Black screws after Rust Remove

bbo139 · Sep 10, 2026

Hello,

So I left parts of an Omega 266 movement to soak in Rust Remove for about 3-4 hours and now most of the screw are black (some parts of the movement were rusted, not necesarly the screws). Tried soaking them in IPA afterwards, but they remained black.

Now.. any opinions on what I can do with them/restore them to their previous silver plating? (not sure if the dissolved rust is just "stuck" to them or their plating dissolved in the rust remove solution)

I can t polish the screws (too small for what tools I have) and I m not sure if it s safe to use them as parts for other movements (as the rust may extend to the healthy parts over time).

mac_omega · Sep 10, 2026

The screws are not plated, they are stainless steel. Best would be to polish them or other option buy new ones.

ErichKeane · Sep 10, 2026

They weren't plated, they were polished. Rust remover removes rust (even non visible rust) and leaves behind the carbon from the steel. The result is a black 'coating'.

I'm not aware of any chemical ways to fix this. IF you rinse in water very quickly after removing from the rust remover, it can sometimes 'wash' it off before it settles, but once that happens, polishing it off is the only way to remove the black.

You probably just need to invest in more tools to hold the screws 😀 A small vise made for screws plus a polishing pad can work wonders. A pin vice can help you get the edges.

bbo139 · Sep 10, 2026

ErichKeane
They weren't plated, they were polished. Rust remover removes rust (even non visible rust) and leaves behind the carbon from the steel. The result is a black 'coating'.

I'm not aware of any chemical ways to fix this. IF you rinse in water very quickly after removing from the rust remover, it can sometimes 'wash' it off before it settles, but once that happens, polishing it off is the only way to remove the black.

You probably just need to invest in more tools to hold the screws 😀 A small vise made for screws plus a polishing pad can work wonders. A pin vice can help you get the edges.

I may manage the head of the screws to polish, but the thread.. I even have the screw from the balance cock that I would want to polish

ErichKeane · Sep 10, 2026

bbo139
I may manage the head of the screws to polish, but the thread.. I even have the screw from the balance cock that I would want to polish

Put the head in a pin vise. Spin it against a firm surface (so that you don't push it out!), and press a piece of peg-wood with some polishing compound on it on the other side. the pegwood digs into the threads enough to do it. ALso: You don't have to do a perfect job, that part isn't really visible when the watch is assembled 😁

bbo139 · Sep 10, 2026

ErichKeane
Put the head in a pin vise. Spin it against a firm surface (so that you don't push it out!), and press a piece of peg-wood with some polishing compound on it on the other side. the pegwood digs into the threads enough to do it. ALso: You don't have to do a perfect job, that part isn't really visible when the watch is assembled 😁

Any recommendation for polishing paste? Also I would assume that I would need some kind of oil after the polish phase

ErichKeane · Sep 10, 2026

bbo139
Any recommendation for polishing paste? Also I would assume that I would need some kind of oil after the polish phase

I have a tub of mcguiers polishing paste from polishing a metal bumper that will last me the next millenium 😁 I've enver oiled afterwards, just watshed in water then in IPA aftrwards.

Black screws after Rust Remove

bbo139

mac_omega

ErichKeane

bbo139

ErichKeane

bbo139

ErichKeane

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