A New Look for a Rusty Classic
When working to restore a classic your goal should be to remove the rust while retaining the character. Your aim should be to impose as little as possible, doing the minimum needed just to make the item serviceable. Avoid making irreversible changes to remove rust or paint ' i.e. sandblasting or grinding its surface. Such a strong approach tends to eradicate signs of the item's age destroying its character, as well as its dollar and historical value.
Before getting to work, do a bit of research. Take a few photographs to spread to antique dealers. Professionals and avid enthusiasts may provide insight into the age and even the original look of an item.
For a given item ' an old chair, for instance ' you may choose to little, opting simply to use a wire brush to scour away bits of rust from behind leg supports and under the seat. You can use this approach for any restoration and rust removal job. A kitchen scouring pad, emery cloth or wire brush should be used just remember to be gentle.
Go for a wire brush or sandpaper only for the removal of flaking rust. If the rust is on the surface and is stable, aim for treatment that doesn't leave rust on you or the floor. Seal it with a light coat of paste wax or clear acrylic for the metal. Automotive wax and other silicone based products make painting difficult, so you should avoid these.
If no antique value exists, you can be much more forceful with the rusty steel. Using a wire brush, scrub and scour away the rust and loose paint. Next, thoroughly sand the surface with aluminum-oxide sandpaper. This will remove any remaining rust and scrape away paint bonded to the metal. Then, dampen a cloth with mineral spirits and rub down the metal. The chair is paint ready when the cloth has cleared all debris.
Apply a coat of alkyd primer to bare metal and paint surfaces containing scratches. Finally, a top coat should be applied that matches the primer. Don't overwork the paint. Stop when you're left with a smooth coating.
