18 Inch Ridgid Restoration

[MagnumForce]

I bought an 18 Inch Ridgid Pipe Wrench this morning at a Garage Sale for 2 Bucks. The mechanism is smooth as silk but it just looks bad.

Does anyone have any experience restoring these? I was thinking about getting it all cleaned up and then using red caliper paint on it but what should I do about the jaws? Should I prime it first? Is Caliper Paint the best solution? Thanks in advance!

 

[mikefromme]

It's a pipe wrench... Just use it.

 

[MagnumForce]

I have plenty of nice pipe wrenches, thought this would be a fun project. Humor me.

 

[zkling]

If you have the time, go wild. I think it would be kinda funny to have a fully detailed pipe wrench. Either a real custom metalic paint job, o how about a full high polish and then blue the hard steel pieces? :lol

Please don't take that as a knock, I like it when someone goes overboard on what most would consider basic.

 

[MagnumForce]

Definitely, just looking for something fun.

 

[metaldad]

paint the handle gloss red, the jaws gloss black, and hi lite the imprints with silver.
feel free to use any color of the rainbow for the bottom jaw rivet

 

[rcjoy]

Powder coat it.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I think the jaws had a black oxide finish, they weren't painted from the factory.

 

[Aura]

Vinyl wrap. As mentioned, Powder coat with some nice chrome jaws? Speckled paint job? Have it anodized?

 

[Bigplum]

Full camo finish , just don't drop it in the fields

 

[jeffmoss26]

I've used Chevy Engine Red on several Ridgid wrenches. It's as close as you can get, the factory does not sell touch-up paint.

 

[Davefr]

Remove the dynamic jaw and nut from the handle. Run all the parts over a wire wheel brush.

Spray the nut, dynamic jaw and static jaw with clear lacquer.

Now mask off the static jaw and spray the handle with Rustoleum Red.

It'll look like new.

 

[MagnumForce]

Really thinking of bluing the jaw now

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Maybe some pinstripping to finish it off after it's done. I too like normal stuff over the top.

 

[astroracer]

I just picked this up at a yard sale. 2 bucks...

I was just going to use it but now you guys have me thinking...

 

[MagnumForce]

What is it with two dollar ridgid wrenches?

 

[MagnumForce]

So It cleaned up pretty well, soaking the black oxide parts in vinegar right now. Bubbling right up!

 

[Outlawmws]

You could do the custom car/Mercedes job on it. 18 coats of hand rubbed Lacquer, of course to satisfy a certain someone who hangs in the vise thread, it has to be "arrest me red"...

Blueing... Cold blue done right actually works well but you have to keep after it for many applications until the blueing gets even and stabilizes.

 

[rick carpenter]

Since you've got it soaking now, when you take it out be sure to neutralize it in a baking soda solution right away, then wash and dry. To make it look like this pic from the Ridgid site...



... you could black oxide or blue the dynamic jaw and nut; paint the handle red; and grind/sand off the machined and toothed surfaces.

 

[MagnumForce]

Masked it off and shot it with this rustoleum, snazzy color and I think it will give a better finish than caliper paint would. Came out pretty nice and dries pretty quick. This is all after the fact but I let it hang for about 3 hours after an hours soak in vinegar which really made the black oxide look awesome! Nice solid finish but needs some cure time before I use it. Anyway here is how it looks, still may blue the jaws but they cleaned and polished up amazingly. Coated them with some gun oil. Do need to put another coat on this thing towards the "bottom" so i will take it apart again and mask off all of the "top" but thought I would show you guys before I went to bed. It's like I went out and bought a brand new 50 dollar Ridgid Pipe Wrench.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Looks great!

 

[IOWNJUNK]

That is badass. Just plain ol' vinegar? I think I'm cleanin up old tools the hard way, gonna have to try your way, I have buckets of crusty tools that I'm trying to clean up a little. Wire brush and oil makes a bigger mess sometimes.

 

[zkling]

Looks great!

I think I would leave it as is now. I don't think bluing would go good against the red handle. Just my 2 cents though.

 

[MagnumForce]

That is badass. Just plain ol' vinegar? I think I'm cleanin up old tools the hard way, gonna have to try your way, I have buckets of crusty tools that I'm trying to clean up a little. Wire brush and oil makes a bigger mess sometimes.

I used a brass wire wheel to remove the old paint, the vinegar was just for the jaws to get the rest off them. Buffed off the "high" portions to get the two tone look then gun oil on the jaws.

 

[IOWNJUNK]

I used a brass wire wheel to remove the old paint, the vinegar was just for the jaws to get the rest off them. Buffed off the "high" portions to get the two tone look then gun oil on the jaws.

Understand that you only used vinegar for the jaws, I have never used it before. Have some old armstrong and williams wrenches that I'm gonna try it on, thats why I asked if you used "plain ole" vinegar. Before I go spend a whole dollar on a gallon of it.

Had planned on just wire brishing and light oiling, but after seeing what the black portion of your wrench looks like.

 

[Outlawmws]

There you go, good as new!

 

[Outlawmws]

Use straight White Vinegar. Some comes in slightly different acidic strengths; it's marked on the bottles. All of it works.

 

[MagnumForce]

I used Heinz White Vinegar could have soaked it longer but was afraid of removing the black oxide itself. Turned out awesome. I am scared to use this thing now! Just amazes me I got a 50 dollar wrench for 2 bucks and a can of spray paint.

 

[rick carpenter]

Looks really good!

In the vinegar soaks I've done, it has darkened the tools permanently. And it always left a black coating but I don't know how durable the black is if you leave it on. I always scrubbed it off.

My 10" Ridgid p/w definitely had red paint, but I couldn't find any red traces on the 8" Ridgid, looked like it maybe had black paint instead(?).

 

[Cab037]

Looks good! Sometimes you've got to do stuff just because you can.

 

[C96]

At first I thought this was….:supergay:

But now I want to do mine….

Great job, looks GREAT!