Thread: Advice on tool cleanup after flood

If it was me I would hit them with a water dispersant first, then remove any residual surface rust, then a coat of a light oil or something similar to prevent further rust.

I would drop them in a bucket of Evaporust; unfortunately it’s rather expensive at around $60 for 5L. There now appears to be two products; the original from the US and now CRC are making it. Both are called Evapo-Rust and are registered trademarks… maybe the CRC is exactly the same made under license?

Anyhoo; this stuff is extremely gentle and won’t damage any of the remaining nickel plating. Just drop it all in; leave it overnight then scrub off the crud with a toothbrush. Afterwards the steel will have a grey colour than can be polished out if it offends you but I tend to leave it alone. The grey is a protective coating but it will still need a light coat of oil or othe rust preventative.

If any bench planes went underwater I would take them apart, dry all the parts with a towel/cloth, and then let them air for a while. Then oil all the steel and iron components before reassembly. Water will get in between the frog and the body and cause rust, rust and more rust.

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

I would drop them in a bucket of Evaporust; unfortunately it’s rather expensive at around $60 for 5L. There now appears to be two products; the original from the US and now CRC are making it. Both are called Evapo-Rust and are registered trademarks… maybe the CRC is exactly the same made under license?

Anyhoo; this stuff is extremely gentle and won’t damage any of the remaining nickel plating. Just drop it all in; leave it overnight then scrub off the crud with a toothbrush. Afterwards the steel will have a grey colour than can be polished out if it offends you but I tend to leave it alone. The grey is a protective coating but it will still need a light coat of oil or othe rust preventative.

I presume - removing wooden handles first???

The OEM literature states it doesn’t harm wood although personally I would expect some discolouration on lighter timbers. The wooden handle scales on a Stanley 45 are rather difficult to remove; I’d be more concerned about damaging them trying to get them off. Depending on the age of the tool they’ll be either rosewood or heavily stained beech; I don’t think any potential discolouration would stand out.

If you don't want to immediately work on tool restoration but just want to prevent further rusting you could put them under oil.
If you want to intreat the rust removal and can't afford Evaporust then you could also drop them into a tank of 10% oxalic acid and you can safely leave them there for weeks, even months, without any metal loss while it removes the rust. A cheaper still option would be a molasses solution although its a bit messier and can stink after a while.
Of course remove wooden handles first

Thanks for the replies, i picked up a bottle of CRC evapo-rust this morning. $90 a bottle from super cheap as it looks like they have discontinued the other evapo-rust. Will see how it goes, hopefully the timber handles that i cant easily remove will be ok.

An alternative treatment for something that has been submerged in water (even sea water) is to dunk it into alcohol for a few minutes.

Metho if you don't mind a little residual whiteness or ethanol if you don't like the white blush and have the pennies.

The alcohol absorbs the water and evaporates quickly, once gone be sure to apply a coating of WD40.

Have used this treatment on electronics (without the WD40) that students have dropped into the sea or drowned in coke and the equipment kept on working.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

I presume - removing wooden handles first???

I have restored a 45 and a 55 and could not get the wooden scales of the rear handles and the fences from the 55. I chucked them together into evaporust.
No issues at all. I had them overnight. Wouldn't do it for longer. And I would also not do with vinegar or other acid. But Evaporust seems fine.

I mean where possible surely take the handles off, but for some it is not easy and then chuck em in. Also I would do these parts with fresh Evaporust so not to risk staining the wood. Some recommen giving the wooden parts a thick layer of paste wax before. But I didn't.

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