Treatment for surface rust on chrome bumpers (this works!)

D'oh! I have the day off and just spent 2 hours handwashing/detailing my truck. We've had record snow this year, along with record salt treatments, and I hadn't washed it since December. Well, lo and behold I had a LOT of surface rust on the sides of my rear bumper. So much that I thought it wasn't just surface rust. There was more rust than chrome on the left and right bumper faces that sit behind the rear fenders. Back to the dealer, I thought.

Then I remembered something. Being a shooter, I have a tube of JB Bore Paste on hand. It's basically a very mild polish we use when we want to get a rifle bore really clean.

Holy cow. I used about as much paste on one side as you would toothpaste for a brushing, and then rubbed it around with a paper towel. Literally, the rust disappeared instantly. I followed up with some Flitz chrome polish spray and it's good as new!! Took me all of 5 minutes, and saved me a trip to the dealer.

Now I know some people are going to say that rust can't be killed, and once it starts it won't stop. I'll keep an eye on it, but for now it looks showroom new and it took all of 5 minutes.

For those of you who don't have JB around, a tube of Flitz metal polish would be similar (maybe slightly more aggressive). Go a little light if you try Flitz, but it should work just as well. You can get JB from any big online gunstore. And you can get a tube of Flitz at any hardware store for about 5 bucks. Hope it helps someone! Wish I would have taken before-photos, but I didn't think it would work, much less work so amazingly well!

 

I have had luck using dish soap and foil to do this. I used to do it on Bikes when I was young. Living in Indy we had road salt and crap that made my chrome bike rust, so I found this trick out from an older fella, and it worked well too.

 

thanks for the tips. I noticed some surface rust on my bumper which could use some attention.

 

ditto on the bumper rust.

but here in buffalo, everything rusts

 

Now take the bumper off and do the inside. That is were the rust will mostly be b/c of being unseen and out of sight where it is unreachable. But good find on the rust removing. I'm glad I dont have the problems with rust like you guys up North.

 

Thanks, I've got some JB paste down in the shop. I'll try it, as I had the same rusty bumper last weekend when I washed the truck. I used Goof Off and a scotch bright pad.

Polymerhead; hmm? You like Glocks??

Do you belong to ARPC by any chance?

 

I do like Glocks, but the name came from my favorite band (Radiohead) and my first centerfire pistol (XD). I picked it for XD Talk and have been using it ever since.

Oh - and no, sorry - don't know what the ARPC is.

 

If you are near StL, I thought you might belong to my club - Arnold Rifle and Pistol Club.

 

No, sorry - I'm in central MO but I do have some friends who go up to St Louis Benchrest Club and shoot F-Class.

 

once you polish that chrome, clean it very well with a mix of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol (try to get around 20% alcohol mix). this will remove all polish residues and oils. then the important part - protect it with optimum opti-seal or at the minimum optimum spray wax. both offer superb protection for all exterior materials, including chrome.

it depends on how much you wash, but let's say you wash twice a month...it can't hurt to apply optimum car wax after you wash or while you dry. spray on, wipe off. super easy. even though it has shown to offer up to 5 months durability, layering can only help.