Clean rust off of old Chouinard Ice Axe?

My suggestion after 20 years of collecting and preserving vintage climbing gear:

Green Scotchbrite with light pressure [that type of steel will get scratched easily].

Wipe off excess rust dust

Oil it

Roots wrote: My suggestion after 20 years of collecting and preserving vintage climbing gear:

Green Scotchbrite with light pressure [that type of steel will get scratched easily].

Wipe off excess rust dust

Oil it

No wd-40 before hand or anything? Just the pad? 

Robert Hall wrote:

Sorry....I own a "Zero" and the pictured axe is 100% no way a "Zero".  Zero has teeth along the entire length of the pick, and they were made with laminated bamboo shafts. (Whether they were also made with  metal shafts I don't know, maybe as it was the last bamboo-shafted axe Chouinard made.) 

They continued the Zero into their blue carbon/aluminum shaft with the Camp/Interalp forged head.  They stopped making those in the late 70s-1980 or so (I picked up a Zero/Northwall pair closeout from them in 1981).  They had already introduced the welded head on the lighter blue carbon shaft at that time.

Jake L wrote:

No wd-40 before hand or anything? Just the pad? 

Yes, I use just the pad as I was taught by other collectors. However, I think WD-40 could possibly help to release some rust and also lube up the scrubbing, which if heavy handed does scratch. It would be a messier process though....but I have not tried it.

I've tried other chemical rust removers and basically, it'll strip the rust but alters the surface (color) of the steel. And flash rust appears quickly if not coated with oil immediately after the bath. - I do not recommend using this process. It will certainly lower the value your vintage gear.

If rust is so old that it has turned black; DO NOT remove, just oil.

Red = bad
Black = awesome