Best way to remove rust from coin mechs?

[DeLuSioNal29]

I am in the process of restoring 4 coin mech on my arcade.  I've taken everything apart, removed the rust from the doors and painted them.  They look great.  Everything is installed, but some coin mechs seem to jam more than others.  They are still a bit rusty, so I'm assuming that this is what is causing the problems.

What is the best way to re-condition them?  Should I:

1)  Take them apart and soak the metal pieces in CLR?
2)  Sand them lightly with sandpaper?
3)  Use WD-40 on them?
4)  All of the above?

Thanks!

~ DeLuSioNaL

[HaRuMaN]

1) yes
2) yes
3) NO!!
4) no, because of #3

[DeLuSioNal29]

I'm glad I asked.  Wd-40 seemed like the right thing to do.  Now I see otherwise.  So I'm assuming that the mechs get NO type of lubrication on them?

Thanks for the advice, but does it matter what order I do things in?  Should I soak it first and then sand them?  Also, are the springs OK to soak?

~ D

[HaRuMaN]

I would soak first, and then sand if necessary.  Springs should be okay to soak as well.

Wd-40 will cause gunk to build up in your mechs over time, causing jamming etc.  As far as I know, you shouldn't need any lubrication in there.

[Ken Layton]

Take them apart and soak in CLR. Do NOT sand them! While the parts are in the CLR, put on the solvent proof gloves and scrub the pieces with a BRASS bristled "detail" brush like you get at Harbor Freight Tools for a buck.

Rinse the parts in hot water, blow dry with a compressor (or a hair dryer). Now polish the chromed/nickle plated parts with BRASSO polish. That will protect it from rusting and shine them up like brand new.

I've done hundreds of rusty mechs this way and they all come out beautifully.

Never ever use WD-40 on a coin mech. If any lubrication is needed, the rocker and cradle posts can be swabbed with some "Super Lube Dri-Film" lubricant with silicone. This stuff stays dry and does not attract dirt/dust. The gate hinge can be oiled with a Radio Shack # 64-2301 pinpoint oiler.

[Necro]

Just as a bit of information to people, WD-40 is NOT a lubricant.  It actually stands for Water Displacement Formula 40 or something like that.  It was developed to displace water and prevent corrosion - the mild lubrication is a byproduct of that.  Overtime, it actually acts OPPOSITE (as alluded to above) of a lubricant because it gunks up.

Now, not saying this is a good or the best way but there's always this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/

Be careful if you attempt that however, as when we tries something like it when I was a kid we blew up the jar we had the liquid in .

[DeLuSioNal29]

I soaked two of the coin mechs overnight for 8 hours and then scrubbed them with the brass brush this morning.  I washed and blow dried them with a hair dryer afterwards.  They came out amazingly great.  Cosmetically, I wasn't really concerned about how they looked, but more of how they functioned.  (It's just a bonus that they look great too.) 

Originally, the return mechanism, when pushed in, was super hard to do.  Now, it's like butter.  It's just like new and coins no longer get stuck.

Thanks again for the tips.

[javeryh]

Good stuff.  Someone mind explaining what "CLR" is?

[Ken Layton]

Good stuff.  Someone mind explaining what "CLR" is?

"C-L-R" is Calcium-Lime-Rust Remover and it's manufactured by Jelmar (www.jelmar.com). Available at any grocery store and hardware store in the cleaning supplies section. The 28 fluid ounce gray plastic jug is barcode # 078291310825. Sells for about $6 a jug.

This stuff is pretty strong so it's advisable to use gloves, eye protection (in case of a splash of this stuff in your eyes) and have adequate ventilation for the fumes.