I got 5 5.56mm 840 Round Ammo Boxes for my dad’s friend, all of them have some Rust on the inside towards the bottom and on the bottom, Is there any chemical or liquid i could use to get rid of the Rust? I want to store my shotgun and AK ammo in them.
Realize when those ammo cans were made they were just production tins whipped out by the hundreds of thousands… The metal prep and painting were not up to the standards of an automobile paint job… The metal most likely had some oxidation (rust) on them before they were painted…. Then cheap enamel paint was sprayed on….. So the rust most likely was starting even before they were painted at the factory…..
Heres what to do — Go to the hardware store— Look at sand paper…. You want 220 grit black "wet" sandpaper…. Wrap that stuff around a sanding block – ask the clerk for one and they will explain what it is…..
PAY ATTENTION — You use water with this sandpaper — DO not try to sand the rust off when its dry — It works best when wet….. Wet sand it down to the metal….. When done immediately rinse and clean it out with hot water and a clean rag only…. DO NOT let the water stand inside it…. Use HOT water to rinse it off…. This will evaporate of the metal surface fast….. Wipe down and put the box in front of a fan for about an hour…. The spray metal primer on it….. Then top coat it with new Olive Drab spray paint….. Most hardware stores have this color also……
http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Cans-Olive-Drab-Camo-Army-Flat-Green-Spray-Paint_W0QQitemZ120527034271QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0ff8979f
Get some Naval Jelly at a hardware store. It dissolves rust. It is different than naval fuzz.
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Comment by mack_9 — April 5, 2010 @ 10:39 pm
If you had acces to a machine shop you could have the insides of the cans sand blasted which would remove the rust completely, then all you would have to do is paint the insides of the cans any color you want to make the repair permanent.
A slightly cheaper alternative is to purchase a can of Rustoleum paint. I can’t remeber which one is which but one of the more expensive Rustoleum paints will bond with rust and stop it in it’s tracks while providing a protective coating.
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Amature gunsmith / Avid hunter
Comment by Sam Z — April 5, 2010 @ 10:58 pm
WD-40 and some steel wool.
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Comment by Fatefinger — April 5, 2010 @ 11:33 pm
Light rust will come off with a Scotch Brite pad or steel wool. Sandpaper or a wire brush can get heavier rust off. A coat of decent spray paint will prevent more rust. I’ve tried chemicals on rust before, but they are messy and very smelly.
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Comment by The Deadliest Mushroom — April 6, 2010 @ 12:18 am
Realize when those ammo cans were made they were just production tins whipped out by the hundreds of thousands… The metal prep and painting were not up to the standards of an automobile paint job… The metal most likely had some oxidation (rust) on them before they were painted…. Then cheap enamel paint was sprayed on….. So the rust most likely was starting even before they were painted at the factory…..
Heres what to do — Go to the hardware store— Look at sand paper…. You want 220 grit black "wet" sandpaper…. Wrap that stuff around a sanding block – ask the clerk for one and they will explain what it is…..
PAY ATTENTION — You use water with this sandpaper — DO not try to sand the rust off when its dry — It works best when wet….. Wet sand it down to the metal….. When done immediately rinse and clean it out with hot water and a clean rag only…. DO NOT let the water stand inside it…. Use HOT water to rinse it off…. This will evaporate of the metal surface fast….. Wipe down and put the box in front of a fan for about an hour…. The spray metal primer on it….. Then top coat it with new Olive Drab spray paint….. Most hardware stores have this color also……
http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Cans-Olive-Drab-Camo-Army-Flat-Green-Spray-Paint_W0QQitemZ120527034271QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0ff8979f
References :
This type of sandpaper……
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/10-Wet-Dry-Sandpaper-Grits-180-2000-Silicon-Carbide_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem5638e39b97QQitemZ370321628055QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools
If you want a real nice finish do the last sanding before painting with 400 or 600 grit….
Comment by METROPOLIS1 — April 6, 2010 @ 1:03 am