2.26.2011

Project: Rust Removal...

When we moved over from Atlanta, all our items went into storage for many months. While moving in to our new place {which we are renting while we still have our other rented abode in Atlanta}, we found that our locker had started to rust on the front, so one of our first projects after we moved in was to get our locker back to its original state before any more rust formed {before on the left, after on the right}.

I wasn’t exactly sure how to do this so I asked my boss at work, Brandino Brass, how fix it. He told me to get Scotch Brite Heavy Duty scour pads and scrub/sand the whole locker down, then clean it off, and put on a coat of wax. 

Sanding was a tough job by hand and took a lot of elbow grease so I got out my sander {which I got as a wedding present – love it!}. I had to be very careful when sanding with the sander to keep the same pattern and not to press down too hard. After I sanded all the rust of, I wiped down the locker with a wet towel and then dried it off.

Once dry, I used the scour pad in a circular motion all on the front on the locker to give more of a sheen. You can see in the picture below the top of the locker has been done by hand and the bottom part has been sanded by the sander. After sanding the front again and cleaning it off I applied a coat of wax and buffed it off {leaving it as smooth as butter}. The after may be better than when we first got it!

8 comments:

Mommy Harris said...

wow that was some serious rust. awesome after though!

Miranda said...

As a rust LOVER, I must admit I was dismayed by this post's title. That said, though, the end result is lovely.

1 Funky Woman said...

I think all that elbow grease you put into this really paid off. It really turned out well. So going to keep these tips in my back pocket in case I ever have to remove rust!

ejlynn said...

Nice!!

Anonymous said...

WOW! great job!
L.d

Corie Drane said...

I love Scotch Brite! One of the best commercial products in the market ever. Hehe! Can I also do this to other rust prone objects? I already planned cleaning our house this coming weekend, though I still don't know which supplies to use. My husband just left for a business trip and I'm all alone in our NYC apartment.

paula said...

looks wonderful!

Tamara, Bella Boho said...

What a great piece!