Help - where did this come from?
 

I am quilting an antique wedding ring quilt by hand and I discovered that all the safety pins I pinned it with has rusted on the quilt and I had to pull them out. Now how do I get the rust stains off the quilt. and why did this happen when I had it right by my chair in the family room? anyone know or can help me...

I don't know, but I would try Googling for advice.

can't say why it happened, but here are some suggestions I found, using Google, that might help,
http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-t...e-rust-stains/

That's why it's best to use only brass safety pins; they won't rust.

I'm not sure of the best way to remove rust stains. Especially because this is a vintage top, I think I would contact http://www.retroclean.com to ask if their product will work on rust stains. You would want to wait until the top is quilted and bound before cleaning.

Those "silvery" safety pins don't need to be in water or to be "wet" to rust; just the humidity in the room air is enough to cause the reaction. Always use brass safety pins on quilts, as mentioned before. They *are* more expensive, but they are also softer to open and close, a nice benefit for the expense.

I hope you will be able to get the rust stains our when you are finished.

Jan in VA

I have heard of a product called Whink but I have never used it.

Hi Jan, You are a wealth of information. I've noticed several times you have know so much about the topic. Thanks for always sharing!

straight pins and needles can also rust and leave marks in fabric

There is a product called Carbona stain devils #9 for rust and perspiration. It is a small yellow container, you should be able to find it at Walmart with the laundry detergents.

I used lemon juice and salt to remove rust stains from overall buckles. Never had it damage any fabric but would test first.

Oh my goodness, aren't you sweet!
I guess I've been in the industry a l-o-n-g time and remember way more than is necessary.:eek:

Jan in VA

At a.c.moore by the counter...grandmas spot remover. Works great

Rust sure is an enemy with quilting! I haven't had any issues with rust on fabric, so I can't be of any help there.

Here is where rust happens too: I have always stuck a pin (usually a 'T' pin) in the opening to my glue bottles, even after closing them. This way the glue doesn't harden in the tips. Well, I use the bottle caps with long tips from empty hair coloring bottles bought at a beauty supply store. The caps fit perfectly on the Elmer's School Glue bottles. Yesterday, not thinking, I grabbed a Clover 'flower head' pin and placed it in the spout to store the glue after using it. Pulled out the pin today and it was rusted, along with the glue that was still in the spout. Squeezed that rusty glue out and found myself a 'T' pin and put it in the opening. I have never had a problem with rusting from the 'T' pins in glue bottles. I checked my pin cushions and the flower head pins all looked fine.

Thanks to all of you, I knew you would all come to my rescue, I can always count on the Quilting Board to come thru. I will try the suggestions and let you know how they work out.what would we do without each other? thanks again

Try hydrogen peroxide. It does NOT bleach anything, and medical personnel use it to get out blood. It just may do the trick.

By the way, peroxide also takes out smells. My cat peed on a brand new sofa and chair when we were gone for a week. I tried all the normal remedies, like Nature's Miracle, and it would remove the smell for a few days, then would be back even worse! So I saturated the areas with a 50/50 mixture of water and peroxide, and let it dry thoroughly. It's been 2 months and not a hint of urine!

I've used Whink Rust Stain Remover for years. It works great. Squirt it on and the rust disappears. It is made for color fast fabrics. I would test it on a small area first. You want the brown bottle. Good luck.

I have a bottle of Whink that I have had for at least 40 years. One drop and the rust is gone. You can watch it disappear. Then rinse the spot with plain water.

I'm sure glad I checked this thread!! I'll be getting some Whink Rust Stain Remover!!!

As I have said before, we all learn something from here. Thanks for all the tips.

there's a very common rust remover in the cleaning section of the grocery. I think it's called ZINK but I'm not sure. Try that. At worst-------it won't hurt your fabic.

Works just great------------that's the stuff I posted about with the wrong name. Available in any grocery cleaning section.

Lemon juice and salt. Let it say for awhile. I use to get rust stains on my tops when i put them on a hanger wet ( medal hangers) lol

Me too. I've never had any rust, but want to be prepared, just in case.

Whink Rust Remover is great for some things but not all. It removed the rust on my chenille robe but also removed the color! Be wary. If all else fails, maybe applying just a dab of Whink with a Q-tip on just the white, solid pieces if there are any. I would try everything else first and this idea only out of desperation. Good luck.

Whink is good. I have used it on clothing to sinks. I don't know how it would do on old fabric though.

I am wondering if the rust may be caused, by the high humidities that we had this past summer. While working on a quilt,
you may want to spread it out, when you put it away in the evenings to work on it the next day. I know that here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, things, this past summer, often felt damp, even with the a/c on. Maybe fresh circulating air is the answer. I am so sorry that you have this problem and am hoping that you can restore it.

I hope you can get the rust marks off of your quilt.

This is great information. I live near the beach and I am a new quilter. I didn't even think about my safety pins. I bought ones marked quilting, but they are silver. I am going to be sure not to pin until I am ready to quilt. Thank you.

Retro Clean quilt soak worked for me. It took out rust and who knows what else from an antique quilt my Greatgrandma did and I restored. Wonderful product and I will use it again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRSh6Lc7Dp4

Here in Australia we have a product called Rustiban. It takes the rust marks right out and as far as being safe for fabric I used it on a wedding dress.

I've heard this really works too.
http://www.hancockfabrics.com/Grandm...VVviewprod.htm

This is exactly what my grandmother told me to do for a rust stain. She also suggested setting the treated item in some sunshine for a little bit if it was stubborn.

Good luck. How frustrating.

I used to put pins in the cut end of fabric that I used a few strips of every once in a while. This happens often with white, black or other neutrals that go with anything, of which I usually purchase yards and yards at one time. Now I set the machine stitch to "very long" and sew a few (just 2 or 3)stitches about 3 inches or more from the cut end. Lift the presser foot and pull the fabric ahead and make a few more stitches, and do that one more time. Be sure the fabric is flat between stitching. Then, when I want a few more pieces off that fabric, the end is still perfect. Saves a lot of time getting the end "cuttable" and saves fabric because you don't have to keep trimming the end each time. When it's time to take out the stitching, just pull those loose threads between the stitches. No pins to rust.

A big DITTO !!!

I don't know if you can get it or not anymore because I have had mine for several years but the product I use is called "Penwalt Erusticator". It states on the bottle that it removes rust from cotton to silk. I believe I purchased it at a hardware store. It works really well on fabric..just takes alittle bit and the rust comes right out...If you can't find this particular product I'm sure there are others out there that do the same thing...Good Luck...

What about Retro Clean?

I have used it, and on some things it is great. Try it if you can find it.

I was in a quilt class with Pam Clarke last year and showed her an antique quilt top that had the safety pins left in for who knows how long..She told me to quilt the quilt and finish it and then soak it in the washing machine using Oxi Clean and that should get rid of the rust..I haven't done it yet..but she's the expert. =)

I don't have a clue but I have found several of these answers to be very beneficial!

I agree with bakermom. I have always used lemon juice and table salt for rust stains, then let set a while, preferably in the sun if possible. I have never had any fabric damaged using this method.

I have used Whink to remove rust stains from clothing and it works great. Just be sure to follow the directions on the bottle.........