I have a small Transformer toy that I am going to sell, but the toy has some severe rust on his face and chest (and on a couple screws), which of course I want to remove before selling it.
Does anyone have any advice on how to remove the rust without damaging the plastic/paint that it has spread onto?
Lee Valley Hardware carries several rust removal substances. I don’t know if both are safe for plastics. If you have a Menards close by they usually carry something. http://www.leevalley.com/US/home.aspx
Baking soda. Mix it up with water into a paste. It doesn’t work as well as proprietary rust-removing products, but it works, and it shouldn’t affect the paint or the plastic.
The baking soda worked quite well. Using a small brush, I managed to remove about 4/5 of all the rust from the toy (the other 1/5 was mostly because the bristles on the brush wouldn’t reach into the smaller crevices).
Thanks for your suggestions.
I use ketchup. Giggle all you want, but I’ve used it on everything from tarnished silver jewelry, to a rusty wok that a steel scrubber + elbow grease did nothing for, to a corroded nameplate on an antique vacuum. Apply liberally, let sit a bit, wash off.
I use 3-in-one oil. It’s never damaged anything and, with diligence, can be wiped off completely.
“A bit” meaning about how long? How thick an application is “liberally”? And does it work on brass?
Just don’t use the stuff with the high fructose corn syrup it makes the brass all sticky.
Katherine’s right. Ketchup is also a guitar player’s trick for resuscitating old guitar strings in an emergency. “I’m here for the gig. I’ll need a power strip, 2 XLR inputs, and a bottle of Heinz and a stack of napkins.”
Yes, it works on brass/bronze. Yes, it’s a very good idea to rinse the string before putting it on. The vinegar cleans, and the salt is a mild abrasive. The delightful tomato scent is a bonus. I’ve tried it. I found the brightened string tends to poop out again fairly quickly, but it’ll last a few hours to get you through a gig.
Catchup has several properties. Vinegar in it helps to eat away the rust and so does the citric acid which is also acts as a chelating agent, thickness of the stuff helps to keep it in place while it acts (much like naval jelly).
Personally I never got an acid treatment to really do what I wanted it to in the past, maybe I’ll try it on my garden loppers and compare different sections, but if it is like mustard, the acid alone will actually leave a darkened patina if left on plain metal and then removed without an abrasive (like toothpaste, salt, baking soda).