Cleaning tools

[Blanco_25]

I have some old snap on, plomb , blue point (s) tools and was wondering if it's worth cleaning up ? As far as evapo rust ?

 

[tym]

What kind of tools? Any photos?

 

[Richard Cranium]

What I have read is not to clean them up. The pintina could add value.

 

[someofusgotfarmingtodo]

I have used evapo rust to get rid of some nasty rust on the inside of sockets. It works pretty good most of the time, but sometimes I have seen it actually dull the shinny finish on the outside of the socket. Don't know why. If you use that product to clean up the tools, make sure you dunk the tools in oil afterwards. I have seen rust come right back even worse than before if you don't.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

I lost my favorite Snap On 1/2" ratchet in my Dad's barn for 25 years. When found, it had surface rust. I dismantled it and soaked it in vinegar to remove the rust. All of the chrome plating flaked and peeled off! So I sprayed several heavy coats of rustoleum clear on it and stuck it in my box. It is the one I use most often.

 

[lazer50]

If your just wanting to get rust off evaporust works well but turned my tools kinda black.but if you want to restore them before you do anything you may want the patina like Richard cranium mentioned.google electrolysis!its a fairly simple method with a bucket some household type stuff,battery charger.the results are pretty amazing.

 

[Blanco_25]

Thanks every one I'll post some pics up shortly , big bad dadi found my dad's snap on stuff and put some of them in the evapo rust and samething happened. One of his swivel sockets was froze but after a couple of minutes in there with some on p b blaster she was free .

 

[crguy]

Electrolysis turns stuff black also, and is nastier to work with than Evaporust.

 

[2oolhound]

Any damage to a chrome finish will allow rust to get a toe hold. Once this happens it will continue speeding under the chrome. Quite often soaking in evaporust etc. will end up lifting a lot of chrome off where rust has spread out of sight. Don't leave it in the bath any longer than necessary. Sometimes it's best to just wire wheel or use emery cloth to get the rust off.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I have used evapo rust to get rid of some nasty rust on the inside of sockets. It works pretty good most of the time, but sometimes I have seen it actually dull the shinny finish on the outside of the socket. Don't know why. If you use that product to clean up the tools, make sure you dunk the tools in oil afterwards. I have seen rust come right back even worse than before if you don't.

http://www.evapo-rust.com/product-info/faqs/

The black film is carbon from the steel. Steel is composed of a combination of carbon and iron. In certain instances, steel will darken in color after rust has been removed from the surface of the metal. This is a natural phenomenon that chemists refer to as “carbon migration”. The carbon from the steel moves, or “migrates”, to the outer layer of the metal and settles into the pores. The removal of the rust (iron oxide) reduces the proportion of iron to carbon, leaving a higher concentration of carbon on the outer surface. This heavier layer of carbon could cause a darkening of the metal due to the attributes of the carbon. The darkening does not have an adverse affect on the metal. It merely represents the movement of carbon from the interior of the metal to the exterior of the metal.

Since Evapo-Rust® is a highly effective rust remover, it stimulates the carbon migration process. Evapo-Rust®is not alone in creating the carbon migration effect. Other rust removal treatments will also result in carbon migration and a darkening of the metal. The primary difference between Evapo-Rust® and the acid based treatments is that Evapo-Rust® will not harm or weaken the metal. Unlike other treatments, Evapo-Rust® will not darken products made with low carbon steel.

With Evapo-Rust®, sometimes a wiping with a dry cloth or a more rigorous buffing can remove the dark coloring. A quick rinsing of the metal after Evapo-Rust® has been applied may also keep the carbon from settling into the pores of the metal.

There are several things that can be tried to minimize the effects of carbon migration. First, high carbon parts should not be soaked longer than necessary. Once the rust has been removed, the parts should be rinsed and dried. Second, a further dilution of the Evapo-Rust® formula may have a positive affect. The lower concentration of Evapo-Rust® will take longer to remove the rust, but may have less of an effect on causing the carbon migration.

The thing is that rust pits I believe. No real way to prevent that.

 

[MissileBear]

I have generally not had good results in retaining chrome plating when trying to do any kind of chemical based rust removal. Vinegar, lemon juice mixture, hydrochloric(muriatic) acid baths, Molasses, and Evapo-rust all seem to cause more flaking of the chrome plate as was already mentioned.

I do not use electrolysis on anything that is chrome plated because of the hexavalent chromium produced. It's really toxic stuff and cancer runs in the family.

I will generally settle on fine steel wool or industrial brillo pads to remove the surface rust, and a coating of paste wax to stop any further oxidation.

 

[notlob]

I do not use electrolysis on anything that is chrome plated because of the hexavalent chromium produced. It's really toxic stuff and cancer runs in the family.

I have looked for and have not found any authoritative evidence indicating the use of electrolysis to derust chrome plated objects produces chromium 6.

If you have such knowledge or evidence I would greatly appreciate knowing.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I read something in the cast iron pan thread about lye(drain cleaner) removing scaly rust. Thought about where lye comes from, and i've been having interesting results with a handful or two of wood ash thrown in a tub of water. It's a bit slow, like overnight.

If you swirl it around so the ash is suspended and settles on the tool, you will see a rust halo appear where the rust is pulled out through the particles.

 

[MissileBear]

I have looked for and have not found any authoritative evidence indicting the use of electrolysis to derust chrome plated objects produces chromium 6.

If you have such knowledge or evidence I would greatly appreciate knowing.

This has been an ongoing debate for a long time. Here is an archived thread that goes into it a bit from this site:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-157953.html

I have not ever found any "authoritative evidence" proving either it does or it doesn't, honestly.

There are several things that do concern me a bit:

1. Hex chrome is produced from welding, cutting, melting, or other "hot work" of chromium containing metals.
2. Hex chrome is produced in commercial electrolysis & plating processes (again to be fair, usually high temp and very high current).
3. Chrome plating already has minute amounts of hex chrome.

I do not find the test kits to be viable for our use. The hex chrome test kits are based on the reduction of hex chrome to chromium (III) using diphenylcarbazide as an indicator. Like many test solutions that rely on colorimetry the red/purple colors can be difficult to differentiate. False positives/negatives are not unheard of for testing hex chrome due to it's reactivity with iron and lots of other things. Additionally, the test kit needs a clear solution, and my vat water is never clear after I run electrolysis.

Some of the automotive guys I knew used to talk about the dangers of chromium toxicity when using electrolysis for rust removal; they'd send bumpers and other chrome pieces off to the plating company to be stripped & re-plated rather than stripping it themselves.

For me, gambling with the potential risks is not worth it.

Sorry to thread-jack Blanco