Craft supplies questions

Craft Talk
1

Hello everyone, I have 2 questions about supplies, I’m hoping you can help me with:

  1. Does anyone know how to get rid off rust from safety pins?

  2. Is there a way to clean the inside of beads?

2

I have cleaned the inside of glass beads using slightly soapy water in my sonic bath, then rinsing in fresh water and drying on kitchen roll on a window sill. You could also do this with plastic beads but I would do a test one first before putting a batch in. If you don’t have a sonic bath or they are unsuitable for going in one you can get very small test tube cleaning brushes or disposable mascara brushes on amazon and then get scrubbing. (check any surface finishes don’t come off first)
The only time i had to remove rust I did it with a wire brush but that was some iron gates so probably not suitable for your safety pins.
Sasha

3

Personally I would throw out rusty safety pins and buy new. You don’t want to risk rust on your fabrics, and they are not expensive.
Jayne

4

The beads I have that need cleaning are already sewn on my clothes. I washed my clothes and they got more shinny, but there is still some darkness inside. I don’t know how to clean those. The beads I have in the bag are fine. And I don’t get why some have it and others don’t.

Thanks for the tip Sasha, I will keep that in mind.

The safety pins I bought, I haven’t used them yet. Maybe this one was a bad batch. I thought lemon juice helps with the rust, but it didn’t work. I will buy new ones.

5

If you do get them clean there might be some kind of lacquer you could put on to prevent the rust coming back?

6

Didn’t realise the beads were on clothes - would need a big sonic bath for that. Depending on the fabric and the beads the fizzing action generated by a percarbonate bleach (vanish oxi action or similar) might help get the detergent into the beads to clean them out. But do a spot test on the fabric first and try one of the loose beads in the solution just to make sure it won’t lift off any surface finishes.
Sasha

7

If I try the sonic bath with the beads separately, say I do that for some beads I have in the bag, do you think this will prevent the darkness inside in the future? Or do beads do that anyway over time? The beads I have are clear, maybe I should buy colored ones so it won’t show! :smile:

8

I suspect that the darkness will return - it could be dirt build up in the beads, it could be soap residue from when the article is washed, it could be a finish that was applied to the core of the bead tarnishing/ discolouring with age. I’d go for coloured or opaque ones so that the issue won’t show up if it does happen.
Sasha

1 Like
9

Doesn’t Coke cola get rid of rust?