Removing rust from guides?

[bobbymalone]

I recently came across my first non snoopy fishing rod. It's one of those bright yellow eagle claw ultra lights with a spincast reel and that kinda pistol grip handle.

It would like to start using it again for panfish but there is a little rust on the guides and I figure that will fray up the line pretty quick. The guides aren't coated with rust, just little tiny spots that total up to 5-10% of the surface area.

Any ideas on how to remove the rust? I am a bit leery of using weird solvents that might eat up the epoxy on the wraps or whatever.

After I get the rust off should I try buffing them up somehow to make them smoother? Any ideas?

[SpecialK]

If it's on just the metal parts of the guides I would think you could use some super fine steel wool to clean it off there. I am not an expert though so you might wait til one of them chime in.

[upnorth]

Ditto on the steel wool, or sandpaper finishing off we some really fine stuff over 800 grit. But don't fool your self you will never get it as smooth as a ceramic style guide. They really polish those thing with some pretty fine stuff.

[bobbymalone]

Ah, I guess I should clarify, it doesn't have the metal rings with the ceramic inserts.. they are just stainless steel rings.

I agree with you UPNORTH, I'll never get it as smooth as a ceramic but I'm am also not wanting to throw cranks across the lake with it. I just want it for casting small crappie plastics or a bobber rig.

Worst case scenario, I can't get it as clean as I want and it gets formally retired to my fishing hall of fame.

[CAMAN]

It sounds like you may have chrome or nickle plated rings. Which if you sand or steel wool them too much they will rust even worse. I would take a Dremel tool with a small felt polishing tool and some very fine compound and try to clean them up. But from the sounds of it they will continue to rust.

[upnorth]

Part of the smoothness of guides is to keep from wearing/fraying your line.

But heck yeah clean them up as best you can. And the dremel with the polishing attachment if you have one is a very good idea.

[Dark Cloud]

The dremel tool is definatly the most used power tool I have... and it was the first thing I thought of when reading this...

[bobbymalone]

im gonna give it a shot with the dremel.... right after I go buy one.

needed (read: wanted) one for a while now, so i might as well just go do it.

[rushing]

Dremel is the tool for the job. Love mine.

[BorderView]

i think the Dremel (Yes I own one and love it) will be a bit too aggresive. Unless you can find a polishing, cloth post attachment and some rubbing/polishing compound. You are looking for a finish that, if you rub a Q-tip across is, will NOT catch any fuzz.

Another option. Replace the guides. Not that tough. Look to the "rod building, tacklecraft" forum

[bobbymalone]

Another option. Replace the guides. Not that tough. Look to the "rod building, tacklecraft" forum

I thought about that, but because this rod was my first "real" rod I would like to keep it stock, if ya know what i'm sayin.

[BorderView]

To "archive" the rod, I would give it an epoxy finish and hang it on the wall.

[Rodbldr4fun]

One other thing that works on rust is WD40. Its made to penetrate rust, which is why it works on tough rusted bolts. I would agree with BorderView, though. If the rod is good enough to use, the best thing to do is replace the guides. No matter how hard you try to polish the guides, the scratches are small enough not to see with the naked eye, but they are going to fray the line.