That old barn door hardware I saw at a salvage yard in Ohio...

I was at this place near Columbus last weekend picking through a salvage yard and found a full set of antique sliding barn door hardware for like $40. The roller wheels were still in good shape but the track had some rust... anyone had luck cleaning up old barn door tracks without ruining the patina?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly_coleman6126d ago

Oh man, that's a GREAT find for $40! I've had decent luck with a wire brush and some mineral spirits to clean off the surface rust without stripping the whole look. Just be gentle and stop once the loose stuff is gone, the patina underneath should hold up fine.

linda_clark25d ago

I did the same thing on an old cast iron skillet I found and it turned out perfect. Just used a soft brass brush and let the mineral spirits do the heavy lifting.

joseph44826d ago

Actually used to think you had to go nuclear with vinegar or sandpaper to really clean up rust. But your method sounds way smarter, just knocking off the loose stuff and leaving the good patina alone. Might have to try this wire brush and mineral spirits trick on my next rusty find instead of getting too aggressive with it.