Removing rust from farm tools

As archivist and reference librarian at Francis Marion University
(Florence, South Carolina) I have been asked to assist in a metal
conservation problem.  There is a collection of farm tools
associated with two circa 1836 slave cabins on our campus.  The
tools are not stored or exhibited in a climate-controlled area and
have become rusty.  We have no curator or artifacts specialist on
staff and the administration of the cabins has been appointed to the
library.  The person with the most interest in the cabins and their
contents, however, is not a university employee at all, but a member
of the family who once owned the property.  The following query was
sent to me by that person, who will likely carry out the work of
cleaning and preserving the tools.  The query follows in quotations:

   "All of the old iron tools, scales, etc. need care for removal
    and prevention of iron rust.  We are looking for a copy of a
    step by step procedure for how to care for iron tools for rust
    removal and prevention of future rust.

   "Another question is: What rust is good for tools and what should
    be removed?  One thing I read said brown rust was good and
    should be left.  Orange rust is the only rust that should be
    removed.  Is that true?

   "We want our finished tools to be in the tan and brown family, a
    color that old farm tools should look.  I got a procedure from
    an acquisitions person at one museum that she had used and tried
    it on a tool and it turned black, which we do not want."

I spent lots of time researching the question on Internet and found
nothing authoritative, lots of old wives tales.  Can you find a
procedure that we will feel confident is the best that can be
done?"

Suzanne Singleton
Reference Librarian
James A. Rogers Library
Francis Marion University
POB 100547
Florence, SC 29502-0547
843-661-1319
Fax: 843-661-1309


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 23:25
                Distributed: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
                       Message Id: cdl-23-25-023
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