Jump to content

Rust on tweezers

bojan1990

By bojan1990
in Tools & Equipment

 Share

Recommended Posts

bojan1990 Watch Enthusiast

bojan1990

Posted
Posted

Hello,

I got some really old Dumont tweezers. They had a little rust on them (only thin rust on surface). I decided to polish them with  fine sandpaper (1000) and get rid of the rust. Everything was fine, however, after a week of no usage, I noticed new surface rust, and the rust was exactly where the finger prints were left. 

Did I actually destroyed some kind of protective film on steel? Is it possible to get rid of the new formed rust and protect the tweezers from obtaining rust on their surface?

 

Thanks.

rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
Posted

There is no film on them. At least i don't think so.  Maybe you can oil them slightly and then wipe it of. But that you need to do very time you use them.  It's probably carbon steel tweezers you have? 

  • Like 1
bojan1990 Watch Enthusiast

bojan1990

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I am not sure, but these are really old tweezers, maybe 30 years old. They have INOX mark and are incredibly pleasant to work with. That is the reason I switched to them, instead of my old cheap tweezers. However, I was little disappointed when I saw the rust on them.

rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, bojan1990 said:

I am not sure, but these are really old tweezers, maybe 30 years old. They have INOX mark and are incredibly pleasant to work with. That is the reason I switched to them, instead of my old cheap tweezers. However, I was little disappointed when I saw the rust on them.

They should stand up to the rust better then the Carbon steel. Have some Inox but never seen any rust on them. ya they are black but no rust. Maybe try some vinager to remove the old rust. 

bojan1990 Watch Enthusiast

bojan1990

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Any idea how to protect them? The rust itself is not a huge problem (it appears only on spots which are in direct contact with my hands) but nevertheless I would like to get rid of it. It is interesting that the tweezers that did not have any rust on them, and which I did not polish still do not have any rust on them. That lead me to believe that I removed some kind of protective coat on them. I will try to polish them again, put little oil and wipe them a little. Maybe that would help.

ro63rto Distinguished Member

ro63rto

Posted
Posted

INOX is essentially Stainless Steel so shouldn't rust although my SS exhaust has [emoji35]

 

I've read a while back of someone masking off the inside surfaces then applying a layer of car gloss to give a bit of protection.

 

 

Willy002 New Member

Willy002

Posted
Posted

Contrary to popular belief, most stainless steels are not impervious to some amount of rusting. Your tweezers most certainly DID have a coating on them in the form of what is known as passivation.  In sanding them, you have removed that protective layer of oxide built up over many years, exposing them to the acids in your skin. 

bojan1990 Watch Enthusiast

bojan1990

Posted
  • Author
Posted

That is what I was afraid of. Because the other pair of tweezers I did not polish (because it did not have rust) did not developed rust after working with. These pairs that I polished developed rust along the finger prints I left on them.

I polished them again and put little oil on them. Waiting to see what happens and I get rust again.

canthus Super WRT Addict

canthus

Posted
Posted

There are rust convertors in auto shops which convert the rust to a stable ferrous compound but often the result is the old rust is turned black.   Most decent quality diesel/petrol engine oils have a high level of metal passifiers (iron, copper aluminium etc) to protect the various engine parts.  You could try soaking the tweezers in some engine oil (maybe warm it up a bit) for a couple of days.  Should then be able to wipe clean with a bit of lighter fuel/IPA to remove oil residue. Watch oils and the like will have passifiers but the levels are unlikely to be as high as an engine oil.  You could follow up with a polish with furniture wax which would leave a very thin extra seal, especially in the rust micro-pitting.  Cheap and cheerful so worth a try maybe!

Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

Posted
Posted

I suggest mirror polishing them and then cleaning well with acetone. Finally, seal with either spray on clear coat or do what we do on cast iron wood working machine beds- car wax. You can’t run exotic wood over an oily slab of iron...

roughening them with 1000 grit opens up the surface to more oxidation. There are also ways to accelerate the passivation that I don’t know, but I’m sure google knows. Probably heat, humidity and an acid like lemon juice. 

Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

Posted
Posted

Stainless cases are typically 316 stainless which is resistant to many chemicals. It can “haze” after a few decades but literally a wipe with sunshine cloth and it’s right back again. 

Some “base metal” cases are brass (of unknown grade) plated with chromium. You can generally tell these as the back is slightly grayer than the Case, as pure chrome is whiter than 316. Backs are pretty much always 316 on “stainless back” watches. 

I don’t like chrome plated cases since you can’t do anything with them. Any work and the plating is gone. Replating is an option if you have a source for it. I just avoid them other than as parts donors. 

bojan1990 Watch Enthusiast

bojan1990

Posted
  • Author
Posted

So far, I do not have problem with corrosion on tweezers. As I said, I polished them with sandpaper 1000, put little oil on them (some oil I use for my bicycle) and remove the excess oil with soft cloth. We will see if that helps on long run.

Btw, my hands sweat like a hell. 

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • tonydagee
      Calendar work certina 25-651

      By tonydagee · Posted

      Hello all, just disassembling to service, but I can’t figure out the working of the calendar work…it’s not operational the jumper and spring are ok, but the operation of the driving wheel has me at a loss. I can’t see a cam to drive anything. Is something damaged or missing? Help please!
    • tIB
      Unusual Seiko dial damage

      By tIB · Posted

      Believe the relume (not a fan) was done a long time after the damage. 
    • Malocchio
      Unusual Seiko dial damage

      By Malocchio · Posted

      I can only think of some chemical reaction to reluming
    • nickelsilver
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By nickelsilver · Posted

      I have a little milling attachment for my WW lathe, but very rarely use it and not for wheel and pinion cutting. For that I use a small Sixis 101 milling machine. I normally do direct dividing, but sometimes have to do an odd count and use the universal index which also fits on the Sixis.   Back in the day when I didn't have a mill, I would cut gearing on my Schaublin 102. It has a universal dividing attachment which fits the back of the spindle. Both it and the one for the Sixis are 60:1 ratio, and with the set of 4  index plates I can do almost any division. When I've had to do a strange high count prime number, I print a disc with the needed division and just place the plunger on the dot. Any position error is reduced by a factor of 60 so still plenty accurate.   The machines are a mess in the pics as I'm in the process of making a batch of barrels for a wristwatch 🙃.   This is the Sixis. The head can also be placed vertically, as can the dividing spindle.   Dividing plates. The smaller ones fit another dividing spindle.   Universal divider for the Sixis. I put it together with parts from an odd Sixis spindle that takes w20 collets, like the Schaublin 102, and a dividing attachment from a Schaublin mill.     The dividing attachment for the 102. The gear fits in place of the handwheel at the back of the headstock.   And the little milling attachment for the WW lathe. I just set it on the slide rest to illustrate the size, you can see from the dust on it it really doesn't get used much. I think only when I change bearing in the head, to kiss the collet head seat (grinding wheel still in the milling attachment).
    • SidKop
      Opinions on Seiko's 4R and 6R movement quality from those more able to judge

      By SidKop · Posted

      I read a lot about the quality (or lack thereof) of Seiko's 4R, 6R, 8L  movements...or more specifically the lack of regulation from the factory. Especially when compared to similar priced manufactures using SW200's or ETA's. I thought I'd ask those more in the know, do the 4R's and 6R's deserve their bad reputation, is it fairly easy for someone with minimal skills (or better yet a trained watch mechanic) to dial in these movements to a more acceptable performance.    For background I spent more on a 1861 Speedy years ago, expecting that the advertised 0-15s/d  would probably perform more like 5-7s/d. In reality it's been closed to 2-4s/d. 
×
×
  • Create New...