Rusty screws

[SteveK]

What's the best way to clean off lightly rusted screws? I have a slew of them from a bunch of used trucks I bought over the last year or so, figured I would take a shot at rescuing them before placing and order with McMaster. The ball studs are just a lot cause, it's not worth the time and sore fingers to try and rescue them.

I let them soak in PB Blaster last night for a little while, then rinsed them with acetone, seemed to help but they didn't look much better this morning (just cleaner). They are soaking in a pill bottle full of WD-40 right now, I figure I'll let that sit for a day or two.

[soniccj5]

I have had very good luck with WD-40.

ED

[jwscab]

for both the balls and screws, if you can chuck 'em in a drill, you can spin them up and use some scotchbrite/abrasive pad. that will shine them up really nice, but will remove the black oxide coating(if there is any left). after than you can oil them up, or look into a black oxide or gun bluing kit to restore the finish. I usually just oil them up, especially the ball studs. I have a slew of stainless hardware so i usually switch everything over than I can, and save the black hardware in case i need it, or for places I don't have a replacement.

they don't have to be dripping with oil either, just stick some oil on a paper towel and roll the part into the oil, and wipe off the excess. I have a small bottle of mineral oil I use. If they sit a long time, it's wise to reapply.

[trey]

I soaked mine in Coke for a day. Rinse and they are done

[SteveK]

Thanks for the input guys. Looking at the prices the ball studs may be worth saving, I hit a couple with a couple different Dremel polishing wheels, it seems to work. The only problem is that reduces the diameter of the ball, and can marr the surface, so even when you polish them they might not be smooth.

I ordered a bunch of M3 hardware for my Tamiya cars last summer, to replace all those stupid self-tapping screws, and a bag of 100 of most sizes is $10 or less from McMaster Carr. And they are black steel, look just like the standard Associated hardware. Replacements won't be a problem, but if I can save the stuff I've got without too much hassle it's worth a try.

I have heard about Coke, amry mechanics using it for degreasing parts and things. I've also heard you can leave a nail in a bowl of it and in a couple of days the nail is gone...

[scr8p]

i always clean up ball studs as long as they're just rusty. not if they had been installed or remover with a pair of pliers. those get tossed. i hit them with a soft wire wheel on the dremel. screws, i just buy new.

[jwscab]

yep, the phosphoric acid in coke works well. just like navel jelly or rust-mort, any of the rust converters, just much lower concentration.

the scotchbrite on the balls links works in like 2 secs, I use it to polish hinge pins, screws, ball links, shock bodies, it's a great polishing method. doesn't appreciably change the dimension of the part unless you really lean on it.

[SteveK]

So which Scotchbrite am I looking for? I have the green one in my kitchen, gave it a try last night but it didn't seem to do much. I've been using these in my Dremel for about a year now, I love them:
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=512E
I used them on a couple of the balls, cut the stuff of nicely, but I didn't try giving them a final polish, or try snapping a rod end onto them. Those Dremel wheels are great for rounding over the edges of cut fiberglass too, almost polishes it.

The ball studs have some crud/rust around the hex and base area, but the threads and ball are OK. Those things are expensive! Outside of the set with the studs, nuts, and rod ends I've never actually bought any outside of the ones that came in kits. I like those cheap Traxxas rod ends, wherever they fit. They never seemed to have the range of motion of the regular ball studs, so the only place I don't use them is on the steering links of off-road cars.

www.servocity.com has those nice 'Rocket City' heim joints for $1 a piece. Not sure about the range of motion, but they are beefy and look great, and you can use a shorter tie rod with them.

[SteveK]

i always clean up ball studs as long as they're just rusty. not if they had been installed or remover with a pair of pliers. those get tossed. i hit them with a soft wire wheel on the dremel. screws, i just buy new.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but all of these seem pretty good. I completed my set of nice Wiha nut and Allen drivers a while ago, cheap and very good quality (handles are a bit small and sharp though), but the 3/16" nut driver isn't deep enough to clear the ball and reach the hex! Thankfully I have 8 or 10 of those wrenches Tamiya includes in their kids. The HPI version is also really nice, and has a slot that fits the small Associated rod ends
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXN457&P=7

[jwscab]

I have some red(burgundy?)-coarse and green-medium, and there is also gray-fine. I use the green mostly, since it's what I have immediately on hand.

the trick is to stick the ball link in a drill chuck and spin them up. spin the part up, and pinch the scotchbrite around the part, just don't pinch too hard so as to hurt yourself or get the abrasive stuck in the chuck. the hexes and what not will tear up the scotchbrite a bunch, but it polishes the part.

those dremel things you posted look pretty neat. look like they would work well.

[SteveK]

Kitchen aisle, hardware store? I have the green kitchen kind, only now I need a new one for the kitchen...

Sometimes I put a couple of plain nuts on the threads, to give the chuck something to grab into.

The Dremel abrasive buffs are great, and the EZ Lock shaft is really handy.One face of the cut-off wheel for it is covered in paint though, so it doesn't work that well when you are cutting deep.

[SteveK]

Left the screws in WD40 for a few days, seemed to work pretty well. I think I'm going to give the rest a bath in motor spray and let them soak too. I didn't know you can get WD40 in jugs! LOL

[skunk.werkz]

purple power degreaser for a couple days should clean up alot

[SteveK]

purple power degreaser for a couple days should clean up alot

Shoot, I actually have a big jug of that, next to the big jug of Simple Green and the big jug of Greased Lightning. I didn't use them because I thought they might strip the black coating off, but if they won't then I'll give some of that a go. I know motor spray will clean them but that shizzle's expensive now.

I bought the Purple Power several years ago to strip acrylic model car paint, and I bought the Greased Lighting last year after seeing this:
http://forums.thetoyz.com/index.php?showtopic=2539
I have one pair of gold 1.32 shocks and one pair of blue 1.02 shocks, and that ain't gonna work...

Would the Purple Power affect the coating on the Team shocks? What about the idler and diff gears? It's OK on bearings too I assume (I have an RPM Bearing Blaster to flush them out but always soak them in a pill bottle of Power Shot first)?

Ever since I melted the hood of a model car with Goof Off when I was a kid I've always asked a million questions about chemicals; I'd rather use nothing than permanently damage something (or injure myself).

[PBR Allstar]

Steve,
for the record, Fastener Express is much cheaper than Mcmaster Carr for 4-40 hardware