Best way to clean sockets?

[Capt. Spaulding]

I love buying sockets at yard sales to continually build my socket collection. As I’m sure you all know yard sale sockets are almost always in different stages of rust. I enjoy the cleaning process, but I must admit, cleaning more than about 30 sockets in one sitting usually makes my hands cramp up and it’s just a real pain. Is there a better way? What’s your socket cleaning process? I normally just let them soak in WD-40 for 10 minutes or so and hit them with a wire brush. What I run into trouble with is cleaning the inside of the socket. If it’s a larger size socket I can get a wire brush in there and clean out the rust fairly well but on the sockets with heavier rust it seems rust remains in the corners and crevices. I ordered some new .22/.223 gun cleaning brushes. The long, slim, brass brushes that go on the end of the cleaning rod. I’m hoping this will work to get into the corners as well as let me get a brush into the smaller sizes. I was using a baby bottle ****** cleaner for this but it has nylon bristles that works but not very well to get the hard to clean spots. Should I be soaking them in something else to initially remove the rust more effectively? If so what do you all recommend? Thank you in advance for any info you guys can share with me.

 

[Musicinabottle]

I subscribed.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Evaporust is awesome. I usually clean the grease and grime, the soak them in evaporust for a couple hours if they are rusty. This set was completely rusted and this is the result after the evaporust.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Thanks for the info!

Is Evaporust availible in stores or will I have to order online?

I have heard white vinegar works well. Do you have any idea how affective white vinegar is compared to evaporust?

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Oh and amazing set by the way!!!

 

[PFSard]

There are a bunch of GJ threads on Evaporust. Put the following into Google.

evaporust site:http://www.garagejournal.com

I used to use vinegar until I tried Evaporust. It makes short money of cleaning up rust. I bought some at Harbor Freight. Then I ordered more through Amazon, but there are other brick-and-mortar stores carry it.

 

[Jimthediyguy]

There are a bunch of GJ threads on Evaporust. Put the following into Google.

evaporust site:http://www.garagejournal.com

I used to use vinegar until I tried Evaporust. It makes short money of cleaning up rust. I bought some at Harbor Freight. Then I ordered more through Amazon, but there are other brick-and-mortar stores carry it.

I too have that problem with my hands. I use a wire brush made of brass to get the worst of the rust off then soak in Evaporust. I got mine at Harbor Freight but I know a lot of auto parts stores carry it as well. Runs about $9 per gallon but you can use it over again until it no longer removes rust.

One great thing about it is that it is biodegradable; there is no acids or petroleum distilates in it. It's safe to pour down the drain.

Disclaimer: If you are married and want to stay married, don't pour it down the kitchen sink! Experience!

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[PacificaVette]

Runs about $9 per gallon

Where are you getting a gallon of Evaporust for $9/gallon? It's $20+ at Amazon.

 

[Tp2177]

I reload so I have a brass tumbler. I throw my nasty sockets in there and they usually look pretty good after a few hours. They do have a daily full finish when they get out though. Only problem I’ve seen is I have to check them more often than my brass because it does seem to wear some of the chrome off the longer it stays in there.


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[Jimthediyguy]

I bought mine at Harbor Freight. If I'm not mistaken, I paid just over $20 bucks for 2 gallons. That was last November.

Runs about $9 per gallon

Where are you getting a gallon of Evaporust for $9/gallon? It's $20+ at Amazon.

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[d42jeep]

I love buying sockets at yard sales to continually build my socket collection. As I’m sure you all know yard sale sockets are almost always in different stages of rust. I enjoy the cleaning process, but I must admit, cleaning more than about 30 sockets in one sitting usually makes my hands cramp up and it’s just a real pain. Is there a better way? What’s your socket cleaning process? I normally just let them soak in WD-40 for 10 minutes or so and hit them with a wire brush. What I run into trouble with is cleaning the inside of the socket. If it’s a larger size socket I can get a wire brush in there and clean out the rust fairly well but on the sockets with heavier rust it seems rust remains in the corners and crevices. I ordered some new .22/.223 gun cleaning brushes. The long, slim, brass brushes that go on the end of the cleaning rod. I’m hoping this will work to get into the corners as well as let me get a brush into the smaller sizes. I was using a baby bottle ****** cleaner for this but it has nylon bristles that works but not very well to get the hard to clean spots. Should I be soaking them in something else to initially remove the rust more effectively? If so what do you all recommend? Thank you in advance for any info you guys can share with me.

I’ve posted this picture before but these are what I use to clean out the inside of the sockets I find. I am careful never to use them on Cad plated sockets though!
-Don

 

[rsanter]

Parts washer
Then evaporust

 

[Stuart in MN]

Is Evaporust availible in stores or will I have to order online?

Any decent hardware stores should have it.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I buy the 5 gallon bucket online.

 

[fasteddie]

Question: how much would you guys pay for a used single socket at a flea market? A while back was at a large weekly flea market and I needed to replace a missing 12mm socket. Now there are several guys with tons of dirty rusted well used tools, they come every week and throw their stuff haphazardly on the ground in various old toolboxes and containers. They put out hundreds of pounds of junk in the morning and pack up 99% of it going home. So I dig through and find a well used Craftsman 3/8X12mm socket. Ask the guy how much, he grunts back to me "dolla". I offer him a quarter figuring I'd get it for 50 cents. He sez "no we don't got no quarter sockets here". I threw it back in his box of **** and walked. I don't get these guys. Do they want to haul this **** around for the rest of their lives?

 

[ng8264723]

TRY RUST 911.
Cheaper than evaporust. One gallon concentrate is 16 gallons!!

 

[ng8264723]

$1 is is a fair price for a USA socket.
Don't be so cheap!

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Thanks for the info everyone. I will definitely be picking up some Evaporust.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

I’ve posted this picture before but these are what I use to clean out the inside of the sockets I find. I am careful never to use them on Cad plated sockets though!
-Don

Sorry for my ignorance but why not? Will it remove the CAD? Will all CAD plated sockets be marked clearly?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Only removes rust in my exprerience

 

[Shelbylex]

Question: how much would you guys pay for a used single socket at a flea market? A while back was at a large weekly flea market and I needed to replace a missing 12mm socket. Now there are several guys with tons of dirty rusted well used tools, they come every week and throw their stuff haphazardly on the ground in various old toolboxes and containers. They put out hundreds of pounds of junk in the morning and pack up 99% of it going home. So I dig through and find a well used Craftsman 3/8X12mm socket. Ask the guy how much, he grunts back to me "dolla". I offer him a quarter figuring I'd get it for 50 cents. He sez "no we don't got no quarter sockets here". I threw it back in his box of **** and walked. I don't get these guys. Do they want to haul this **** around for the rest of their lives?

I think a lot of people just do not want to deal with change. I never tried to buy a single though.
What I would recommend is: pick up several and offer a dollar for 2 or 2 dollars for 4. Ideally, just try to pick up a lot of them at the yard sale.
When you pick up a lot of tools, you end up paying very little and can sell the ones you do not want (or exchange them for something). Had a similar situation with my neighbor recently: he ended up buying a socket he was missing - I had 2 extras in the same size and would be glad to just give it to him...
Also: there is a thread here where people are sharing the extra sockets they have and give away for the price of shipping. If you need a single one, try that...
I honestly wish we had an exchange thread by geographic area or stats - I have some extra tools and would not mind exchanging them rather than selling and then looking for buying more if the person was within a driving distance from me ...


... Just found it: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172529

 

[Musicinabottle]

Sorry for my ignorance but why not? Will it remove the CAD? Will all CAD plated sockets be marked clearly?

CAD = toxic.

 

[d42jeep]

Sorry for my ignorance but why not? Will it remove the CAD? Will all CAD plated sockets be marked clearly?

Cadmium dust is extremely toxic. The finish was used a lot before and during WW2. If you take a look at the S-K large sockets in this picture you will see what cad plated sockets look like.
-Don

 

[Musicinabottle]

Cadmium dust is extremely toxic. The finish was used a lot before and during WW2. If you take a look at the S-K large sockets in this picture you will see what cad plated sockets look like.
-Don

They sure do hold up though! I have a bunch of those war era sockets.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Cadmium dust is extremely toxic. The finish was used a lot before and during WW2. If you take a look at the S-K large sockets in this picture you will see what cad plated sockets look like.
-Don

Again sorry for my ignorance but are the CAD sockets the deep sockets or the two to the right? I’m assuming the pair on the right as they are obviously older and all old sockets I see have this finish.

Well it being extremely toxic isn’t good. If they are the two on the right I’m almost positive I’ve cleaned numerous amounts of CAD sockets with wire brushes and no respirator. I’m not sure if I should be worried?!?

I was actually about to clean some more tomorrow so thank you for the information. How do you go about cleaning CAD sockets?

Sorry to ask again but is identifying them based on their finish and age alone? Not markings of any type?

Sorry for all the rookie questions. I just always like to have all the info, especially if it’s to do with toxic dust!

 

[Musicinabottle]

Again sorry for my ignorance but are the CAD sockets the deep sockets or the two to the right? I’m assuming the pair on the right as they are obviously older and all old sockets I see have this finish.

Well it being extremely toxic isn’t good. If they are the two on the right I’m almost positive I’ve cleaned numerous amounts of CAD sockets with wire brushes and no respirator. I’m not sure if I should be worried?!?

I was actually about to clean some more tomorrow so thank you for the information. How do you go about cleaning CAD sockets?

Sorry to ask again but is identifying them based on their finish and age alone? Not markings of any type?

Sorry for all the rookie questions. I just always like to have all the info, especially if it’s to do with toxic dust!

On the right. They never marked them. You just have to go by the finish. It's okay so long as your aren't grinding on them or using a high speed wire wheel.

 

[d42jeep]

If they are greasy I will bathe them in solvent or brake cleaner and maybe scrub them with an old toothbrush and blow them off with compressed air. I would rather have sockets with discolorations than risk any health hazards. In the pictures of D-I sockets below, the cadmium plated sockets are on the left.
-Don

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

If in doubt, do your brushing wet, inhaltion is probably the worst mode of exposure.

 

[notlob]

Evaporust works great for rust; but remember it will remove black oxide finishes, and also the colorization of color-case-hardened tools (not common, but occasionally found on certain machinist tools). I discovered this the hard way when I used Evaporust to remove some rust from a very lovely set of vintage Starrett machinist clamps.

Example of color case hardening:

In addition, I suggest wearing respiratory protection when wire wheeling anything other than minor surface rust on a known finish. A lot of the vintage tools we accumulate have at some time served in the military and/or industry; who knows what kind of toxins, etc they have accumulated?

Here's what I wear - inexpensive, long lasting, surprisingly easy to wear, doesn't fog my safety glasses. If you do get a 3M mask, make sure it is a 7xxx series; in comparison to the (slightly cheaper) 6 series masks, they are significantly more comfortable, and your breath exhales through the bottom of the mask rather than the front, which prevents fogging your eye protection.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MCUULW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009POHG2M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

A lot of great info here and I very much appreciate it!

As far as the Cadmium goes. I am still a bit weary about cleaning sockets that I’m not sure are CAD or not. I assume like D42jeep said, when in doubt I rather have a discolored socket that a health hazard and I completely agree.

If I am in doubt about a socket or sockets I will obviously post them here to find out but if I didn’t would a toothbrush or other soft bristled brushes be safe for CAD? I assume so but just looking for confirmation. Also, would a wire brush in steel or brass be a big no, no for CAD if it’s basic rust removal or is any metal brush not advised without breathing protection?

Is there other CAD tools such as ratchets or extensions, etc that I should be keeping a eye out for?

Again, sorry for all the rookie question, but I just want to be safe while cleaning tools! Thank you everyone for the great info!

 

[Musicinabottle]

Any tool from that era will be cad coated instead of chrome. If the Cad is in tact, then a hand held wire brush would do little harm. If the cad appears to be flaking or starting to pit, I'd leave it in the garbage.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I don't think I have ever collected a cadmium tool that wasn't wearing away to one degree or another. It is characteristic of them to be deteriorating. It was a cheaper economy line finish before it was a chrome restrictions alternative for a reason: it won't last as long as chrome-plating.

As notlob alluded to, there were several other alternatives to chrome plating in the late 1930's and WWII to be aware of, all chemical-based, including black oxide (as the name implies, black or very dark in color, dull in appearance), zinc and other phosphates (whitish in color, dusty in appearance and texture), and enamel paint (often black or grey). Half of the tools in my collection are plain steel, the other half have some kind of finish. I wouldn't use a wire wheel an any of them.

As with cadmium plated tools, I will clean them with a little WD-40 and a pad of 0000 steel wool. I will use a soft wire brush with brisk forceful action on the more stubborn areas of rust. Neither of those is going to raise an inhalation risk, but I wear a little disposal mask when I am bent down over the work just in case. [EDIT: And I dispose of the steel wool and rags immediately. /EDIT.] As others have said, if you're not making a big cloud of dust, and you clean up properly afterwards, you should be fine.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Thank you again to everyone for all the great information!

I’m sure I’ll have more questions soon so please bear with me.

 

[waynew30]

soak them in kroil, sprays are easy to find, cans are harder to find, soak at least overnight or longer. solvent used to loosen valves that are rusted and have been in the weather for years

 

[ganymede]

For light rust, put a steel wool clump between your vise jaws (padded too), stick the socket on the end of a speeder ...

View media item 85317

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Well ****. That’s not a bad idea!

 

[Corndoggeh]

40-50 psi sandblast on the inside for me.

 

[MrDeerHunter]

Oxalic acid. Eats rust chemically but doesn't react to metal. It's the best stuff for cleaning tools especially chrome.

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[JimNC]

I don’t clean a lot of sockets, but if I did...

For the outside I’d use fine bronze wool and mount the socket on a drill adaptor, maybe flitz it if I’m feeling like a lot of bling.

For the inside I would try wet tumbling in spent brass primers. I reload so have many pounds of these, they are either brass or nickel plated brass and should provide a less aggressive cleaning than stainless steel pins.

This is all theory, might have to swing by the pawn shop this afternoon.

 

[madmanc]

soak the sockets in diesel and use a test tube cleaning brush