Help! SP 101 rust

Tinman931 · Jul 19, 2014

Hello All,
A buddy of mine came it me for help. He has an SP 101 that he had stored in a case for a few months. Somehow, moisture got into the case and now the finish has minor surface rust and some pitting. What is the best method to clean up and restore the finish? The pistol was a gift from his father, so he is a bit frantic.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jimbo357mag · Jul 19, 2014

I would start scrubbing it with a Scotch Brite pad, with the grain. That should remove the rust and restore the brushed finish. Be sure to clean and oil all of it including the outside.

The Blackhawk Kid · Jul 19, 2014

JMO, I'd use 4-0 steel wool soaked in Ballistol. Coat the gun too, before using the 4-0. Judicious hand polishing with the grain is the procedure. Hope this helps. BhK

hittman · Jul 19, 2014

Jimbo nailed it AND, a lesson in proper gun storage or cleaning may be in order. Wasn't one of those plastic cases with foam interior, was it?

And ..... Ruger would make it look new.

Jim Puke · Jul 19, 2014

The gun was probably wet when put up.

The suggestions for removal of the rust should do it.

Tinman931 · Jul 20, 2014

A vigorous rubbing with rubbing alcohol seemed to take care of most of the surface rust. Mostly it's the pitting with some rust still in it. Concerned about scratching the finish, but will try the Scotch Brite pad if you think that will help with the pitting.

Storage lesson learned

Chuck 100 yd · Jul 20, 2014

Maybe a good candidate for bead blasting.

6gun · Jul 20, 2014

Just buff the damaged areas off with a bench buffer, don't leave the pits or they will continue to rust, then restore the satin finish with gray Scotch Brite, never store guns in a case or holster they collect moisture.

Jim Puke · Jul 20, 2014

6gun said:
never store guns in a case they collect moisture.

Not even close to true...

I have several guns that have been stored in cases for over 30yrs and one of them has been stored in the same case since it was given to me Christmas morning of 1970, and they look like new...not a blemish on them.

Nearly every blue gun in my safes are stored in cases to protect the blue from scratches because the guns are packed tightly and NONE of them have any rust on them. This is something that has been repeated ad naseum and is not true. There may be a few cases that this applies to, but my cases are all cheap cases and they have not damaged my guns in any way. So, as a broad statement, it is not true.

6gun · Jul 20, 2014

Jim Luke said:
6gun said:

never store guns in a case they collect moisture.

Click to expand...

Not even close to true...

I have several guns that have been stored in cases for over 30yrs and one of them has been stored in the same case since it was given to me Christmas morning of 1970, and they look like new...not a blemish on them.

Nearly every blue gun in my safes are stored in cases to protect the blue from scratches because the guns are packed tightly and NONE of them have any rust on them. This is something that has been repeated ad naseum and is not true. There may be a few cases that this applies to, but my cases are all cheap cases and they have not damaged my guns in any way. So, as a broad statement, it is not true.

Oh yes they do and I've seen many example of it over the years, you have a safe you no doubt have a dehydrator of some sort in it that keeps the moister out of the cases, most people I know don't put cases in gun safes so that's an exception to the rule, people storing guns in cases are often doing it cause they don't have a safe and that's when they rust they have no way to control moisture, so saying guns don't rust in cases cause you put your in a gun safe with a dehydrator is just wrong and misleading.

Tinman931 · Jul 20, 2014

Ok. Stripped the pistol down to completely clean it. Good thig, as it had gunk, moisture and rust pion the internals. Cleaned as much off as possible with rubbing alcohol and now letting it soak in Hoppes #9. Tommorrow work begins with Scotch Brite pads.

Noah Zark · Jul 21, 2014

DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL OR A WIRE WHEEL, OR ANY OTHER CARBON STEEL ABRASIVE.

Such carbon steel abrasives will leave trace carbon steel particles embedded in the surface of the stainless steel components of the SP 101. The carbon steel particles WILL act as corrosion site initiators, preferentially rusting and causing pit corrosion in the stainless itself.

This is the reason why stainless steel is often "passivated" in an acid or blend of acids to remove any active carbon steel. Unpassivated 316 stainless steel is not much more corrosion resistant than carbon steel on the metals electropotential series, but when passivated, 316 is similar to platinum and palladium for corrosion resistance, only slightly more active than gold.

ALWAYS use scotchbrite pads on SS guns, and scotchbrite which has NEVER been in contact with SS.

Don't take my word for it; look up "SS passivation."

Noah

6gun · Jul 21, 2014

Must have been stored where it was really damp, never seen a SP 101 rust before, can you post any pictures it would help a lot to see what's going on?, Hobbs #9 will clean up powder fouling and lead but it won't kill the rust just clean some of it off, white vinegar will kill rust by soaking, the rust will turn black then you can polish the areas back up.

If you don't kill the rust first and start rubbing it with scotch brite you could be spreading rust to other areas won't show up now but could in the future.

farley · Jul 21, 2014

Jim Luke said:
6gun said:

never store guns in a case they collect moisture.

Click to expand...

Not even close to true...

I have several guns that have been stored in cases for over 30yrs and one of them has been stored in the same case since it was given to me Christmas morning of 1970, and they look like new...not a blemish on them.

Nearly every blue gun in my safes are stored in cases to protect the blue from scratches because the guns are packed tightly and NONE of them have any rust on them. This is something that has been repeated ad naseum and is not true. There may be a few cases that this applies to, but my cases are all cheap cases and they have not damaged my guns in any way. So, as a broad statement, it is not true.

My experience is the same as yours. Many of my guns are stored in cases, some of them foam filled. Have been for years, and there's no rust on any of them.

Enigma · Jul 22, 2014

farley said:
Jim Luke said:

6gun said:

never store guns in a case they collect moisture.

Click to expand...

Not even close to true...

I have several guns that have been stored in cases for over 30yrs and one of them has been stored in the same case since it was given to me Christmas morning of 1970, and they look like new...not a blemish on them.

Nearly every blue gun in my safes are stored in cases to protect the blue from scratches because the guns are packed tightly and NONE of them have any rust on them. This is something that has been repeated ad naseum and is not true. There may be a few cases that this applies to, but my cases are all cheap cases and they have not damaged my guns in any way. So, as a broad statement, it is not true.

Click to expand...

My experience is the same as yours. Many of my guns are stored in cases, some of them foam filled. Have been for years, and there's no rust on any of them.

I have an old hardware store brand single shot shotgun that belonged to my great grandfather. I left it in a cheap case that had a simulated lambs-wool lining, and that gun turned into a pile of rust. Well, a slight exaggeration, but it did rust pretty badly. I cleaned the gun up and threw the case away. The gun wasn't much to look at anyway, but I was sick when I unzipped the case!

Tinman931 · Jul 22, 2014

Noah Zark said:
DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL OR A WIRE WHEEL, OR ANY OTHER CARBON STEEL ABRASIVE.

Such carbon steel abrasives will leave trace carbon steel particles embedded in the surface of the stainless steel components of the SP 101. The carbon steel particles WILL act as corrosion site initiators, preferentially rusting and causing pit corrosion in the stainless itself.

This is the reason why stainless steel is often "passivated" in an acid or blend of acids to remove any active carbon steel. Unpassivated 316 stainless steel is not much more corrosion resistant than carbon steel on the metals electropotential series, but when passivated, 316 is similar to platinum and palladium for corrosion resistance, only slightly more active than gold.

ALWAYS use scotchbrite pads on SS guns, and scotchbrite which has NEVER been in contact with SS.

Don't take my word for it; look up "SS passivation."

Noah

Good to know. Someone else had suggested 000 stainless wool. I was going to try that next, but will stick with the Scotch Brite. They took a lot, but not all, of it off. The rust is gone and now it is left with pitting and some black marks. Will see how much comes off, but may need to find a place to blast it at some point to completely remove it all.

6gun · Jul 22, 2014

That's why you need to use a buffer to polish out the pits, you have pits you still have rust.

Tinman931 · Jul 22, 2014

6gun said:
That's why you need to use a buffer to polish out the pits, you have pits you still have rust.

Sadly, I do not have a buffer.

Arky · Jul 23, 2014

Please pay attention to what Noah said. Carbon steel will contaminate stainless steel. Never even store stainless touching carbon steel. Rust will keep reappearing on that spot for years. The 300 series stainless has low iron content but can rust too. However most guns are made with 400 (usually 416) series stainless which has a higher iron content and is magnetic. You have to care for your stainless guns or they will rust!

6gun · Jul 23, 2014

Tinman931 said:
6gun said:

That's why you need to use a buffer to polish out the pits, you have pits you still have rust.

Click to expand...

Sadly, I do not have a buffer.

I just use my bench grinder and put a buffing wheel on it and use white or grey rouge which ever I can get, it will polish out pits and scratches very fast without doing any damage to the gun.

Help! SP 101 rust

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