Kroil

[BEAR]

I know Kroil is good for removing rust but will it harm the rest of the finish on the firearm (blued, parked, rust blued, etc).

BEAR

[leftyo]

nothing is ever guarantee'd, but ive never seen it do damage to metal parts and normal finishes.

[Johnny P]

Does Kroil actually remove rust? Most bluing is also rust. Most damage is done to bluing by making a paste out of oil and the iron oxide (rust) on the gun, which is very abrasive. Whatever you are cleaning rust with from a soft cloth to steel wool, change it often.

[dave]

Does not remove rust, that takes a physical force as suggested by Johnny P. It will loosen rust, help break its bond with the base metal but it needs to be 'cut' lose and wiped off. Bluing affects the steel much deeper into the pores of the metal then 'surface rust', and would have to be removed by actually removing metal. Sometimes rust also penetrates deep and when removed will leave a 'white', lightly pitted spot.
No penetrating oil will 'remove' rust, only helps to loosen its bond and stop its progress.

[clintonhater]

Bluing affects the steel much deeper into the pores of the metal then 'surface rust', and would have to be removed by actually removing metal...

You're right about Kroil being only a harmless penetrating oil, but bluing can be removed merely by a lot of handling with bare hands--witness all the old lever-actions with grey or silver receivers & levers, but strong blue remaining on the barrel. One of the best blue removers is an old oily rag exposed to the dust in the air, such as you often see being used to wipe down guns in a shop or at a show.

[BEAR]

Thanks for responses.

BEAR

[dave]

You're right about Kroil being only a harmless penetrating oil, but bluing can be removed merely by a lot of handling with bare hands--witness all the old lever-actions with grey or silver receivers & levers, but strong blue remaining on the barrel. One of the best blue removers is an old oily rag exposed to the dust in the air, such as you often see being used to wipe down guns in a shop or at a show.

Yes, handling will remove blue but that, I believe, is just wear. Some people have acidic sweat and that will remove blue also, as will certain chemicals. That is why guns are often wiped down with oil, after handling. I use silicon cloths. Must be some abrasive dust you have where you live!

[clintonhater]

Must be some abrasive dust you have where you live!

All dust is abrasive to some degree--and I mean air-born dust, not large particles whipped up in a windstorm; also the reason dusty glass lenses shouldn't be wiped "dry."

[dryheat]

A side of clintonhater we didn't know. Not that I didn't like him prior too. Bluing is what? A millionth of an inch thick? OK, maybe a little more than that.
I've used the mythical mix of kroil and Hoppe's(one of many potions) on an old .22 1905. Yes, it took off the outer layer of "patina"(that means rust). It looked different and smoother.

[BEAR]

Thanks dryheat, your comment best answered my question. Although I am disappointed that Kroil isn't the magical pixie dust I thought it was. Just spray it on and "poof", rust be gone!

BEAR

[clintonhater]

Thanks dryheat, your comment best answered my question. Although I am disappointed that Kroil isn't the magical pixie dust I thought it was. Just spray it on and "poof", rust be gone!

BEAR

Sounds like you're looking for good old Naval Jelly; swab it on, and "poof", rust WILL be gone (possibly along with some of the underlying metal, if left on a bit too long). It works so well because it's acidic, and acid, strong bases like concentrated ammonia, or reverse electrolysis, are the only methods that actually break down rust chemically; all other methods involve mechanical abrasion.

[Dick Hosmer]

IMHO, Naval Jelly should not even be allowed in the same room as a collectible firearm - it is FAR too severe in its' action. Go to any gun show and you will see a piece or two that look like the surface of the moon - that's Naval Jelly at work, folks.

[BEAR]

Although I am disappointed that Kroil isn't the magical pixie dust I thought it was. Just spray it on and "poof", rust be gone!

I was being facetious.

[clintonhater]

Go to any gun show and you will see a piece or two that look like the surface of the moon - that's Naval Jelly at work, folks.

Learned that lesson the hard way while still in HS when my father gave me a rusty, beat-up, Model '73 he'd picked up somewhere (probably for nothing). Buttplate was so corroded, looked like it had been standing in salt-water, so I immersed it in Jelly; the rust sure went away, along with a good bit of the original metal. However, I'd never have known about it if I hadn't seen it advertised in the Am. Rifleman, which I'd been getting since about age 15.