In article , Carl West
wrote:

Tom Gardner wrote:

You are so screwed!....sorry...

In the scan it looks pitted. not so in reality. I just want to darken
the rust and rub out what I can.

Hmmm... I seem to recall something about boiling rusted items in plain
water to turn the oxides black. Ring a bell anyone?


Are the stains oxidation or from the leather? Maybe a cleaner like 409 for
stain or muratic or HCl for rust.
in a pinch try "Lime Away", it's oxacylic acid. Maybe a little Kroil or
WD-40? Can you ruin the rest of it to match evenly?

I'm considering a quick re-etch with tomato ketchup.
It has worked well on my own work, gave good color, it's cheap, it
pretty much stays in place, fairly safe. (just don't get it on your food)

Try Flitz.
It is a rubbing compund for polishing, but works very well on things
like guns and knives.
It works well on guns because it will remove surface rust without
damaging the bluing.

Most gun stores sell it as well as most hardware stores.
It comes in a little toothpaste type tube.