[How-To] Help with Rust - Vice Restoration

[djisabella]

Hi, I'm a complete novice and I'm trying my hand at restoring an old vice. I'm having issues restoring the non-painted parts (shown below). I started to clean off the old rust by taking a wire wheel to it and then soaking it overnight in evapo rust. I then dried the parts by hand, cleaned them with brake cleaner, applied Brownell 40/40 Instant Gun Blue in multiple applications (applying, letting dry, wiping off, reapplying), and then applied a light coating of oil over the parts. I've done this entire process twice over and rust starts to form overnight. I like the "blue" look, but at this point I've given up on then aesthetics and just want to do something that will be effective at preventing rust. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in mind I have limited tools, so heating with a torch and dunking in oil isn't a great option for me. Thank you very much.

 

[markba633csi]

I guess you could just paint the handle pieces, excepting the threaded parts which can be slathered with oil.
You could also try some Boeshield or WD-40 rust preventative
Any unprotected steel will start to rust eventually- faster in humid climates
-Mark

 

[FOMOGO]

Clean it, and spray with acrylic clear coat (handle only). You can buy it at your local hardware store. Mike

 

[benmychree]

Nitrate bluing would protect the parts from rust, you might look for someone who does it; it involves cleaning the parts (again), coating with light oil and dunking them in a pot of melted nitrate salts at 600F, quenching in warm water, soaking in boiling water to remove the salts, then dipping in hot oil; this is the US Armory method of bluing gun parts.

 

[brino]

Hi @djisabella

I agree with Neil Young......Rust never sleeps!

I know that local weather conditions can have a huge affect on how fast something rusts.
However, I also wonder is incomplete rust removal may be part of your problem.

I imagine a microscopically rough surface with rust and the wire brush only removing the top surface.

I would think that the evap-o-rust soak would get into all the nooks and crannies.
Did you agitate it? is the fluid too old/used-up?

I did my vise with electrolysis. Here:
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...74-double-swivel-bench-vise.58849/post-484817
It may sound difficult, but it is cheap, easy and effective.
You know it's done when the bubbling stops.
After that process, I used wire brushes to get the rest of the rust and old paint, and dried the parts thoroughly under a heat lamp.

I did use a surface protectant on the unpainted surfaces, a wax-based one meant for things like table saw tops:
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...e-table-and-tool-surface-sealant?item=56Z4410
That works well for me. It does need to be re-applied if/when you see little rust spots starting.

Good Luck! and please let us know what you do and how it works.

-brino

btw: I have yet to find a purpose for WD-40; it is not a great lubricant, it is not a good protectant, it is a barely passable cutting oil for aluminum, but there are better, cheaper and less smelly alternatives for that (like low-odour lamp oil).

 

[Firstram]

What vise is it, post some pictures! That handle is in great shape and should clean up nicely. Electrolysis for the win as mentioned above, NEVER put stainless in the tank though.

 

[Canus]

Are you following the directions that come with the 44-40? Most cold bluing chemicals require a thorough cleaning with hot water to remove the bluing chemicals from the blued part before drying and lubrication. I made this mistake before and had the same results you are getting.