Removeing rust from s. steel

[da bees]

I bought a non-working pressure washer at auction. Everything inside appears in perfect condition other than what looks like rust stains where the seats and valves contact one another. The valves and seats are stainless steel but they were stuck togeather. They were easy to seperate with my thumb nail. Only ideas that come to mind is buffing with cotton wheel and rouge or trying the soda in water plus battery charger procedure I read about here. Any ideas to clean them with less damage or do you see $160 valve kit as the best?

 

[MarkB_MI]

Ospho will remove rust from stainless steel. I would use a scotchbrite pad and Ospho. Rinse the Ospho off before it dries so you don't end up with a phosphate layer on the parts.

If you don't have any Ospho handy, you can use any cleaner (such as the Works) that contains phosphoric acid. I imagine even Coca-Cola would work.

 

[GordoSD]

000 steel wool.

 

[Bob]

If the valves are REALLY SS, what you are seeing is just some dried reside from something else.

Fire 'er up and the valve surfaces will get cleaned up in a hurry!

 

[John Diercks]

phosphoric acid...but watch the fumes. They are deadly.

 

[S.Crum]

Haven't worked with stainless much have you?

 

[Flurette Farm]

It probably just flash rust because they use some 400 grade ss that's cheaper and easier to machine. Don't use steel wool or it will impragnate the ss and rust again. Just buff it off if you are worried about it. Good luck.

 

[da bees]

After reading your ideas and thinking a little deeper,I believe I tracked the root problem to a rusted iron coupler someone used to add a chemical injector. I replaced the iron with brass,flushed&cleaned everthing,buffed the valves and seats and put her back togeather. Works fine. No tighter than they were stuck you would think the water pressure would have forced them open. Thanks for all your help.

 

[GordoSD]

Depends on the degree of polish on the SS. It varies from the trim on a 57 Bel Air, to some old restuarant table. I should have been more specific.

Gordo