Claening tools with vinegar

[bobcatdan]

I found a crusty old micrometer. It worked, but had been sitting in my girlfriend's grandma's basement for 30 odd years and looked like it. I keep reading in here of guys soaking different things in vinegar to clean it so I tried it. I soaked the micrometer in vinegar for two days. Pulled it out and wiped off and rubbed it down with PB blaster. It looks pretty nice. So now it's been sitting on the dinning room table for two weeks, it locked up. I guessing it has to do with the vinegar, it worked when I found it. I never soaked anything in vinegar before, so what did I do wrong?

 

[OccupantRJ]

You did OK, but forgot to oil it up well in the spindle rotating area threads. Soak it in penetrating oil untill it can be rotated without excess force. Rotating back and forth in small increments is the way to break it free. You can then soak it in oil and work it to lube it up, then wipe it down on the outside.

 

[diggerrick]

Exactly how I salvaged this little Oxwall 1/4" drive - after reading about it here on GJ. Most of the chrome was already gone.

 

[NCCheesehead]

I have started to wash parts in baking soda and water mixture after the vinegar soak. It helps neutralize the acid in the vinegar and stops the flash rusting.

 

[bobcatdan]

Thats good info to know. I'm taking it to work on Monday and will hit it with some Kano. I will never use the little guy, but I still want it to work.

 

[Gregg33]

Keep the vinegar for French fries and use Evaporust next time. Sorry I couldn't resist a little sarcasm after a long day, but seriously with Evaporust, flash rusting is almost non-existent. But to fix your problem, try penetrating oil as previously mentioned or soak it in Evaporust, then wash it in hot water, dry it very quickly then blast it with WD-40 bigtime (to help dry it out and lubricate it). It should work fine after that.

 

[route246]

The vinegar is acidic and will immediately start the oxidation process. Rinse with water, preferably at pressure, blow out all joints with air and then hit it with WD40, blow any moving part areas with air and hit it with WD40 again.

Keep the vinegar for French fries and use Evaporust next time. Sorry I couldn't resist a little sarcasm after a long day, but seriously with Evaporust, flash rusting is almost non-existent. But to fix your problem, try penetrating oil as previously mentioned or soak it in Evaporust, then wash it in hot water, dry it very quickly then blast it with WD-40 bigtime (to help dry it out and lubricate it). It should work fine after that.