evapo rust question and detent balls question

[farmer bill]

Hi Folks,

I am working on cleaning up some old wrenches, sockets etc from my home farm that would benefit from some rust removal.

Some of them are socket extensions and t handles that have detent balls in them. some of which still move like they should, but the tools are quite rusty. thinking maybe the balls are stainless steel is why they are still operational. I know the extensions and handles have not been used in a long time based on where I am finding them amongst all the "stuff".

what had been your all's experience with putting these kinds of tools in evapo rust to clean them up and what have you done afterwards with the detent balls after soaking?

Also, look like most folks wipe tools off with a rag with some oil on it to prevent re-rusting. Any other suggestions, or specific oil products.

I have done one combination wrench that was pretty ugly looking and it came out nice.

I have been trying to get a fair amount of the rust off before putting in the evapo rust to help make it last longer, and do a little wire brushing after rinsing off with water and drying... so far anyway as I learn how to clean the various tools up.

Any thoughts on old highly rusted ratchets, I am not sure much can be done to restore some of them. Some look like it is not going to be possible to get them apart. I am thinking they have sat out in dirt floor tool sheds for too many decades. not on the floor, but the environment was too humid for their well being, or rode in leaky old tool boxes on tractors, or were in the barn with the livestock....

Thanks in advance for sharing your insight, knowledge and experiences!!!

 

[thehorse13]

You've come to the right place for rust and such.

Rusty ratchets - Drop them in a bucket of automatic transmission fluid for a few days. Give them a try. If they are free and working, you can open them up and give them a good cleaning and lube.

Evaporust - I tend to use steel wool whenever cleaning things that come out of an Evaporust bath. Keep in mind that if the finish on the tool is already roached out, the exposed metal will rust again quickly. I'm a cheapskate so I just wipe the tools down with a rag loaded up with WD-40.

Detent balls - Sometimes you can remove and repair them with a restrike tool. I've only done this one time and while it was successful, it was an experience I don't care to repeat unless the extension is incredibly rare.

 

[Provincial]

Sometimes the detent balls have a very good chrome plating, which resists rust quite well. Often, oil and grease collect in their recesses, which helps preserve them!

 

[bonneyman]

Provincial is correct. About the only thing to go wrong with detents is the damn springs usually rust and crumble. Loose tension I can deal with, but a working man under a tight hood might not tolerate an extension falling off. Replacing detent springs is possible but labor intensive and time consuming.