Need advice on rusty barrel

[Lynnhawk]

Hello Everyone!

I have found quite a few discussions here on how to remove rust. Vinegar and Evapo-rust seem to be the most popular solutions. However, I’d like to hear your opinion on my particular case.

The attached image shows the barrel’s current state. I don’t know if this can be considered too much rust, or not a lot, or something in between. But the whole insides of the barrel is rusty.

What would be the best approach here?

Thank you!

View attachment 162285

Try smoking the barrel in transmission fluid overnight and then start brushing with a brass or steel brush…you might be surprised as to how good of a job it can do and does not hurt the bore or ride long…can’t hurt…

 

[dehart.stephen]

Believe it or not, soaking brown rusty steel in cheap molasses mixed with a little water for a week or two can do wonders. Awkward for a long barrel, but it impressed me on an old Colt bullet mould. Google it up somerime. It helps preserve fine details and sharp delicate edges. Leaves thin black rust in place, but gently rmoves the brown. Old Kingsbury Aerodrome rescues century-old airplane engine parts with the molasses-water soak. Vinegar is great to restore and sharpen old rusty/dull files in about a a day. Best of luck with your project.

 

[stephenprops1]

After your restoration I would Proof this barrel before actually using it. It might be too far gone and very dangerous to use.

 

[Sergissimo]

After your restoration I would Proof this barrel before actually using it. It might be too far gone and very dangerous to use.

Absolutely!

 

[Sergissimo]

Best of luck with your project.

Thank you!

 

[Sergissimo]

Everyone, thanks once again for your input!

 

[rkg1]

Need a long pot just use a piece of spouting and seal the ends well with silicon. Wife stove will work as you will need two burners. In case you are wondering I have my own stove in the shop.

 

[user 34300]

Steam it first. It does the same as boiling.



Watch his videos to learn about non destructive care of basket case guns. Do not use harsh chemicals.

I did not see what the OP's barrel is from. Rifle? Smoothbore? Thin? Heavy? It makes a difference.

 

[1BadDart]

I'd try wetting the bore with Kroil and letting it soak for a couple days. Then take a good bronze brush and scrub it out well, keep the brush wet with kroil.

 

[shorthair]

Thanks very much for your input guys!

I think I'll start with less invasive approach first and then go chemicals. I'd rather try different methods instead of flushing the barrel right from the start. I will be posting results here. But first I need to get my equipment ready I'm basically a few days into muzzleloading. The barrel is from the gun I bough as a wall hanger so I can get my hand dirty and learn about the subject by doing. As for sending the barrel for re-bore or donating it, let's first see how it shows after cleaning.

Speaking of the barrel. I'm trying to identify it with not much success so far in this post:

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/need-help-identifying-this-smoothbore.151664/
P.S. It looks like tomato stake won over vinegar based on mentions at least

If you don't try you'll never know if you could have saved it.

 

[Sergissimo]

Hello Everyone,

I know it’s been a long time since I promised posting the results of my rusty barrel cleaning adventures. I do apologize for the delay.

Below you can find some images I was able to take. In the end, after multiple cleaning attempts, I think this barrel can be declared not fit to shoot. Good learning exercise though. Thanks for lots of great suggestions!

After multiple “non-invasive” procedures:



After multiple “invasive” procedures:

 

[dehart.stephen]

Silly as it sounds, soaking in molasses mixed with about 25 to 50% water has rescued an old bullet mould for me. Google it up. Even 100 year old airplane engine parts were saved this way. Heard it from restorers at Old Kingsbury Aerodrome. The acid formed is extremely mild and goes after the brown rust, leaving any black, stable iron pentoxide rust in place. Took about two or three weeks. Daily agitation helps keep fresh unreacted solution on the surface. If you're skeptical, try it on a degreased, but brown-rusted tool or mould first. If you soak the tool on a ziplock bag, you can watch progress right through the bag and see the bag inflate a little with gas the first few days of the process. Remove oil beforehand to give the solution an honest bite at the rust. I've used vinegar ( much faster) on old files, but I'd be leery of it etching too agressively in a gun bore. Best of Luck!

 

[Col. Batguano]

Will that process work on other metals as well? I have an aluminum carburetor with brass butterfly valves that are stuck closed I'm trying to get working again. I've already tried soaking in mineral spirits for a week, and penetrating oil as well as spray-downs with various engine parts cleaners and penetrating oil. (I haven't tried brake cleaner or the acetone/automatic transmission fluid soak yet though.). So far nothing has worked.

 

[dehart.stephen]

Will that process work on other metals as well? I have an aluminum carburetor with brass butterfly valves that are stuck closed I'm trying to get working again. I've already tried soaking in mineral spirits for a week, and penetrating oil as well as spray-downs with various engine parts cleaners and penetrating oil. (I haven't tried brake cleaner or the acetone/automatic transmission fluid soak yet though.). So far nothing has worked.

Will that process work on other metals as well? I have an aluminum carburetor with brass butterfly valves that are stuck closed I'm trying to get working again. I've already tried soaking in mineral spirits for a week, and penetrating oil as well as spray-downs with various engine parts cleaners and penetrating oil. (I haven't tried brake cleaner or the acetone/automatic transmission fluid soak yet though.). So far nothing has worked.

Will that process work on other metals as well? I have an aluminum carburetor with brass butterfly valves that are stuck closed I'm trying to get working again. I've already tried soaking in mineral spirits for a week, and penetrating oil as well as spray-downs with various engine parts cleaners and penetrating oil. (I haven't tried brake cleaner or the acetone/automatic transmission fluid soak yet though.). So far nothing has worked.

May want to try it on a scrap of aliminum and brass together before risking a carbuerator. Aluminum and some other corrosion-resistant metals are " passive -coating- formers. " The metals are so reactive woth oxygen that they quickly form a micro- thin skin of protective, transparent oxode that keeps them shiny and clean. Weak acids like vinegar are the Achilles' -heel for aluminum, since they don't stop their own reaction with the metal by forming the passive layer. A little like wood charring versus fully burning. Then something gets through the char and burns the fresh wood just inside again. The VERY weak acid of rhe molasses-water mix may be mild enough to be fine, but may want to clamp a brass washer on an aluminum bolt or something to test. Galvanic corrosion with dissimilar metals ( seawater- iron hull- copper cladding) is how rhey sank some ships way back when). An easy test should tell the tale.

 

[SlidePicker]

Putting dissimilar metals into any potentially electrolytic solution risks causing electrolytic corrosion of the more chemically active metal. I had some rust spots develop on an unmentionable revolver made of 416 stainless steel. I tried the old tried and true method of boiling in water to turn rust into rust blue. It worked on the rusted stainless, turning the rust into inconspicuous black spots. But I didn't remove the aluminum grip frame. After boiling in tap water, electrically connected to stainless steel, the aluminum was heavily frosted with white oxide. I was able to rub it down with 0000 steel wool and oil it, and it looks no worse for the wear. It had a blasted matte finish anyway.

 

[Col. Batguano]

best I can tell when I look at it, it's the brass butterfly valve that's corroded. The edges of it are green. My suspicion is that it was mouse pee that got in there somehow (it's an outboard motor carb) as the air box isn't completely sealed. I thought I saw a couple of itsy bitsy mouse turds when I first opened it up too.

As an FYI, I've noticed that mice sure like to make nests in Johnson / Evinrude motors more so than they do in Mercurys. Somebody told me that OMC Corp used soy as a component in some of their plastics, but that doesn't make sense because the plastic would be eaten then, not just the covered motor head being a motor home for them.

 

[stephenprops1]

A customer came into the store where I work with a muzzleloader to sell. I could see rust & pitting on the crown. I attempted to drop the ramrod down the barrel. The bore was so corroded the ramrod only fell a couple of inches. I then attempted to push the ramrod down. A cloud of rusty dust belched from the barrel. I dropped a bore-light down the barrel and all I could see was rust. I told him we did not want his gun. It was too far gone.

 

[josie wales]

Try "CRUD CUTTER" It's expensive per oz. but all your going to do is plug the barrel and fill it up.

 

[Greg_E]

WhiteDiamond metal polish and felt pellet will polish that up. Some CLR or Evaporust first might be an idea. Doesn't look like it is too far gone yet.

I'd also want to run a camera down the bore and make sure there aren't any surprises. Teslong make a cheap USB camera, but I suggest springing for the more expensive versions with a recorder/monitor. I had trouble with the USB version, only worked reliably in a computer. I also suggest getting the optional set of mirrors for different bore sizes.

 

[Tom Compton]

Hoyt can also reline barrels to same or smaller caliber.