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Removal of rust from ILVE copper ovens

July 13, 2008

What process would give the best results in removing oxided copper with heavy rust spotting (particularly along the edges) on these ovens since discontinued from sale.
I found one in storage and am trying to restore.
I am unsure if it's copper plate or copper sheeting as copper supposedly does not rust.
However this is definitely rust with heavy oxidization and commercial paste cleaners will remove the rust with some heavy scrubbing leaving behind a lighter dulled area where the markings were and you can see the spots where the rust was . Is there a restoration solution to make this as good as "new"

Peter Cannonier
architect - Cape Town, South Africa

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July 14, 2008

Hi, Peter. I'm not familiar with this oven and couldn't find any applicable info on the internet. If it were copper sheet, it could not have rusted, so it must be copper plating that has worn through to the underlying steel in places. There are dozens of different copper polishes, and some would no doubt work without all that heavy rubbing. But it will rust again quickly since steel is exposed. There probably isn't a way to get "good as new" except by sending it out to a plating shop for replating.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey