Saving forgotten tools

[M. Blue 240]

I have an elderly neighbor that I've been trying to help out since I bought my house three years ago. It started with my Dad buying one of his parked cars(he had 5 cars and only drove one), which led to the discovery of tons of car parts. While digging out every part that could go to the car my Dad bought my neighbor told me I was welcome to any tools in his tool bag(sadly no big box of vintage tools). I dug through a little, but foolishly decided not to take anything.

This weekend I fixed my error though. I was helping him clean out even more stuff(mostly garbage) and decided to take a second look at the tool bag. As soon as I opened it I realized I had been an idiot 3 years ago.

The blue handles are Channellock and the red handles are Fuller(made in Japan):

The blue handles are Klien:

The one on the left is Klien:

Long CM:

Unfortunatly most of them have surface rust on them. Any tips on how to clean them up and get them back to useable shape? I haven't looked into warranties either. They don't look "vintage" so I could also warranty them for new ones.

The worst victim was the needle nose:

 

[WRX/Z28]

Wire brush, or wire wheel and some WD-40 would clean up a lot of that. It won't be perfect, but they'll be useable, and less rusty.

 

[Cookannapurna]

Evaporust

 

[jeffmoss26]

Very nice! Those green Xcelite screwdrivers are great. I have one for microphone connectors, called a 'greenie' in the sound biz.

 

[4x4gearhead]

I too have that same green xcelite screwdriver at home somewhere, I found it in the glovebox of a truck I bought along with a few other things I still have/use.

 

[woody 73]

Very nice tools, I save forgotten tools whenever I find them for the next generation too enjoy. one trick that I have learned for lite rust like your tools are showing, I bought a very fine brass wheel that I use on my slow speed bench motor just a little touch will clean up your tools very nice.

 

[Outlawmws]

Very nice tools, I save forgotten tools whenever I find them for the next generation too enjoy. one trick that I have learned for lite rust like your tools are showing, I bought a very fine brass wheel that I use on my slow speed bench motor just a little touch will clean up your tools very nice.

 

[M. Blue 240]

Very nice tools, I save forgotten tools whenever I find them for the next generation too enjoy. one trick that I have learned for lite rust like your tools are showing, I bought a very fine brass wheel that I use on my slow speed bench motor just a little touch will clean up your tools very nice.

Another reason for me to get a bench grinder

I've been digging through cl to find one suitable, but keep coming up dry. I want something vintage, but they're all china **** or WAY out of my price range. Still hoping to find a vintage CM, the kind with the turned metal details.

 

[el tanque prohibido]

Another option is the maroon colored ScotchBrite hand pads; they're made especially for metal. They will scratch a little bit, but if you follow the grain direction of the piece you're working on, you won't see it as much.

 

[Danglerb]

I always start with WD40 and a rag, and usually end with that.

 

[M. Blue 240]

I might have to give the WD-40 and scotch bright trick tomorrow night. This popped up tonight though:

Its not exactly what I want, but it will certainly do the job while I keep looking.

 

[barcalo]

I might have to give the WD-40 and scotch bright trick tomorrow night. This popped up tonight though:

Its not exactly what I want, but it will certainly do the job while I keep looking.

I really like that Underline C you got. If you do not mind what did you have to pay for it?

 

[thetreshon]

Unfortunatly most of them have surface rust on them. Any tips on how to clean them up and get them back to useable shape? I haven't looked into warranties either. They don't look "vintage" so I could also warranty them for new ones.

i've been soaking in vinegar for a day or two, rub off with a new toothbrush/plastic bristle brush, then wash them off, dry off quickly, then dunking in oil right away - wipe off and they look pretty good.

 

[lbgradwell]

i've been soaking in vinegar for a day or two, rub off with a new toothbrush/plastic bristle brush, then wash them off, dry off quickly, then dunking in oil right away - wipe off and they look pretty good.

+1 on the vinegar soak (cheaper than Evaporust by far) but don't leave the tool in too long...

But use an old toothbrush, not a new one!

 

[Even 11]

Good job on the tools, I love your new bench grinder too!! Keep me in mind when you find the one you really want!

-Dane

 

[M. Blue 240]

I didn't buy the grinder Thats the pic from cl. I emailed him with a low offer of $40 and said I could pick it up Friday(work and life has got me swamped today and tomorrow). I got the typical cl response of poor spelling, horrible grammer, no punctuation, and he said he wanted $50. I thought $50 wouldn't break my bank, but then I read "if i don't sell today ill just keep it."

I'm just going to shrug my shoulders and figure it will save me from dealing with a meth junkie. I'll email him tonight and tell him he can get a hold of me if he still wants to sell it on Friday.

 

[M. Blue 240]

+1 on the vinegar soak (cheaper than Evaporust by far) but don't leave the tool in too long...

But use an old toothbrush, not a new one!

I keep old toothbrushes for just this purpose. Every part I take of my car gets a thorough claening before it goes back on. Eventually I'll have every part on my car cleaned.

I've never oiled tools, would old motor oil work?

 

[geologist]

I've never oiled tools, would old motor oil work?

Yep. I usually get an old pan from a dollar store / dollar tree and heat the oil up a bit, then dip. I don't heat it to a boil, but I'm sure it's probably close (~180 degrees when I temp checked once). If possible, I try to avoid submerging any rubber grips, but I'll hold the bare metal in the oil for a bit so that it can heat up and pull some of the oil into its porous surface. After it's heated up (a minute or two), I pull it out and set it aside. After I'm done with all of my tools that need oiled, I give them half an hour to cool, then I wipe off most of the excess. Use a low viscosity natural motor oil for best results. I use Valvoline Max Life for high mileage vehicles.

 

[camarotoolman]

GIBBS oil is 10 times better than wd40

 

[barcalo]

I didn't buy the grinder Thats the pic from cl. I emailed him with a low offer of $40 and said I could pick it up Friday(work and life has got me swamped today and tomorrow). I got the typical cl response of poor spelling, horrible grammer, no punctuation, and he said he wanted $50. I thought $50 wouldn't break my bank, but then I read "if i don't sell today ill just keep it."

I'm just going to shrug my shoulders and figure it will save me from dealing with a meth junkie. I'll email him tonight and tell him he can get a hold of me if he still wants to sell it on Friday.

ROFL. CL really has a bunch of morons but at times you can run into a great person. I am not the grammar or spelling police but I agree with the theme that CL is filled with folks that are maybe two steps away from being actual cavemen.

And I agree with the $40 price, thats a fine price for that anything more and you are looking at an overpay.

 

[Outlawmws]

Another option is the maroon colored ScotchBrite hand pads; they're made especially for metal. They will scratch a little bit, but if you follow the grain direction of the piece you're working on, you won't see it as much.

I might have to give the WD-40 and scotch bright trick tomorrow night. This popped up tonight though:

Don't use Scotch Brite unless the tool had a matt/sanded finish to begin with. Scotch Brite is abrasive and comes in differing grits according to color. Oil and fine 0000 steel wool work well on polished and chrome surfaces, (the oil keeps it from scratching. use motor oil...) For chromed tools, SOS (not Brillo) also work well, (the soap acting as the lubricant)

Tools with no plating; Electrolysis is very good and Evaporust, vinegar or even a molasses solution is good for unplated or plated tools.

 

[M. Blue 240]

I got everything cleaned up nicely and will be trying to oil them this week. The needle nose pliers are still bugging me though. The rust on all the other tools cleaned up enough that I won't care about the minor damage it caused. The pliers are a different case though. The rust was bad enough it left discoloration when I cleaned it up. Any tips on how I can clean this up and get them looking new? Should I do it before or after I oil them?

I also cleaned up the two punches I found in the bottom of the vintage CM box I bought months ago. I've never seen name brand punches, so I just assumed these were nothing special. A little WD-40 and now I have two Proto punches.

 

[Outlawmws]

I got everything cleaned up nicely and will be trying to oil them this week. The needle nose pliers are still bugging me though. The rust on all the other tools cleaned up enough that I won't care about the minor damage it caused. The pliers are a different case though. The rust was bad enough it left discoloration when I cleaned it up. Any tips on how I can clean this up and get them looking new? Should I do it before or after I oil them?

What have you used so far? Several options but don't want to repeat what you already have done.

Also since the pliers are not polished and are mat finish anyway, this is one place where judicial use of the Scotch bright may be a good solution.

 

[M. Blue 240]

I used WD-40 and a scotch bright (type) pad. A little soak in the 40 and the rust mostly wiped off. I'm not sure how abrasive the pad is. My Dad's company sells pads and we get all the unboxed left overs, so I just used what I had on the shelf.

 

[metaldad]

okay...........i'll byte ...... what's a brass wheel?

 

[jeffmoss26]

I've used the red 3M pads on a right angle air grinder at work to clean up tools.
I'm guessing a brass wheel is for a bench grinder, but instead of being hard steel, it's brass.

 

[Syndicate]

M Blue 240 any updates on that grinder? Did the guy ever contact you back Friday? That is worth going after. That is a vintage grinder and you can turn a profit on it when you finally find what you need.

Yes a brass wheel is for a bench grinder. It is wound just like the regular wire wheels, and you can use it for precious metals, or use it where you do not want deep scratches in your item you are grinding. Also they do sell spark free wheels for areas where sparking is a concern.

Jeff, I use the same thing. Red Rol-Lok pads. They work awesome for cleaning glue residue off of parts, rust off of tools, and occasionally when I am too lazy to get the sander out, work in a pinch to sand wood.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I've also used the blue 60 grit that are more like sandpaper but don't recommend it unless you want to take a lot of metal off

 

[M. Blue 240]

M Blue 240 any updates on that grinder? Did the guy ever contact you back Friday? That is worth going after. That is a vintage grinder and you can turn a profit on it when you finally find what you need.

QUOTE]

I got a "call before you leave" response from him. I don't even know where the guy lives, so I can't plan on a time frame for travel. This week has sucked for freetime. As it is I'm working 7 days a week (for at least 3 months), 60 hours each week, all on graves.

Wednesday I woke up early for an interview, Thursday was a maternity doc appointment, Friday I woke up early for training, so I ran on 4 hours of sleep each day. By Friday I found my self droning. I caught up on sleep this weekend and will hopefully be able to meet him tomorrow or Tuesday.


So for the pliers whats the consensus? Brass wheel or 3m pad? I'll likely need to attach it to my drill. My inventory of power tools is minimal and I have no air tools.

 

[barcalo]

For the pliers I would use what ever is easiest or cheapest for you to clean them up. They are not antique or have any collectors value so whatever works best / cheapest / easiest would be my answer.

Those proto punches cleaned up nice. Good stuff!

 

[Outlawmws]

SNIP
So for the pliers whats the consensus? Brass wheel or 3m pad? I'll likely need to attach it to my drill. My inventory of power tools is minimal and I have no air tools.

Either one will work, but if you are going to be buying used tools, I'd get the brass wire wheel for future use.

 

[thetreshon]

+1 on the vinegar soak (cheaper than Evaporust by far) but don't leave the tool in too long...

But use an old toothbrush, not a new one!

Guess I figured I'd use a NEW one so the bristles are nice and straight, strong...I actually got an electric brush as a gift, so all the brand new ones given to us by the dentist just sit in a drawer!

Maybe I should sell them on GJ as "NEW TOOLbrushes for sale!"

Ooooh....as I'm typing this, I'm realizing the Electric Toothbrush would work better and save me some time! THEN I'll use the used brush head, as new ones are really pricey....but how to I explain to my wife why the handle smells like vinegar....