Protecting meallic / tin cases from rust

[real_saturn]

Some of my tin cases for a few games have started to gain some rust. I don't know how to protect them to prevent that from happening. Please forgive my ignorance in the following questions. Is there anyway to remove the rust from the metal? Any special product? What can I use to protect these boxes? Should I use any product for additional protection, isolate them from the air through vacuum?... Anything is useful. Thank you very much.

[ssjlance]

Rub aluminum foil on the rust. It's a bitch and a half to do, but it'll get rid of the rust eventually. Key word is eventually. It takes for frickin' ever and it kills your wrist. Your wrist will feel like you just ran through Jordan on Expert in Guitar Hero II.

[real_saturn]

Thanks for the reply. It doesn't damage the box, does it?

[Dave Farquhar]

I frequently deal with rust in one of my other hobbies. The aluminum foil trick works but like ssjlance says, it's time consuming. Some other remedies include plain white vinegar (dissolves the rust), Bar Keeper's Friend (a cleaner sold in most stores, look for it next to the Comet; this stuff is abrasive so don't use it on printed surfaces), or REM Oil (gun shops and sporting goods stores are a good source for this). There's a rust remover called Evaporust sold at some auto parts stores (Auto Zone carries it but not in all stores). I haven't tried it yet but I've seen the results some people say they got with it, and it was impressive. It's designed not to attack printed or painted surfaces.

Always try any and all remedies on a less visible portion before doing the whole thing so you can see how it affects the printed surface. If you have a box that's so far gone you don't care about it anymore, experiment on it before trying a less severely damaged one.

To prevent rust, wipe a thin film of oil on the surface, and keep the items out of moist, humid areas. Storing them in a bedroom closet is a better bet than in the basement, unless you have a good dehumidifier. Don't store them in a garage because the temperature variations and humidity cause things to rust quickly. I see 1950s Lionel and American Flyer trains that were ruined by being stored for decades in a garage or tool shed.

I hope this helps.

[Bassgrabber]

Would bagging the tin in either paper or plastic and putting a dessicant pack into the bag help? They're put into various food and other products with the 'DO NOT EAT - THROW AWAY' warning on them...

[Dave Farquhar]

Would bagging the tin in either paper or plastic and putting a dessicant pack into the bag help? They're put into various food and other products with the 'DO NOT EAT - THROW AWAY' warning on them...

That would help prevent rust in the first place or keep existing rust from spreading, yes. Those packs lose effectiveness after a while, but you can revive them by putting them in the oven at low temperature (120 degrees or so is plenty) and leaving them there until they change color. If the container is airtight, it will work better. You could just store all of your tins in a plastic container with a pack or two in there.