Suggestions for getting rid of severe streaking on milled steel

I have a five tiered milled steel barrister bookshelf that was rusting a lot — I managed to remove the rust with Rustoleum Jelly rust remover — BUT now there’s severe streaking all over the unit :(. I followed the instructions to a tee — the jelly was left on for 20 minutes, rinsed with water & promptly dried. I’ve tried buffing with 00 & 0000 steel wool and it’s barely making a difference at all after a LOT of elbow grease. Wondering if there’s a wipe on product that would remove the discoloration? Really don’t want to sand this and risk leaving marks since it was a beautiful flat finish before the rust popped up. Appreciate any suggestions! [IMG_2762 2](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:LaNQ:img_27622.jpg.jpg) [IMG_2764](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:Degv:img_2764.jpg.jpg)

annep

in General Discussion 2 years and 2 months ago

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justinromeu26 | 2 years and 2 months ago

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So, i am doing some mindless wood stripping right now and that has allowed me to think about your project. I have not polished a flat sheet of metal the size of what you are doing in about 5 years now. But i recall what i went through and even have the product i used. Know this, that metal looks flat but it is not. If you run an ro over it with a semi hard wood pad on it, it will it heavy in the high spots and too light in the low spots. It will make a mess. This is what i got at abbott: mirka abralon pads. They are thick pads with grit on them. I mention them above. They ride over the high and low spots in the metal and do an even job.

I would still try a buffing pad on the ro with white automotive polishing compound first though. Look at buffing attachments for sanders. Also, the make polishers that are more aggressive and if you have an angle grinder they make wheels and bonnets for that. The thing is, it may take a few passes with the c ompound but you will be less likely to mess it up.

Also, a straight sander with 1000 wet? If you ho with a straight machine, it won’t leave swirls if you tire of trying to perfect it.

justinromeu26 | 2 years and 2 months ago

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Go get a buffing attachment for the random orbital and try white auto compound first. This is what we do, we find the finest or least aggressive grit/product that will take it out and start there. After the white, use red. The auto compounds are cheap. Some of this other stuff gets pricey.

Maybe 1000 grit will do it? Maybe 1000 wet? Don’t go right to the ro with lower grits. Remember, sanding is a destructive act. The ro will put nasty swirls in it.

Also, abbot has buffing pads for the ro in like 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4k. Kits.

The linseed oil has a little yellow so it darkens the steel a bit. Like putting oil on it. You can see something is there. I am now interested in what the penetrol will do. Look, you can always take it off.

If you are into this this much and after that stain you posted the other day, you should be going into a supply house and really looking at stuff. A lot of what i know comes from years ago and is limited. Th ere is so much more out there.

Also, on myrtle ave in ft greene there is a massive art supply. They may have something. People who do metal sculpture know about this stuff.

annep | 2 years and 2 months ago

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Appreciate all of this – it’s super helpful! I do have a random orbital sander — so if it won’t leave sanding marks with the right grit progression I can definitely take a stab at sanding these out. For the finishing — do you know what the Linseed oil will look like once it’s dry? I was planning on using Penetrol and then buffing the surface with steel wool (I read about it here: https://makeitfrommetal.com/how-to-finish-bare-steel-furniture/), but Linseed oil would be much easier…

justinromeu26 | 2 years and 2 months ago

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Abbot paint on eagle st has some products that might help you. The problem will be getting good technical support there now. The new staff are not as learned as charles hoey was and if he did not know, he picked the phone up and called the manufacturer right in front of the customer. Them days are gone-

justinromeu26 | 2 years and 2 months ago

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The rustoleum jelly is phosphoric acid. I would call rustoleum and ask to speak with their product technical support team and tell them what happen and see what they say. If they do not have an answer right away, mention some of what i said above and see where it goes.

Now you have to find a way to stop the rust from coming back. Linseed oil or wax. You can use auto wax. The linseed oil might be too thick (i put it on my antique hand planes – its more of a shop product). Do you know what would look sharp, gun blue on that steel. I was going to start refinishing steel hinges and bluing them and linseed oiling them. Never got that off the ground.

As i get further into this home inspection thing, as time allows, i might begin teaching small groups about polishing, sanding, stripping, and finishing both wood and metals. Its a thought. For years people have called me and asked if i would teach them this stuff but when i am busy doing it myself, i have not the time.

justinromeu26 | 2 years and 2 months ago

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Ok, that rustoleum rust remover is probably a mild acid. So maybe try to wash it with another acid, like etching acid from and auto body supply. What i am suggesting is that the jelly etched the steel. You’ll have to try to do it uniformly.

I have to clean a lot of metals and to tell you the truth, i have been doing this for 40 years and never use these consumer products. I would have sanded that with a random orbital at 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and 2000 and it would be perfect. I would probably wet sand with the grits above starting with a wet 400 after a dry 400.

You might get this out with grits 600 onward. Or a red scotch brite pad or even white automotive compound on a auto polishing wheel.

If you don’t mind some very fine lines in the steel, consistent and covering all of it, a straight line sander with 800 on might look good. I might have an old straight line sander i can give away.

This is one of those things that takes some experimentation for even those of us who do it all the time – or several times a year (i do it mostly o n brass for door locks but have to polish the odd piece of steel).

I will check on that rustoleum product and see what it is. It might be phosphorus, sort of like the etching stain you mentioned the other day. Don’t use any agressive acids like muriatic or sulphuric, you will pit the metal.

Steve
Brownstone Home Inspection LLC