How to remove rust and sweat marks on equipment

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SimonT181
SimonT181 Posts: 49 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So the other week I did a 45 min workout on my wife's elliptical trainer and wiped it down with a Clorox wipe but I must have missed a spot. 2 weeks later there is a funny stain on the metal that looks like something ran down it and there is a tiny spot of rust. The arms are coated but I guess I must sweat acid or have a lot of salt in my sweat.

Any ideas how to clean it and also how to protect and clean it , looking at maybe a silicone spray or something to protect the metal but I have been banned from using it until I fix it :-0

Replies

  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
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    Clorox (bleach) is corrosive on metals, even stainless steel.
    Your best bet would be to get a bit of steel wool and polish it lightly (I mean LIGHTLY) to remove the rust area. Go slow.
    Then, coat with a bit of silicon spray and find different non-corrosive disinfectant wipe.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    WD40 or any sort of light oil is really good for preventing rust.

    For rust removal it depends but the above suggestion of some fine steel wool is pretty good. Test it somewhere non-visible first to see how it reacts, you can scratch the hell out of a nice shiny/chrome surface easily.
  • SimonT181
    SimonT181 Posts: 49 Member
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    Thanks for the recommendations , What are the wipe downs used in gyms or what could I use to wipe down the machine after a workout. Liked the wipes as it was a case of pull one out wipe and throw it away. Don't like to use my towel as its covered in sweat.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    water and a mild soap work perfectly fine. Put water/soap solution in spray bottle, use paper towel.

    Much cheaper and less destructive than clorox wipes. Or you could use any number of wipes available on the market that don't contain bleach or other harsh chemicals.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,404 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I use Lysol disinfecting wipes.

    Also there is this:
    http://www.ehow.com/how_6071527_homemade-disinfectant-workout-apparatus.html
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Steel wool.

    On that note, I've been building a garage gym and some of the Craigslisted equipment I've bought is rusty as all get out. With my trusty 30 year old drill and a wire brush attachment I can clean most all that rust off and retouch with spray paint.
  • SimonT181
    SimonT181 Posts: 49 Member
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    Thanks for the replies @nakedraygun weights cleaned up while saw you get some great deals on CL and from good will. A little bit of hard work got them looking brand new.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    nakedraygun wrote: »
    Steel wool.

    On that note, I've been building a garage gym and some of the Craigslisted equipment I've bought is rusty as all get out. With my trusty 30 year old drill and a wire brush attachment I can clean most all that rust off and retouch with spray paint.

    Use a die grinder, much faster work!
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited September 2015
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    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Use a die grinder, much faster work!
    What is this strange witchcraft which you speak of?

    I do have a small, drill-mounted, grinder wheel, but it does remove more than rust and paint. The wire brush seems to work just fine for -- which it seems -- for pretty light surface rust.

    It does seem however, that some of the new spray-paint is rubbing off in areas on the plates that I've repainted. Other than powder-coating, do you know of way to better bind the spray paint? I did only two layers, perhaps more?
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    nakedraygun wrote: »
    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Use a die grinder, much faster work!
    What is this strange witchcraft which you speak of?

    I do have a small, drill-mounted, grinder wheel, but it does remove more than rust and paint. The wire brush seems to work just fine for -- which it seems -- for pretty light surface rust.

    It does seem however, that some of the new spray-paint is rubbing off in areas on the plates that I've repainted. Other than powder-coating, do you know of way to better bind the spray paint? I did only two layers, perhaps more?

    Wow that one is expensive but yeah, they are handy for stuff like this. They spin at three billion RPM and shoot the little wires off of the wire wheel at 900mph into your face which is also nice. But they take paint and rust (and skin) off instantly. I do a lot of metalworking/welding so they are invaluable for me.

    Painting metal to last is all about the prep work.

    1) Get the metal down to bare, bright metal. Sand it a bit to roughen it up if needed. Smooth mirror-finish metal will not hold paint well.
    b) CLEAN it. Acetone, rubbing alcohol, whatever. Clean until there is nothing on the cloth.
    III) Some sort of etching agent or self-etching primer will help immensely. It's pretty self-explanatory, it etches the metal and really allows for good adhesion.
    5) Since the plates rub against each other you're gonna need thick paint. 5-10 coats of color and clearcoat will help. However:

    IDEALLY as you mentioned, something truly strong like powdercoat or gun finishes like Cerakote or Duracoat (or similar) is best. These are expensive and the best ones require heat treatment to cure and such though. Depends on how much work and money you want to put in.

    Alternatively, a GOOD (read: expensive) clearcoat will help protect the paint. They ain't cheap and you better use them outside or you will burn off half of your brain cells. But stuff like this:

    http://permalac.com/html/Metal.html
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043B7UQY

    As I mentioned, not cheap but it's your best bet. Stuff like this is designed to withstand repeated abrasion and wear.

    Unfortunately this all adds up to time and money but that's what it takes to get something that lasts. This is also why all of my plates are rusty and worn. Because I can't be bothered to refinish 2000lbs of plates.

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