shot or WD-40 Dry Lube. They are wax based and leave a dry film. Another option is Renaissance Wax, which is highly recommended by the Colt Collectors.

 

[ScottInPDX]

Rust is easy to neutralize. The cost is that the bluing is removed

Agreed. I have some Birchwood Casey Blue and Rust remover, I've just avoided using it for this reason. I want to preserve as much of the existing blue as possible. I can't afford a full professional reblue job, and don't expect anything I do to be as durable as the previous refinish.