Coating tools after rust removal

[Onefastgsx]

I have a small toolbox full of all my taps and dies, handles, ect.
I had left them in the barn for a while, the roof developed a leak, and I found the toolbox yesterday with about a half inch of water in the bottom. Needless to say everything in the box was covered in rust.
They have been soaking in vinegar and I have already taken out a few and the rust is coming off easily with steel wool and wire brushes. Then I'm hosing them with brake cleaner to rid the rusty vinegar liquid left on them.

I want to go a step further and coat them to help prevent future rust. Should I just hose them with wd40 then wipe them dry? Is there another fluid or oil I might have on hand that would be work well as a rust preventer? Or is it really necessary to buy one of these dedicated "tool oil or tool wax" coatings I'm seeing on google?

 

[AceofSpad3s]

WD40 will just evaporate. I would use mineral oil, something that isn't disgusting to have over your hands if you are coating something like wrenches.

 

[Arcoril]

I've heard really good things about soaking things in Evapo-Rust to get rid of the rust followed by wiping them down with Fluid Film for prevention.

 

[ZRX61]

Boeshield T9 if you aren't handling them every day. Spray it on, wipe it down... altho for taps/dies just spray them.

 

[jumbojak]

For taps, coat them in melted gulf wax. It forms a nice thick "skin" that is easily removed. I'm not sure how much effort I would put into taps that have already rusted though.

 

[Dumber than lumber]

Evaporust? Well the good things I have heard is that once folks realized that plain old white vinegar does same thing they felt very violated.
Evaporust is expensive by comparison.

 

[Michael_in_DE]

There is a loooong research thread on a couple of dozen different gun oils. All of them put through the ringer and thoroughly tested. the winner? Frog lube. I also use it myself on my guns and my tools. Works awesome. Not only is it non-toxic, it actually smells great, and doesn't leave everything greasy. The guys at the gun show promoting it will dip his finger in it...and eat it.

But if you don't want to pay the premium for the best stuff, a lab did a Mass spectrometer test on the stuff to find out the ingredients because it was so popular. It's 98% coconut oil. Which I have also tried and it does work just as well. I heat the metals before and after application with a heat gun to make sure it gets into every possible spot before firming up, and then I wipe off the excess.

 

[skulldrinker]

No need to go hog GJ wild I say wd 40 unless you plan on putting them under the leak again. My adapters sit out in the open and do not get rusted again.

 

[seber]

WD40 is excellent for displacing the water you rinsed with and coating the metal. Downside is that it is not permanent. It will evaporate and leave the metal without protection. For shipping it is the coating of choice as it is easily removed at the delivery point and protects machine parts that are coated and wrapped extremely well.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

I have always just put a very thin film of bearing grease (or whatever grease I have on hand)on anything prone to rusting. WD40 is good too. That wax idea mentioned above sounds pretty good though and might be a little closer to permanent.

As far as rust removal, soaking in white vinegar works great. Maybe lightly brush it with a brass wire brush before hand to speed up the process a bit. Let items soak for a few hours or maybe even a day or two if the rust has gotten fairly deep. This is probably the cheapest and most readily available substance for rust removal. Its my go to for rust removal.

 

[bulletpruf]

Boeshield T9 is you aren't handling them every day. Spray it on, wipe it down... altho for taps/dies just spray them.

Boeshield is nice. That's what I would use.

I have Fluid Film, too, but it stinks to high heaven and the film it leaves is fairly heavy. Probably best for long-term storage.

 

[sberry]

WD is ok but liq wrench a little better.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I personally like using Kroil for this purpose, but most any oil will work (or paraffin wax, as mentioned above.)

 

[bpjr]

I use 30w motor oil but wipe them every couple month...I live on a saltwater river so they rust fast.

A really good way to make rusty tools look new is put them in a vibratory tumbler with corn cob media...there are various liquid polishing liquids that can be added to help. A large size ******** like Dillion makes for ammo reloading will fit most wrench size tools. Turn it on and monitor every 6 hrs until done. We learned this after hurricane Andrew hit and everything was sprayed with saltwater.

 

[Olafur]

It may sound too simple but I have very good experience using ATF or motor oil in a rag to wipe down tools and even my guns when I hunted in the rain or at sea. I use clean dry rag after and leave them with hardly noticeable film. Surprisingly clean and gives good protection. Much better than WD40.

 

[skulldrinker]

My taps and dies are from 1976. Look as new as the day i bought them. Just keep them in a case.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[bulletpruf]

I personally like using Kroil for this purpose, but most any oil will work (or paraffin wax, as mentioned above.)

Agree with this, but as expensive as Kroil is, I'd use something else.

It may sound too simple but I have very good experience using ATF or motor oil in a rag to wipe down tools and even my guns when I hunted in the rain or at sea. I use clean dry rag after and leave them with hardly noticeable film. Surprisingly clean and gives good protection. Much better than WD40.

ATF is what I usually use. Due to an order mixup a few years ago, I ended up with an extra case of Redline synthetic ATF. Been using it to wipe down bare metal stuff ever since. Works really well.

 

[Skin]

Evaporust? Well the good things I have heard is that once folks realized that plain old white vinegar does same thing they felt very violated.
Evaporust is expensive by comparison.

Evaporust is better. Vinegar, being acidic, attacks rust and healthy metal alike. It also causes a tenacious black oxide to form (especially on zinc coated parts) which can be even more annoying than the rust you were trying to get rid of in the first place.

 

[Olafur]

ATF is what I usually use. Due to an order mixup a few years ago, I ended up with an extra case of Redline synthetic ATF. Been using it to wipe down bare metal stuff ever since. Works really well.

Yes ATF seems to be very good for this purpose. It creeps very well too.

I used a mix of ATF and grease inside the closed frame-rails on my heavily modified snow rig. It's a Nissan and known rust bucket. Trying to prolong it's life I pumped a gallon of this mix into the frame back in 2011. It's still creeping out on seems and bolt holes. I estimate in 2022 it will cover all the outside of the frame as well.

 

[sweet victory]

I live near the beach, and I've been coating my tools with Corrosion X for guns. I haven't had any rust issues using this. I also like the needle on the bottle; a little goes a long way.

http://www.corrosionx.com/corrosionx-for-guns.html



Another product I have been wanting to try is called Sharkhide. It leaves no residue, which is something I would really like.

http://www.sharkhide.com/sharkhide_metal_protectant.htm

 

[lilcraigford]

Evaporust is better. Vinegar, being acidic, attacks rust and healthy metal alike. It also causes a tenacious black oxide to form (especially on zinc coated parts) which can be even more annoying than the rust you were trying to get rid of in the first place.

Just to add to this comment, make sure you neutralize the acid in the vinegar with something like a baking soda/water mixture.

 

[CR888]

I use Lanox in a spray can for long term corrosion protection. Its lanolin based & will last a lot longer than wd-40 or even motor oil.

 

[tym]

Just to add to this comment, make sure you neutralize the acid in the vinegar with something like a baking soda/water mixture.

Good call. When I don't have baking soda handy, I just do a long rinse under running water.

 

[dale500]

I like Fluid Film and also wd40's Long-Term Corrosion Inhibitor. It is much better then straight wd40 for rust prevention and you can usually find it at your local walmart.

 

[DHCrocks]

Evaporust? Well the good things I have heard is that once folks realized that plain old white vinegar does same thing they felt very violated.
Evaporust is expensive by comparison.

a big plus to evaporust is that it does not stink, good god....vinegar is one of the most offensive smells to me. that alone is worth the extra cost to me. not to mention it works so well and can be saved and reused.

 

[tym]

a big plus to evaporust is that it does not stink, good god....vinegar is one of the most offensive smells to me. that alone is worth the extra cost to me. not to mention it works so well and can be saved and reused.

Really? I think it smells like salad dressing, and salads are yummy.

 

[Onefastgsx]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I added baking soda to the vinegar this morning, per suggestion. I just got done pulling a bunch more pieces. I rub a brass brush across each one, and get down in the nooks and crannies of each die. Then I hose them with brake cleaner to get the vinegar solution cleaned off.
I am extremely happy with the results, and impressed how easy its wiping off.
I have some ATF I'll put on a rag and wipe each piece before putting them away in a new case I have for them.
I'm also planning to get out some of my gun oils and will be using that on all of my handles, making sure to get the moving parts, set screws, and adjusters, well coated in the gun oil.

I also took the time to repaint my 2.5in die holder. It was originally painted. It was large enough though I didn't soak it, I just cleaned it with a wire wheel. I went with blue because, well, basically it was the only color I had in the cabinet. So now it matches my mini bike lol

Thanks for all the feedback guys

 

[Olafur]

If you don't use your taps and dies much perhaps it would be best to put them in a sealed plastic box. Put oily rug at the bottom of the box and the tools on top. Wouldn't be too messy when you have to grab them. And perhaps it wouldn't matter since many jobs when they are used aren't very clean to begin with.

 

[FlaGman]

The baking soda should not be mixed directly with the vinegar, mix it with water to neutralize the acid after soaking in vinegar.

 

[Onefastgsx]

The baking soda should not be mixed directly with the vinegar, mix it with water to neutralize the acid after soaking in vinegar.

Whoops. I guess I screwed that up. It bubbled real neat when I added it in. Too late now though. Tools are all clean and rust free. I've got most of them wiped down with oil already and they all look good as new

 

[tym]

The baking soda should not be mixed directly with the vinegar, mix it with water to neutralize the acid after soaking in vinegar.

Yup.

 

[6PTsocket]

The baking soda should not be mixed directly with the vinegar, mix it with water to neutralize the acid after soaking in vinegar.

What's so terrible with neutralizing vinegar with baking soda. Neither one is acidic or alkaline enough to bite you. When it stops bubbling you are neutralized. You probably have to wash it anyway to get off the residue.

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[seber]

What's so terrible with neutralizing vinegar with baking soda. Neither one is acidic or alkaline enough to bite you. When it stops bubbling you are neutralized. You probably have to wash it anyway to get off the residue.

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Baking soda is a solid and will not get into all the places that the vinegar is sitting. It need to be flushed.

 

[jsmeece]

Baking soda is a solid and will not get into all the places that the vinegar is sitting. It need to be flushed.

Baking soda is soluble and will dissolve in the vinegar, where the vinegar goes so will the baking soda.

 

[thool]

3-in-1 oil is what I use. It is light enough to spread, even in the cold, and holds up pretty well. I have a rag dampened with it that I use to coat my tools after they are cleaned and before they're stored.

 

[Vvmvbb]

Only half the wd40 should evaporate.
It's a blend of solvent (like mineral spirits) and a high viscosity oil.
The solvent displaces water and thins the oil.
It then evaporates leaving the high viscosity oil.
That's the idea anyway.

 

[Tallpilot]

Only half the wd40 should evaporate.
It's a blend of solvent (like mineral spirits) and a high viscosity oil.
The solvent displaces water and thins the oil.
It then evaporates leaving the high viscosity oil.
That's the idea anyway.

Kroil is the same but in practice doesn’t leave enough oil for long term protection.

Boeshield. All the benefits of fluid film without the nasty smell.