Rusted dumbbells

[dchae85]

I don't mean a small amount of rust either. It looks like the rust could be the color of the dumbbell, if not for some broken segments where you can see the black iron underneath. rusted dumbbells.png I've read through some threads and it seems like sandpaper, wire brush, WD-40, Naval Jelly from LocTite, coca-cola, por-15 (?), and phosphoric acid are the common answers. I've tried the Naval Jelly twice and it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I would need a lot of cola or phosphoric acid to be able to dunk the weights in. I also don't have an oven I could put these in, they would destroy the racks. I also used WD-40 on it before I used the Naval Jelly.

[xephonics]

I don't mean a small amount of rust either. It looks like the rust could be the color of the dumbbell, if not for some broken segments where you can see the black iron underneath. Attachment 5577071 I've read through some threads and it seems like sandpaper, wire brush, WD-40, Naval Jelly from LocTite, coca-cola, por-15 (?), and phosphoric acid are the common answers. I've tried the Naval Jelly twice and it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I would need a lot of cola or phosphoric acid to be able to dunk the weights in. I also don't have an oven I could put these in, they would destroy the racks. I also used WD-40 on it before I used the Naval Jelly.

angle grinder with a wire wheel works quite well.

[My2BoysDad]

You could soak them for a few hours in a 10:1 water muriatic acid solution and you should then be able to hose off the rust with little effort.
Muriatic acid is used to clean masonry and is available in most hardware stores. Be sure to follow the instructions for safe use. Only problem may be disposal of the waste.

[AttyGuy]

Post a bigger picture. A wire wheel brush on a drill works great. There is also paint that will chemically alter (neutralize) the rust and can be painted over.

[morebarbell]

Lots of good suggestions above^^ and in old discussions.

In my opinion, the most important thing is the handles which are not shown in your photos. Are they chromed steel or bare steel? Are they rusted also? Is the chrome flaking off?

The heads look like steel slugs. The photo is too small to see detail but my guess is that they are shop made and not commercial solid steel dumbbells. The numbers look like they aren't all centered the same way. On commercial dumbbells, the steel slugs are painted black so I'd probably paint them black if I didn't want to leave them as is. I would probably scrub the heads with CLR until they are smooth, mask the handles (if they are chromed) and paint the heads with Rustoleum Rust Converter.

Edit: also remove any old paint before repainting them.

[ironwill2008]

Post a bigger picture. .

^^^^ This.

Can't tell much of anything from the pic in the attachment. Need to see the handles too.

[dchae85]

Thanks for the quick responses! Here are some more pictures. The small one was from the guy who sold them to me.

The file sizes were too large so I uploaded them to Dropbox:
dropbox.com/s/67mi0lmxmuqvaip/IMG_20130331_212505.jpg
dropbox.com/s/w2rt8g8njmqc6fq/IMG_20130331_212526.jpg
dropbox.com/s/1uk1th3ema3h80m/IMG_20130331_212540.jpg
dropbox.com/s/2ymg7cefbtgs5ly/IMG_20130331_212550.jpg
dropbox.com/s/0abguevoe3qyzr7/IMG_20130331_212615.jpg

Some of the white on the dumbbells is from when the Naval Jelly was on there too long. I used a hose on the "power wash" setting to get most of it off.

[Accutron]

I dont have experience with the liquids you put on it like naval jelly or other solutions, when I had rusty plates / thick bar I used a wire-cup brush ($5) on my corded hand-drill and removed the rust that way.

Wiped down with mineral spirits to get the rust dust off and clean the surface then I painted with Krylon satin. Some spray paints have primer and the paint built together in one can.

[morebarbell]

They appear to have been previously painted black. I suggest removing all of the old paint first. I used this stuff last time and it worked well but there are lots of other paint removers. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Citristrip...l-1qt/17209362 You could also use a wire wheel to strip the paint. A wire wheel could also be used to knock off some of the rust. But I'd follow it up with CLR and a scotch brite pad. After the surface is cleaned up. I'd hit them with black Rustoleum rust converter. I'd paint both the handles and the heads. I'd peel the stickers off before painting and either replace them with new stickers or paint the numbers white.

[dchae85]

They appear to have been previously painted black. I suggest removing all of the old paint first. I used this stuff last time and it worked well but there are lots of other paint removers. (walmart.com/ip/Citristrip-Stripping-Gel-1qt/17209362) You could also use a wire wheel to strip the paint. A wire wheel could also be used to knock off some of the rust. But I'd follow it up with CLR and a scotch brite pad. After the surface is cleaned up. I'd hit them with black Rustoleum rust converter. I'd paint both the handles and the heads. I'd peel the stickers off before painting and either replace them with new stickers or paint the numbers white.

Have you found that the Rustoleum rust reformer works better than Naval Jelly? When I used the jelly, it seemed like it didn't do much other than remove the top layer of the rust.

[morebarbell]

Have you found that the Rustoleum rust reformer works better than Naval Jelly? When I used the jelly, it seemed like it didn't do much other than remove the top layer of the rust.

They're different. Phosphoric acid in the naval jelly converts rust to black ferric phosphate. I've used it but never on weights.

I've suggested that instead of naval jelly, you might just remove the rough stuff with CLR and a scotch brite pad. Or use a wire wheel.

Rustoleum rust reformer is a primer paint for rusted metal surfaces. It looks like black primer spray paint. I don't know its chemistry. I often just use the rust reformer on its own since it looks good enough imo but you can also paint over the primer for a more durable or special finish.

[dchae85]

They're different. Phosphoric acid in the naval jelly converts rust to black ferric phosphate. I've used it but never on weights.

I've suggested that instead of naval jelly, you might just remove the rough stuff with CLR and a scotch brite pad. Or use a wire wheel.

Rustoleum rust reformer is a primer paint for rusted metal surfaces. It looks like black primer spray paint. I don't know its chemistry. I often just use the rust reformer on its own since it looks good enough imo but you can also paint over the primer for a more durable or special finish.

I could use a wire brush instead of a wheel, right? I'm probably going to go to Home Depot tomorrow to see if I can pick up CLR (which I think is the Calcium, Lime, Rust remover), scotch brite pads, rustoleum rust reformer, and some spray paint. Does the CLR and brite pads work better than using a wire wheel or wire brush?

[morebarbell]

I could use a wire brush instead of a wheel, right? I'm probably going to go to Home Depot tomorrow to see if I can pick up CLR (which I think is the Calcium, Lime, Rust remover), scotch brite pads, rustoleum rust reformer, and some spray paint. Does the CLR and brite pads work better than using a wire wheel or wire brush?

You left out chemical paint remover. You can use a wire wheel instead though. If you don't remove the old paint, the multiple layers of paint may look ugly.

You can use a brush instead of a wheel but it will require a LOT more man power. As Attyguy said, you can use a wire wheel in an electric drill. You can also buy a wire wheel for an angle grinder like xephonics said. Using a powered tool will make quick work of it. On something like an antique, I usually avoid a wire wheel because it is so aggressive. It should be fine for the dumbbells though.

CLR isn't the best rust remover but it's sometimes already under the bathroom sink. It will require scrubbing with the scotch brite pad. This would be a good follow up to smooth things out and clean the surface after the wire wheel. You could use vinegar if you can tolerate the stench. There are lots of others too. my2boysdad suggested muriatic acid which is MUCH stronger but its nasty stuff.

You don't need to scrub the steel until it's a mirror. You just need knock off the rust scale and smooth the surface before using the rust reformer to prime the metal.

[dchae85]

I used the reformer on three dumbbells so far. I used a wire cup brush with a hand drill; turns out the handles are chrome. Even using a power tool, it doesn't seem like I would be able to make it shine like a mirror. I didn't use CLR and a brite pad or vinegar after the wire wheel, but it was smooth at least. I'm going to use the CLR and a pad after using the wire wheel for the rest of them. It takes a good amount of time to try to hit every bit of the surface to at least get the surface rust off/loose. I don't have to wear a mask for this, do I? I'm doing it outside so there's a lot of air-flow, especially today since it's windy.

[Vermonter]

I'd wear glasses. Little pieces of wire fleck off from the wheel. I usually find them in my clothing afterwards.

[dchae85]

I gotta say, I was pretty surprised to see that the CLR and pad together worked pretty well. I might use the wire cup brush to get some of the heavier stuff off, brush or rinse it away, and then use the CLR after. I get away most of the rust. I'll post some pics of before and after if anyone's interested.

[AttyGuy]

Pics. Seriously. Pics.

[skrebs01]

3M makes a paint/rust stripping wheel that looks like a hard sponge. These work better for paint removal then a wire wheel.

[SoccerMuscle5]

My suggestion to you would be to soak it in a solution that fights rust and then use a steel wire brush to clean it off it works be great I had rust on mine and it got it right off.

[rthawker]

It isn't cheap but WD40 now makes a product under their specialist line called rust remover soak.

[morebarbell]

pics!

[dchae85]

Here are some before/after pics of one of the 40 pounders. I took two shots of it today, before doing anything more. Yesterday, I only took CLR and a pad to one side (the side that still had some black paint left). Today, I used the wire cup brush and rinsed it off, which is the next pic. Then I used CLR and a pad and got off most of the rust so that it finally got back some of its original color. Then I took some pics of the dumbbells I said I sprayed with the Rustoleum rust reformer and the Rustoleum gloss enamel spray. I'm going to buy some of the paint stripper that morebarbell told me about, the Citristrip. It's a bit of a pain trying to get the paint off of the handles with the wire brush and the CLR.

dropbox.com/sh/2f43dbol66x8dw1/KGT7qF2hKF

[morebarbell]

That's going to be a neat set of dumbbells.

[ProtienandIron]

3M makes a paint/rust stripping wheel that looks like a hard sponge. These work better for paint removal then a wire wheel.

I think you are talking about scotchbright. I've see the wheels in the hardware store, I might just pick a few up and give it a try on some of my stuff.

[Stasher1]

I think you are talking about scotchbright. I've see the wheels in the hardware store, I might just pick a few up and give it a try on some of my stuff.

I believe he's referring to their (3M's) unitized disks/drums/wheels that look and feel almost like a rubberized cork substance. They're available in different grits, but they're generally much finer than what you'd typically find in the scotchbrite lineup. When I was working as an aircraft structure mechanic, we'd use the little unitized drums to dress and polish the edges of panels after deburring. It would make them smooth like glass.

http://www.3m.com/product/informatio...zed-wheel.html

[ProtienandIron]

I believe he's referring to their (3M's) unitized disks/drums/wheels that look and feel almost like a rubberized cork substance. They're available in different grits, but they're generally much finer than what you'd typically find in the scotchbrite lineup. When I was working as an aircraft structure mechanic, we'd use the little unitized drums to dress and polish the edges of panels after deburring. It would make them smooth like glass.

http://www.3m.com/product/informatio...zed-wheel.html

Thanks for the info and link stasher. I suppose scotchbrite may be a bit too abrasive for bars and the like, but the stuff you linked looks perfect, I'll see if I can find it. Cheers.

[Stasher1]

Thanks for the info and link stasher. I suppose scotchbrite may be a bit too abrasive for bars and the like, but the stuff you linked looks perfect, I'll see if I can find it. Cheers.

No problem, P&I. 3M has some really cool rust/corrosion/paint removal products that are rarely seen outside of their little niche markets. The company I worked for was constantly trying out new products to see which ones worked best for removing corrosion from aluminum with the least amount of damage to the corroded part(s), so I got to try out a bunch of them. They (3M) also have some really cool little wheels with tons of little plastic fingers impregnated with abrasives that work really well for some applications.

[dchae85]

Hey, so the Rustoleum paints are doing a good job of staying on, but I was wondering when that paint smell was going to go away. Am I supposed to paint something on top of the Rust Reformer and gloss protective enamel spray paints? I'll post a picture of all of the dumbbells together once I'm done with the 60 pounders. And I haven't used the wire cup brush or the CLR on either of them yet, so I'll take some before and after pics of those and post them.

[WhoDeyKT]

Everything here and some other places led me to trying it as well. After the 2nd go around (learned some things during the first one), I documented the process. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2i_bfi9a0A. Hope it helps others with questions, let me know what ya'll think.

[tazithman]

Holy thread revival batman!