Thread: Removing rust and restoring old hand tools

Originally Posted by Vann

Aha Alternating Current....

I don't have a battery charger, would a 12v DC model railway controller provide enough oomph? (I still have my transformer from my early teens - yes I am a hoarder )

Cheers, Vann.

You mean that some people throw them out.
Cheers,
Jim

Originally Posted by mic-d

And another one to throw into the mix is oxalic acid, reportedly better than citric acid and cheaper (Diggers rust and stain remover). I'm yet to try it as I usually to electrolysis.

Being the parsimonious person that I am, you can buy EDTA and a bit of caustic soda and make your own evaporust at a fraction of the cost. It does seem to be pretty good. hunt around there are recipes out there yet to try it myself.

I have been thinking about Evaporust but unsure about something which I can't see or touch before buying as no-one around here seems to carry it

I may have missed something somewhwere but what does "EDTA" stand for

Neil

Originally Posted by brontehls

.......what does "EDTA" stand for
Neil

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. (More often encountered in biological situations in my experience...)

Cheers,

It's a chelation agent. I believe it is some cleaners too, such as CLR.

Originally Posted by mic-d

It's a chelation agent. I believe it is some cleaners too, such as CLR.

and in many shampoos and non-soap cleansers

Originally Posted by brontehls

I have been thinking about Evaporust but unsure about something which I can't see or touch before buying as no-one around here seems to carry it
Neil

I picked some up from Blackwoods (Blackwoods | All Your Workplace Needs). They had to order it in. Cost me about $80 for a 5l bottle.

Did the job but to expensive for me. I find abrasive removal of rust is fine as long as you take it easy. Don't grind everything away with 80grit and then wonder why you have no detail left. Be careful, take your time and check what you're doing as you go.

Electrolysis works well as long as you follow the instructions (HTPAA have a good page on it article-electro).

Citric acid works well too (look up TTTG page The Traditional Tools Group (Inc.) -- Submitted Article) Can leave you tools a little grey though. I use it on users not collectables.

For saws I use wet and dry usually starting at 120 for really rough saws. If there is a lots of loose rust I'll scrape it first with a razor or a carbide scraper or even an old kitchen knife ground with the point ground square. After scraping I hit it with paper and going up in grits usually no higher than 400. Lots of lubrication. Lamp oil, WD40, Windex or Simple green. The petro- chemicals give me a headache after a while (probably need more ventilation in the garage) whereas the windex and simple green tend to make the tool prone to flash rusting after cleaning off the gunk. Pros and cons for both sorts of substances. Take your pick.

Molasses works like citric acid but not as quickly. I use a solution of 1part molasses to 20 parts water. For files I usually leave them in the solution a week 9finer tools should be checked more frequently) Scrub them off with a stiff brush (nail brush or even a toothbrush) and then dry with a torch or heat gun and then oil. I've used WD40 but G-15 is very good too. Can clag up a bit though. Would be best to clean off the G15 before use.

Have a good think about how clean your tools need to be and how valuable they are. Some people like them gleaming like new others are happy with years of cag on them (patina to the collector). The most important thing is that they are performing their function properly, are safe and you are happy with them.

Good luck and have fun,
Virgil.