cleaning up your old tools.

[riley.m]

I want to know what people,who collect,older and vintage tools,do when they clean them,personally if its something i will use ill clean a ratchet to a polish,i recently repaired a plomb 5449,and sanded it lightly up to 2000 grit, it looks brand new,and i love it that way.i want to know if you vintage tool junkies consider that sacrilige.What are your opinions on the level of cleaning.:bounce:

[nordstar]

As of yet I have only soaked most of my older tools in WD-40 to remove dirt and grit and then brush with a nylon brush or 0000 steel wool. On harder crust I use a steel brush. I haven't really gone any further than that. On most of the tools I have found they look pretty amazing after that. I think if you go to far you lose a lot of the patina of an old tool.

[davestlouis]

I seem to recall that Plomb some other brands used a Cadmium plating, which can be dangerous if you grind or sand it...someone with more knowledge may want to chime in.

[krusty the clown]

it depends on the tool and the condition. something really old that is patina i'll just oil them down and leave be. if it's really rusty i'll bead blast it and polish it. everything in between gets different treatment.

[Uncle Buck]

I seem to recall that Plomb some other brands used a Cadmium plating, which can be dangerous if you grind or sand it...someone with more knowledge may want to chime in.

There is no mistaking the cad plate tools. They have a dusty grey look about them, which almost gives them the look of aluminum. Unfortunately for me I have been buying those old Plomb tools for years that were cad plated unbeknownced to me. The first thing I used to do was take them over and run every last square inch of the tool over the wire wheel of my bench grinder! Oh yea, they shined up real nice and stayed that way for most of 6-12 months before they once again assumed the dusty grey look they had when I aquired them.

I don't wire wheel them anymore, but I still do not pass on the opportunity to buy them when I can. The moral of the story is, .......DO NOT DO WHAT I DID, THAT IS EXACTLY HOW YOU RELEASE AIRBORN PARTICULATES THAT CAN END UP TRAPPED IN NASAL PASSAGES, OR DRAWN INTO THE LUNGS! :wtf:

(Well, guess I won't be around much longer) LOL :spit:

[davestlouis]

Hey Buck, can I have dibs on your Plomb tools?

[snapmom]

dido. Some collectors clean them (alloy art). I vote with krusty, depends on age and condition. Sometimes you just have to clean them, sometimes I just oil them and put them in the drawer.

[Uncle Buck]

Hey Buck, can I have dibs on your Plomb tools?

:lol_hitti:lol_hitti:lol_hitti:lol_hitti:lol_hitti

I am training my 6yr old boy! So no can do bro :)

[davestlouis]

And don't forget I'm the resident cemetery guy here on GJ, so when the time comes, I'm here to help with your final disposition, as well as the disposition of your tools:drool:

[Stanger]

I clean all the dirt out of the nooks and crannies and, if need be, put a light oil on them. If they are chrome, they just go in the toolbox and are ready for use.

[Garage-Junkie]

to me there is something cool about patina, dents and scratches on older tools. I have several ratchets, wrenches and others that were used by my grandfather (and were old and used when HE got them), then passed to my father, and then passed to me (and eventually to my kids), and I don't want to lose that "history" about them. Some stuff that doesn't have sentimental value I might clean a little, but I don't want anything to look new, other than the new tools ;)

[VWinTHEblood]

I have quite collection of vintage tools that have either been passed down to me or bought for cheap at the local flea market. All I do to clean them up is wipe them clean with a rag and some WD 40 and then put them in my box so I can use them, that way they wont rust anymore and you are pretty much guaranteed they will outlive you and get passed onto the next generation. Old tools never seem to break.:thumbup:

[Charles (in GA)]

Instead of using WD-40 why not use something that is more effective at providing some real protection and some lubrication to moving parts. Lubricants use on firearms are a good choice for tools.

Read this and you will understand............

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

Ezzox is my choice, I've use it for years.

http://www.eezox.com/index.htm

Charles

[Coach James]

I've used WD-40 to clean inside the heads of old ratchets I've bought. Wrenches, pliers etc get wiped off with an oily rag and put away. A couple times I bought large numbers of wrenches that had an extremly thick layer of grime and greasy dirt on them. I washed them in hot water and dish soap, dried them with a towel then put them in the oven at ~150 to finish drying. For most used tools I've bought, a wipe down with a little oil was enough.

Coach

[Bolster]

I worry about how to do this correctly, waaay more than I should. Still looking for the perfect tool rehab methodology. So far, I have had good luck with the following:

1. Wash the tool in mineral spirits, perhaps scrub with a brass brush. (Never a steel brush.)
2. Examine. If rusty, consider a bath in something like Must for Rust (a mild acid that eats rust but leaves most metals untouched). However, "fixed rust" in the middle of a chrome tool looks just as bad as original rust, IMHO, so step two is optional.
3. Lightly buff on a slow speed buffer with a grit appropriate to its needs (usually emery or tripoli or the white stuff for light buffing of chrome). Don't overdo it.
4. Clean again with mineral spirits. Wipe dry. Treat with a little oil if necessary.

I have not noticed the above procedure damages patina. Seems to leave it intact, or if anything, to further the process.

I am certain I will be flamed again for the following sentiment, but I really (really really really) do not like the look of a (steel) wire-brushed tool. I can spot them yards away at the flea markets and avoid them.

Others on this board say that power wire brushing is OK if you use a fine enough wire. I don't know, I can't seem to find a brush fine enough. Brass brush however gives me no problems at all.

[billymade]

I've been really impressed with "evapo-rust" remover lately; check it out! http://www.evapo-rust.com/

[VWinTHEblood]

Instead of using WD-40 why not use something that is more effective at providing some real protection and some lubrication to moving parts. Lubricants use on firearms are a good choice for tools.

Read this and you will understand............

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

Ezzox is my choice, I've use it for years.

http://www.eezox.com/index.htm

Charles

Those definitely seem to be better, but WD40 has proven itself to me and it's quite inexpensive it you buy it in bulk. I use my tools frequently enough that I always maintain a fresh coat of grease anyway.

Stuart