old and rusty

[scott]

i bought a big lot of craftool and baron that are rusty. some there in no hope for but most i'd like to clean up and use. what works best to clean them and remove the rust. thanks all

[walletman]

hi scot i had some old stamps i used wire brush metal polish and lots of elbow grease and just take your time and on bad ones very fine sand paper hope this helps walletman (bob)

[barra]

I'm a fan of electrolytic rust removal.

All you need is a large plastic tub

1 car battery charger

1 lump of sacrificial iron scrap

One terminal is connected to the rusty tool, 1 is connected to the sacrificial iron scrap. I'm sure someone will chime in with what terminal goes to what. I can't remember off hand.

Turn on the battery charger and walk away. After a while a brown scum will form on the water. This is the rust coming off. No effort required rust removal.

Other methods are soaking in vinegar or a solution of tartaric acid.

Barra

Edited April 24, 2008 by barra

[deadringer]

G'day there

Yes I'm with you on this one barra it does a good job .

The + terminal is attached to the scrap metal and the - terminal is attached to the tool you want to clean ,making sure that the terminals are not in contact with the water itself .

Also add 1/4 cup of washing soda (used to soften water)to a gallon of water, I think this is to assist with the electolysis.

Best to use a peice of steel rod as the scrap so the end can stick out of the water.

Cheers

Chris

[Hilly]

Throw 'em in a gallon bucket of Coca Cola for a week or two. If you see what it does to the rust, chances are you won't drink it any more...

[Ian]

here's a Youtube video about just that

[bcurrier]

I never tried Coke (or even heard of using it). What does it do to the rust?

Bill

[scott]

thanks a bunch everyone i'm going to start playing with them tomorrow. i'll let you all know what works the best.

[paris3200]

The electrolysis method works great. I've used it to clean hand planes before. Try http://www3.telus.net/public/aschoepp/electrolyticrust.html for detailed instructions.

Jason

[Hilly]

I never tried Coke (or even heard of using it). What does it do to the rust?

Bill

It supposedly cleans away the rust. Haven't tried it myself. Someone I know swears this to be true.

I did have a friend who chewed tobacco, but NEVER spit (ewww), and also drank about a 12 pack of Coke a day. When he started having stomach trouble, he went to his doctor, and was given the option of giving up the chew, or giving up the Coke. He gave up the Coke, and his stomach trouble went away. No kidding.

[bcurrier]

The electrolysis method works great. I've used it to clean hand planes before. Try http://www3.telus.net/public/aschoepp/electrolyticrust.html for detailed instructions.

That's a good description. I used electrolysis to de-rust a 48" lathe (everything but the bed) - dozens and dozens of parts. Things I learned along the way:

Rubbermaid tubs are handy for the purpose and cheap.

The scrap piece the + is attached to has to be big enough - I started out using large nails, and wound up using heavy aluminum foil and a 16" x 4" piece of 1/4" steel. When I used foil, I tore off a long piece and rolled & wadded it to shapes that worked well with the piece being de-rusted. The foil completely deteriorates in a use or two.

Washing soda works a LOT better than baking soda. I have no idea why (any chemists here?). I can't say exactly how much to use, but I used a fair amount - maybe a half-cup per gallon.

I had to turn pieces to get all the rust off, and occasionally had to go through the process a couple of times, wire brushing between.

The water gets pretty cruddy after a few uses and has to be changed.

I generally left parts overnight in the solution with the charger going. My charger puts out a 2-amp trickle charge, which I think is a reasonable minimum.

Freshly-cleaned metal re-rusts FAST, in as little as a few hours. I wound up wiping them down immediately after taking them out of solution and wire brushing, drying them in a warm oven, and spraying several coats of a rust preventative spray. The nice thing about warm parts is that the spray dries immediately.

Take seriously the part about not submersing the + electrode. I did submerse it at first, and it took the copper coating right off. As the clip is made from steel, it's now - you guessed it - completely rusted.

Bill