Toolbox: Wrinkle-finish paint & rusted latches

[Nevada Smith]

A friend's wife got him a tool chest so he gave me his 30 year old, all metal, wrinkle finish paint toolbox with Hawaiian-rust hardware.

 

I'd like to restore the wrinkle paint to its former shine; can this be polished? If not then should I apply a sealant and/or wax to make it shine? (Some of the paint's former glory is visible on the areas under the hasp, and where the lock was.) Zoom-in to see the wrinkle finish.

 

 

While I like the patina and am willing to keep the hardware as-is, what are some ways to address this particular rust removal (or at least reduce it)?

 

[b_pappy]

It should be a unique and fun cleaning project. That hardware is pretty rusty, but will come back some. On the wrinkle / hammertone paints I would just clean thoroughly with APC, then use In&Out. I've done that on dark colors, never white, but it should work.

Bruce

[07RS4]

Try a test spot with a drill or PC if you want to keep the original paint, you'll get a pretty quick idea how it will turn out. Also, try a test spot with both wax and the QS.

 

The latches, I would drill out the rivets and use a cabinet blaster to remove the rust, and repaint chrome, and then clear.

 

If you don't want the original paint, blast it all off and repaint it, lol.

[jtrade]

If you dont have access to a cabinet blaster & the latches are not stainless steel you can build a Electrolysis tank for dirt cheap & if you already have a car battery charger even better...