Vietnam War Shovel help

[Ryan B]

Hey guys i got this shovel today for $5 i saw it was dated 1966 so it was vietnam. I need to add some wd-40 in the hitch so i can open it. It looks like a ww2 era carrier but the shovel looks like it has a pick on it. Should i go over it with steel wool or sand paper to get the rust off of it? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ryan

[Ryan B]

Does anybody know?

[lithgow]

Hello-I would use Ballistol spray, a cloth and a non stick coating pot scourer (less damaging to the surface) to clean it up and prevent further rust damage.

[Ryan B]

Is ballistol available in the U.S??

[lithgow]

I don't know for sure but I would think so-it's German made from pine oil (non petro-chemical) for use on many different materials-should be available from a gun or hardware store-always a good thing to have around!

[Ryan B]

when I go to the hardware store tonight ill see if I can go find some of that spray

[rra227]

Do the WD-40. No sandpaper or steelwool. Us a non abrasive scrubber. You want to remove the rust. Not the paint. Carrier is late WW2. Rich A. in Pa.

[Nige H]

As already stated the shovel cover is a WWII Model. It is in fact the Second pattern cover which is designed to take a E-tool with a pick as well as a shovel blade, the designation for the shovel is M1945 E-tool this was also designed by AMES who made the original M1943 variation. As to the rust issue removing the rust is a good idea, as among other things this can stain and even rot canvas. As to wire wool, I’ve now moved away from this personally and have gone over to using scotchbrite pads, as they do just as good a job and have the advantage of not breaking up and crumbling in the way that steel wool has the habit of doing. Finally WD-40 is great for removing rust just bare in mind that it is a very light oil and evaporates very quickly, so I would look at sealing the exposed areas with a good natural beeswax based product.

Nige.

[Ryan B]

Thanks guys for the help! I just bought some Scotch brite pads but unfortunately they did not have the ballistol so I'm going to use wd-40. I'll take pictures on how the progress is going. And one last question do you know how to clean up the carrier because it's all dirty. Thanks Ryan

[colt45]

i just got 1 for 5, clean with WD 40 steel wool, not worth much and won't be for a 100 years