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4:05 pm
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Fri 9-Sep-11
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I'm not sure where to post this topic really so thought I would start here and be prepared for mods to kick me off to elsewhere if they so wish 
I have one of those very old metal hand mincers made by SPONG. The type you put together with a nut holding the 2 blades together and it clamps to the table. I can't even remember how long ago I bought it but probably the 1970's. My Mum had one which she used virtually every week to mince up the leftover meat from the Sunday roast to make shepherd/cottage pies etc.
Anyway.....I have looked after my one very carefully over the years, wrapping all the parts individually in kitchen paper but still every time I get it out to use it I can see rusty areas. It drives me mad and I am so worried about using it until I have got every last bit of rust off. The areas mostly affected in truth dont come into contact with the food - they are the areas where there are threads on the end of the screw in the handle and on the front bit but I was just wondering if there is a tip to prevent the rust forming (before I give up on it and throw it out). I did try cooking oil once but that was horrendous and was even harder to clean off than the rust 
Any do-it-yourselfers out there got any tips please?
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
5:09 pm
Councillor
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Sun 7-Mar-10
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Give it a spray of WD40 after using and washing it. Don't forget to give it a quick wash before using it again.
Shouldn't go sticky and should clean off quite quickly.
Hust a thought.
Simon.
A well fed rat is a HappyRat 
A smile a day keeps the psychiatrist away.
5:31 pm
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Mon 21-Mar-11
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SumpRat said:
Hust a thought.
Shouldn't that have been 'Rust a thought.'
I've cleaned mine before with a salt/veg oil mix similar to cleaning cast iron pans and that seems to work. But as it's the parts not in contact with food could you dismantle and paint with enamel paint, i.e model makers Humbrol
Failing is not a fault, refusing to try is
7:33 pm
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Mon 23-May-11
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Perhaps using one of the wire brushes used to clean a barbecue might help? Or even a brillo-type scourer with the addition of a small amount of a liquid cleaner (with added scouring agent) would assist in removing the rust followed by a good rinse in warm water. I wouldn't use WD40 or cooking oil because of the odour and residues they might leave. I often have to resort to using a scourer on my all metal Mouli grater which has served me well for 40 years but gets a little rusty round the edges (well who wouldn't at that age!).
7:45 pm
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Sun 19-Sep-10
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my gran used to soak rags in cooking oil wrap them round her mincer shoving it into all the crannies then tie it up in a plastic bag , seemed like overkill but it didnt go rusty
8:20 pm
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Tue 22-Sep-09
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Or dry it really carefully after use, store in an air tight box with some of those little sachets of silica- works for my cookie cutters.
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
9:16 pm
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Mon 21-Mar-11
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Gearjammer (aka OH) has just said 'soak in kettle descaler overnight and it will remove all traces of rust giving you a clean item to start with'.
Seemingly he used to do it with all the rusty nuts and bolts he found lying around workshop on the few occassions he tidied it.
Failing is not a fault, refusing to try is
9:28 pm
Supreme Being
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Tue 22-Sep-09
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That's a useful one Tracey, didn't know descaler worked on rust, going to give it a try on a few rusty nuts and bolts
9:40 pm
Councillor
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Fri 10-Sep-10
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Why worry it will help prevent anaemia .
Seed catalogues are responsible for more unfulfilled fantasies than the web and playboy combined . (after Michael Perry)
11:18 pm
Supreme Being
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Mon 3-Oct-11
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Just coat the cleaned rusty area with veg oil- or even something like vaseline- it is a diy trick for making sure screws don't seize up when used to say put up a shelf- coat screw, screw it in to wall. Should remove easily at a later date. The vaseline will not come in to contact with the food if it is just external rust.
Are we having fun yet? I am!
9:28 am
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Fri 9-Sep-11
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Thanks everyone for the really helpful suggestions
I never thought about kettle descaler " what a great idea. I also like the idea of painting it with enamel but will hold off from that till I have tried the other tips first as it effects the areas that screw together and wonder if paint would just come off.
As for the cleaning of it - in the past I have used a brillo pad, some of the Bar Keepers Friend powder, small wire brush, you name it I've used it. It does come off but is the devil of a job as some of the screw holes and inside the nut are very very small and hard to get into.
I washed and dried it carefully after use as normal and left it on worktop for a while and when I looked at it later the rust had already started to form around part of it.
In the past I put oil on it but it became congealed and really sticky " like it does on deep fat fryers and it was a hell of a job to remove but I might give the vaseline a go.
On a positive note the shepherds pie we had last night, made from leftover roast beef from Sundays roast dinner was delicious 
(even if I say so myself), so it really is a handy old gadget.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
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