What is the best way to remove rust from a FP clip, bought from flea market, attempting to identify, clip rusty,best methods to get it off and keep it off?

I bought something the other day out of a hobby shop for £3.99, called a glass fibre brush pen, you can also get them as brass wire pens (I think that they would be a bit too abrasive). Basically it is hundreds of very fine threads bunched together and like a propelling pencil, you twist the end to show the brush. It is very abrasive but quite fine because the fibres are so close together. The amount you rub off, is then down to the hand pressure you use, very, very light pressure, has quickly and effectively removed some scratch marks from pens, whilst retaining their original shape.

Under magnifying it allows you to see exactly where you are removing, whatever, very precisely. Well it works for me, who is very new to this sort of thing, and every day seem to be learning something differant.

Hopefully some one more knowledgable will have a view, about the whys and wherefores of this tool. The dangers inherant in it's use, and if the glass fibres themselves can adversely re-act with certain pen materials.

All the best,
et

I would focus on the final problem of keeping rust from recurring. I would be interested to hear others' solutions to this dilemma. I have a Commando with surface rust on the clip, but I've left it alone since I don't have a way to prevent it from occurring anew.

The age-old problem -- I don't think there is a way to keep steel from rusting, other than hiding it from oxygen and humidity (oil, paint, plating, etc.), or covering it with a sacrificial-anode type of plating (e.g. zinc).

The problem with leaving surface rust in place is that it leads to pitting under the deposits -- it's better to remove the rust as it occurs. One possibility is a non-abrasive chemical polish like TarniShield (which is sold for use on brass and copper, but does work on steel, albeit more slowly).

-- Brian

Hi,
I've manage to fix these problems by developing a brush on plating solution that is also a rust remover.
it works beautifully on all ferrous bases, renovating the plating and removing scratches. It can be overcoated as many times as required to build up a thick layer.
I don't have a rusty nail in my workshop! I've even done the kitchen sink to a mirror finish even after 30 years of scratches.
My favourite is zinc/cobalt that gives a deep bright blue/grey shine slightly darker than chrome, but i can also can do it in nickel or chrome.
If you would like to try some email me
regards,
Gordon
GTateUK@aol.com

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