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Cleaning and refurbishing metal parts

Evaporust is really good on most metal especially on really old EM bits. I also have a small ultrasonic cleaner that does an equally good job but nothing beats hand polishing on a bench polisher
 
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You can’t tumble these rubber bits can you? Any or can you? Seem a nightmare to get out
 
Ordered the Lyman tumbler and stainless Steel media... guess we will see the results in a few days 😄

It does say to use the stainless steel media in a circular tumbler... as the rods slip inside the brass bullet casing better.. but it’s not for bullets! Guess we will see
 
stumblor said:
The only thing with walnut, or any tumbling for that matter, is getting it out of very tiny spots. Phillips screw heads being the most annoying in my opinion. Bearing in mind how many screws you end up with - I would just replace these outright.

Otherwise for tubes and such (hex posts) you may sometimes need to drill the media out with a 1 or 2mm bit.
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This 100%. I used walnut and corn in the past in my tumbler. Corn turns nylon nuts a shade of green, and walnut turns it a shade of brown. Don't bother polishing anything that has nylon in it.

If you decide to go the tumbler route then get yourself a good pick set as you'll be picking the fine media out of every nook and cranny.
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I don't bother using my tumbler any more. I just replace the screws and lock nuts. For standoffs, I'll replace them if they are really really bad, otherwise I just use some elbow grease and some 600/800 automotive sandpaper. For larger parts, like coil holders I'll use a brass wheel. Use an old one to clean off any heavy stuff, then switch to a new one to give it a good shine.
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Afterwards, if you still have energy left, take a polish wheel to it. I just use a Dremel with a polishing pad and some red compound. You can use the green compound too afterwards if you want. I don't bother because I don't have any and I'm too lazy to go buy it. Lastly, I put on a light coat of wax. This is to deter any new rust or corrosion, but I mainly do it because the carnuba wax smells like the gum you use to get in packs of baseball cards. The carnuba wax masks the smell of old beer and cigarettes trapped in the cabinet of the pin.

I use XXX from the guys at Hardcore as my go to.
xxx.jpg
 
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@Dave Bishop heads up that the gun centre place took ~3 to 4 weeks to ship my tumbler, and still waiting on some polishing media to arrive! Not sure if this was c*vid related or just how things go.

@Fifty thanks for the tips and suggestions. Carnuba wax after polishing is done is great idea! This is one thing I was still not sure about best practice, will give that a go for sure
 
saladman said:
@Dave Bishop heads up that the gun centre place took ~3 to 4 weeks to ship my tumbler, and still waiting on some polishing media to arrive! Not sure if this was c*vid related or just how things go.

@Fifty thanks for the tips and suggestions. Carnuba wax after polishing is done is great idea! This is one thing I was still not sure about best practice, will give that a go for sure
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thanks, bought it via amazon .. apparently it’s coming by Friday 21st August
 
Scrap that, apparently it’s out for delivery today

mean while, tried a bit of hand polishing
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Dave Bishop said:
Scrap that, apparently it’s out for delivery today

mean while, tried a bit of hand polishing
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That's definitely a piece I'd use a brass wheel on. You can buy little brass wheels for Dremels. Don't go cheap. I bought a bulk pack off Amazon and the first time I spun one up in the Dremel I was picking brass wire out of my arm and face (safety glasses are definitely recommended). The metal hair flew everywhere. I'm still finding it stuck into the walls. Dremel sells a 2-pack. Use these for the tight spots.
https://www.dremel.com/en_US/products/-/show-product/tools/535-02-3-4-brass-brushes

I have sanded more pieces of metal than I care to admit. It works, but it is a lot of effort. Trust me, go the brass wheel route. The results are just as good if not better and you let the Dremel/Drill do all the work. Then afterwards, if you still want you can go over it with 600 grit to make yourself feel better.
 
I've used evapo-rust to great success on some really really manky legs and glass frame from a 1968 Cosmos that had probably been stuck in a barn for 30 years. The only thing to mention with evapo-rust is you may need to wire wheel it afterwards if there was any heavy pitting. It also leaves the metal very porous, so you need to get whatever finish you're applying on there fast (<24 hours) or you'll quickly find it rusting again.
 
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