How can I completely remove rust from steel before I paint it?

HOME MADE Steps: 1… Get a square sheet of aluminum foil. 2… Crumpled the piece of aluminum foil and dip in Coca Cola 3… Crumple the foil into a ball with the shiny side out. 4… Rub the rusted area vigorously until the rust comes off. 5… Repeat steps if necessary. http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/rust/rust.html Sand paper and steel wool will also remove rust Another technique for removing rust is etching with Phosphoric Acid. Phosphoric Acid has a unique property of dissolving iron oxide quickly while etching iron very slowly. The acid will attack bare metal slowly and will start the process of hydrogen embrittlement, so use the minimum etch time that removes all rust. Auto body shops treat metal with acid metal wash, a solution of Phosphoric Acid and alcohol before painting. This removes waxes and oils, removes slight amounts of rust that form between sand blasting and painting, and leaves a thin protective coat of iron phosphate. One commercial solution for this is DuPont Quick-Prep. Sherwin Williams has a similar product called Metal Prep. http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/metal_prep.html RUST REMOVAL: The surface must be cleaned of all loose and flaking rust and paint. SANDBLASTING: Sandblasting is the easiest, quickest way to remove old paint and rust from metal. Compressed air at high pressure is used to blow fine sand or other abrasive material through a hardened spray nozzle and quickly "blasts" away whatever the blast material hits. Sandblasting is ideal for deeply carved wood, metal or brick surfaces, ornamental iron work and hard to reach areas. Small handheld units are available for small jobs like tools, wrought iron handrails, outdoor furniture etc., a compressor is required which you can rent from a local tool rental supply company. WIRE BRUSHING, SANDING: Use a hand brush or a wire wheel brush and drill. Normally a few quick passes will remove the loose material. If the surface is to be finished in a smooth painted finish then the wire brushing should be followed up with a complete sanding until it is smooth and free of defects. Normally a rough sanding with 80 grit sandpaper followed by a smooth sanding with 120 grit does an adequate job. Holes, cracks etc should be filled first with an auto body filler material if you are going for a top quality finish. Wrought iron handrails, lawn and garden equipment etc normally do not require a really fine finish whereas a bicycle, patio table, metal door and the like would. CHEMICAL REMOVAL: Acid or strong alkaline materials which dissolve rust. These products work well but must be used with extreme caution due to the chemical nature of the products, they are ideal for large areas like metal roofs and buildings. RUST CONVERSION: Organic Rust Converters. These products convert rust to harmless chemical compounds and deposit on the surface a protective film that protects against rust. Pros...No serious wire brushing or sanding is required, these products actually need a rusty surface in order for them to work properly. Water Base, Easy to apply, non-flammable. Rust Converters are ideal for ornamental iron and other areas where wire brushing and sanding is difficult or the surface is not easily accessible. They not only convert existing rust to an inert organic surface but also deposit a rust inhibiting polymer on the surface which does not require finish paints or coatings, this is the ideal treatment for ease of use with minimum surface prep required. Cons...The downside to rust converters is they are thicker than normal coatings and tend to leave a high build, rather "ropey" looking finish, (looks like paint would with a lot of brush marks). This would not be a problem on wrought iron or any other surface where a super smooth finish is desired. CLEANING: Next the surface must be cleaned and degreased, paints and coatings do not bond well to dirty or greasy surfaces. A washing with a strong detergent followed by a through rinsing is required. The light "flash rust" that appears after washing can be removed with a cloth dampened with paint thinner or one of the commercial "surface prep" materials available. At this point you can coat the metal with a simple oil or grease like WD-40, a good application for something like gardening or hand tools. Painted items should be primed with a rust inhibiting primer and finished with two coats of a quality exterior enamel. Spraying is quite acceptable but I strongly recommend that the primer be brushed or sprayed and worked into the surface with a brush while still wet. Spray painting alone will not get the paint down into tiny pinholes and crevices but will only "bridge" these areas resulting in premature failure as the moisture and oxygen will attack the exposed steel. Modern paint chemistry now allows water base paints to be produced which have fantastic rust inhibiting properties and I highly recommend them over solvent base. Besides being low odour and easy to cleanup, an added advantage to water base paints is their ability to melt in with any trapped moisture which may not be visible to the naked eye. These coatings will force the moisture up to the surface and replace it with rust proof chemicals that seal the surface off. You will see rust looking spots in your dried primer but do not be concerned; most can be wiped off with a cloth as it is nothing more than rusty moisture that has been forced to the surface.

Go with the 3 steps from KBS. We've used their rust prevention & repair products successfully ourselves. Great company to deal with.

i use a steel brush wheel on a drill, and sand paper. it does work and it will shine.

I would try CLR. If not then steel wool will remove most, if not all.

You'll have to sand down the surface and then use a rust remover product on it. You must use an undercoat paint that is specifically formulated for steel and that has anti rust properties. Afterwards you can paint it with normal paint.

the vary nature of steel means that u will never remove all the moisture surrounding it and thus the rust as it reacts with the air. however there is a product which will prvent the moisture pentrating to the steel and u can paint over it. it is used widely by commercial building and steel fabricators. it is GALVAFROID Zinc Coating. http://www.wrmeadows.com/wrm00040.htm from this link u will have enough info to order some from ur lock hardware store.

You can steel brush it... There is a product called rust reformer that works very well to recoat and protect the steel from future damage.

If small item then use emery paper followed by kerosene wash, allow dr for some time then do paint. If larger and hard items then shot basting is to be done for rust removal

try rubbing it with sand paper... it will work... just need more time and effort... gd luck