I'd think for most screws that a pass over a bronze wire brush wheel
would remove almost all the corrosion, and a steel brush would get
the rest.  This won't get into rust pits; for that you're either
removing metal or using chemical reduction (Naval Jelly or Coca Cola).

I wouldn't be polishing most screws to a mirror finish, and I suspect
that that would actually decrease the holding power of the screw, since
that depends on friction between screw and material.


>> I have seen these tumbler type cleaning tools that remind me of the
>> rock tumblers we had as a child which would polish rocks to a mirror
>> finish.  Can these effectively be used to clean a pile of screws?


Doubtful -- rocks are mostly convex surfaces and screws aren't.  You're
also likely to damage the threads.

z!
Carl Zwanzig - in Scenic Cupertino, Calif.   :-) 

 [ "Naval Jelly" is a registered trademark controlled by Loctite
 [ Corp., who produce the rust dissolver product.  The active
 [ ingredient is phosphoric acid (H3PO4).  More about rust removal
 [ at http://www.kzrider.com/rust_removal.shtml  -- Robbie