best way to shine rusty plow shares?

I use a wire wheel on something like a grinder or buffer. Works for me.

Find about 20 acres of sand to plow first. I borrowed a big electric disc sander. My dad said you'll ruin it by scratching it up. I started on the first bottom lightly sanding, moved to the second and then the 3rd. I just kept switching from one to another till the disc was nothing but the backing. Then I went to the neighbor and helped plow some hills that were about half clay and half sand. It works pretty good to coat the plow with slip plate graphite paint when you get it kinda cleaned up. The slip plate will polish off the smooth spots and gradually the whole thing will shine.  Charlie 

I cleaned mine up a little with a wire wheel the first year I used my plow but a couple of rounds of plowing and they were cleaned up like chrome.

Edited by Rick of HopeIN - 12 Oct 2010 at 9:11pm

I used a flap sanding disk last time I needed to clean up a plow. The surface is very hard so you won't scratch or damage deeper than the rust. Then finish up by plowing. Be sure to paint or soft coat the plow when you put it away. Cheap spray paint lasts best, soft coat comes off faster the next time. If you keep it inside a complete smear of chassis grease will protect it but outside grease won't last a year. Soft coat won't last more than two or three years.

Gerald J.

When I was a kid, evry year Dad would bring home this big side grinder from work.  I would have to grind the two bottom plow.  When I was done they looked like chrome.  At least that was his decisison when I was done! :)

A rusty bottom in no way should keep a plow from cutting in, especially in sod.  If the bottom doesn't scour it just makes a mess but it will still cut.  You have an adjustment problem or your points/shares are worn if it won't cut.  

Thanks everyone for the tips......yea, the funny thing is I used the plow in some ground that was already plowed and it seemed to dig in just fine, but when I tried it on some sod, it wouldn't take a bite, it just skimmed the top.  I leveled out the plow, but I think I need to play with the adjustment some more for the angle of entry......I know if I could actually get into the sod it should shine it up.........Troy

Also troy, I don't know where you are in Illinois or how the weather is, but here in central indiana its to damn dry to plow, the ground is rock hard, that could be part of your problem,  People have stop chisel plowing as well, just tearing up equipment, using to much fuel.  We are getting some rain however as I talk, first in over a month. 

As tucker said block up the left wheel, i prefer to do the front one as well.  You must be on hard level ground, then set your plow down and make sure it contacts the point/share/heel evenly.  You may need to replace/resharpen your shares/points. 

I was wondering in my first post if the ground might be too dry because I had never seen rust keep the plow from taking ground, it just won't shed good. It is possible that a set of new points might be in order also. Good sod ground, as I mentioned before, does a good job of cleaning a plow because it usually rides across the whole bottom before it rolls over.