How to remove rust from stainless steel

Rust on the surface of stainless steel is often caused by contamination with a regular steel. Not only will these particles of steel leave an undesirable ‘red rust’ feature on the surface, but this can then be a site for subsequent pitting corrosion. Therefore, the easiest way to remove the rust is to remove the ‘iron oxide’ from the corroded steel. A number of proprietary solutions are available based upon either phosphoric or acetic acid – as stainless steel is quite resistant to mild solutions of these acids, whereas the corroded carbon or low alloy steel is not. In cases of gross rust contamination, mechanical techniques such as grinding, abrading or shot blasting may be required, but these will obviously remove more metal and impact upon the visual appearance.

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