Dealing with rust

[trainsnwine]

As I've mentioned already in this forum, I am restoring my old Marx train set.   Over time (hey, it's nearly 50 years old) rust has developed on the inside of some of the wheels and axles.   Any recommendations as to what kind of cleaners and tools I should use? 

[8ntruck]

Welcome to the forum.  Lots of good advice is available here.

I recently cleaned up a friend's postwar Marx train.  The wheels and trucks had some light rust.  I used a Dremel tool with a brass wire brush to remove it.  If you go this route, remember to wear your eye protection and to keep your fingers out of harm's way.

This set was led by a 666 locomotive.  I enjoyed it so much, I went shopping on ebay to get one for myself.

Good luck.

[cwburfle]

I am surprised you had good results with a brass wire brush.
Brass brushes will often deposit brass on whatever you are trying to clean.
Steel brushes can also leave very obvious, teltale marks on blackened objects, such as wheels.

I usually use a steel brush, with very light pressure.
I've also tried non-metalic brushes. They will remove loose stuff, but not much more.

[ivesboy]

Tumble polishing works best. Buy a rock tumbler and shop for some tumbling media such as crushed corn cob. Leaves no signs its been done, no swirls, but it does usually look too good. Doesnt restore the machined look to the parts. But aside from re plating, or blackening, it is the best option.

[cwburfle]

ivesboy

Tumble polishing works best. Buy a rock tumbler and shop for some tumbling media such as crushed corn cob. Leaves no signs its been done, no swirls, but it does usually look too good. Doesnt restore the machined look to the parts. But aside from re plating, or blackening, it is the best option.

How long do you polish?
I have a vibratory tumbler that is typically used for shells (bullets). I tried using corn cobs with Flitz polish, and found it was too mild for what I was trying to do.
I typically use crushed walnut shells with Flitz. It works fairly well, but I find I have to be careful not to use too much Flitz. Otherwise it builds up on the parts, and actually prevents the cleaning / polishing.
I also use abrasive pyramids for really rusty stuff. I purchased them from Eastwood Automotive.
The pyramids work well, with a few cautions:
They are very aggressive, so zamac parts cannot be polished.
The parts need to be checked often
The polisher is very noisy when the pyramids are loaded. I put my polisher out in the garage when I am using them

[nickaix]

cwburfle

I am surprised you had good results with a brass wire brush.
Brass brushes will often deposit brass on whatever you are trying to clean.
Steel brushes can also leave very obvious, teltale marks on blackened objects, such as wheels.

 

It is not hard to restore the blackened finish on wheels, etc. Get some gun blue, and follow directions. Just be sure to thoroughly wash the part after you have blackened it. The bluing will itself cause rust if it is left on indefinitely.

However, if the rust is not in an obvious place, I will often just cover the part in WD-40 and hope!  So far, this has worked for me, or at least it has not obviously failed: I don't see the rust getting worse. 

[wallyworld]

 I used a very fine steel wool with electrical contact cleaner used sparingly. I am thinking about having some of the freight car wheels chromed, but haven't decided whether this Improvement would stand out too much, so then I began thinking of taking a "basket case" and redoing a whole car as an experiment, if I only could lithograph!

At one time I was mulling over the idea to produce tin plate kits with slot and tab construction, which still seems like an interesting concept, comparative in cost to a "as new" used piece, make houses or gas stations etc...but the financial risk seemed too "out there" to move forward.Good luck with your project.