Useful tips on how to remove rust from skates at home

An unpleasant situation, when the blades of the skates are covered with a coating of rust, requires an immediate solution.

Rust not only looks unattractive, but also interferes with sliding. Ultimately, if nothing is done, the blades become unusable.

You can deal with plaque using special products and homemade recipes. We will tell you how and how to remove rust from the blades of skates in the article.

Folk remedies for combating corrosion on blades

Brown plaque on skate blades is associated with metal oxidation. Rusting is promoted by a humid environment with access to oxygen and improper care of products.

Soda and lemon

A recipe based on lemon juice and soda allows you to combine mechanical and chemical effects.

For cleaning you will need:

• sponge;
• lemon;
• soda.

Procedure:

1. Squeeze fresh lemon juice.
2. Add enough baking soda to form a gruel.
3. Using a sponge, apply the resulting product to the metal.
4. Rub with effort.
5. Rinse with water.

If the method did not help the first time, the procedure can be repeated.

Vinegar and flour

Exposure to acetic acid removes rust from skates. In order for the method to help, you must follow the instructions:

• combine a few tablespoons of flour with undiluted vinegar so that a paste is obtained;
• apply the composition to the blades;
• withstand 60 minutes;
• wash off with water.

Potatoes and salt

The chemical composition of raw potato tubers includes oxalic acid. When salt is added, the effect becomes complex, effective against corrosion.

The order of work:

• wash and peel potatoes;
• cut the tuber lengthwise into 2 parts;
• sprinkle salt on the cut;
• grate the blades with potatoes;
• wash off.

If the rusted area is relatively small, local, then you can proceed as follows:

1. Prepare potatoes in the same way as in the previous method.
2. Place the tuber, salted cut down, on the stain.
3. Leave for a quarter of an hour.
4. Wash off and dry.

Soda

You can use baking soda as a stand alone rust remover.To do this, it is diluted to the state of a thick gruel with water and distributed over the blades.

After that, the skates are put aside for half an hour. At the end of the exposure time, the runners are wiped with a rag, removing the remains of the composition.

Aluminium foil

Food foil is suitable for work. A fragment is cut from the roll and rolled into a ball. They need to actively conduct along the blades, removing darkened areas.

Special compositions: top-3

The action of special agents is aimed at neutralizing rust. Acid-containing formulations eliminate corrosion through a chemical reaction. Getting on the damaged places of the metal, such a reagent corrodes rust and stops the progression of the metal destruction process.

Anti-rust Neomid 570

This drug made in Russia combines efficiency and safety for metal parts. In addition to metal, the product removes rusty deposits from:

• enameled surfaces,
• concrete,
• stone.

The composition includes:

• corrosion inhibitor;
• solvent;
• complexing agent.

The product is produced in a concentrated form, requiring preliminary dilution with water in a ratio of 1: 2. Work should be carried out at an air temperature of at least + 5 ° C in a dry room, avoiding the ingress of water into the treatment area.

The expense of the product is very economical. A 1 liter container costs about 580 rubles. Available in various packaging.

Orthophosphoric acid

Orthophosphoric acid is an aggressive but very effective agent that is produced by many manufacturers.... The product is supplied to the retail network in various volumes.

The price for 500 ml is on average from 300 rubles, but you can also find a product in a large volume (for several liters) and a small one, up to 100 ml. Read more about the use of phosphoric acid against rust in this article.

Gel Converter

Converters are produced by a large number of enterprises in the country and abroad. This tool allows you to restore the surface of the metal.

Consisting of:

• complexing agent;
• water;
• corrosion inhibitor;
• inorganic acids;
• rheological additive.

Means:

• eliminates damage without damaging the metal;
• protects the surface from external moisture.

The price depends on the volume and manufacturer. For example, Bitumast gel converter costs about 140 rubles per bottle.

Grinding and polishing

Tidying up your skate blades involves more than homemade recipes and commercial products. Purely machining should not be ignored.

Such impact includes the following actions:

1. Elimination of surface corrosion.
2. Grinding.
3. Burr alignment.
4. Sharpening.
5. Polishing.

Events can be held in two ways:

1. On machines.
2. Manually, using additional items with an abrasive surface.

Polishing is required to achieve the following goals:

• elimination of all roughness, even those that are practically invisible;
• creation of a protective layer due to polishing compounds getting into scratches.

Polishing should be done at the last stage:

1. Cleaning metal parts from dirt.
2. Drying.
3. Removing rust.
4. Polishing for 5 minutes.

Compounds that are suitable for polishing:

• purchased pastes (Doctor Wax, Grobet, etc.);
• machine oil;
• petrolatum.

In addition to those listed, ointments and gels, which are sold in sports goods, and are designed to polish metal, can be used.

7 prohibitions

Skating care should take into account the following prohibitions:

1. Dirty skates must not be cleaned.
2. It is wrong to dry inventory, for example, on a radiator, as this can lead to damage to the boot itself.
3. You should not sharpen your skates too often or, conversely, very rarely.
4. You must try not to cling or hit the blades on various objects.
5. You cannot get off the ice without skid covers.
6. You should also not use caustic compounds that can corrode metal as long-term applications.
7. Do not try to scratch off rust with a non-intended tool (screwdriver, knife, etc.).

Preventive care

Proper care of skates is a guarantee that they will serve for a long time, and there will be no problem with serious corrosion at all. The main means of protecting metal surfaces are:

• good drying;
• polishing;
• use of special covers;
• storage in a dry place.

Recommendations

So that the skates do not suffer from corrosion, it is necessary to carry out preventive care for them and follow the advice of specialists:

1. At the first sign of rusting, measures should be taken to eliminate the corrosion, avoiding the aggravation of the situation.
2. Cleaning should begin with the elimination of contamination, and only then proceed to the fight against corrosion.
3. Use chemicals with good ventilation, away from heat and open flames.
4. Work with reagents should be carried out in protective gloves.
5. Using commercially available anti-corrosion products, you must first study the instructions on the package.
6. It is advisable to store boots with skates in cloth bags (each separately).
7. For runners, special covers and pads (plastic or rubber) should be used for the storage period.
8. It is advisable to tamp the paper tightly inside the shoes themselves during storage.
9. For skates that are used only during the season, it is advisable to carry out a preventive inspection of sports equipment in advance.
10. If you find any malfunctioning skates, troubleshoot as early as possible. This will prevent damage and failure.
11. Sharpening must be timely, without extremes. Frequent will lead to rapid wear, and rare will make it difficult to slide.
12. With prolonged use, the fasteners of the blades weaken, and need a twist.

Conclusion

It is advisable to start removing rust as soon as darkening on the runners becomes noticeable. With good care, the problem can be solved quickly and efficiently, even at home.

Maintaining the working condition of the skates is possible only with regular high-quality care, which includes monitoring the condition of not only the blades, but also the boots, fastening system and laces.