tool care tips - share with us

[WMS PERFORMANCE]

Good tools can be quite an investment, but if you take good care of them, they'll return the favor. We're mostly talking about hand tools, power tools, and garden tools in this article, but much of the same advice applies whether your tools of choice are kitchen knives, crafting tools, or whatever else. Store them well, keep them clean and well-maintained.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Clean your garden tools and apply a coat of oil after every use. My grandfather kept a bucket of sand and used motor oil in his shed. After cleaning the tools he would simply push the blade into the oily sand then pull it out and hang the tool.

 

[bcradio]

After cleaning the tools he would simply push the blade into the oily sand then pull it out and hang the tool.

odd.

I say keep tools clean and use the tool only for its intended purpose.

 

[Ponchoguy]

odd.

I say keep tools clean and use the tool only for its intended purpose.

Ditto. A little WD40 goes a long way.

 

[gungatim]

Ditto. A little WD40 goes a long way.

yeah, a long way in promoting rust...

I just wipe down with oily rag when I'm done.

also save the silica gel packs that come in everything and toss them in toolbox drawers and the gun safe...

I've read where you can make your own out of dried flower supplies at the craft store but haven't tried it...

 

[Jeeper]

yeah, a long way in promoting rust...

I've read where you can make your own out of dried flower supplies at the craft store but haven't tried it...

I have done this. Took some old baby socks and filled them with descant that you buy in the hobby store. Put them in those rubbermaid containers that have my old Lionel trains and other items we store.

I should put them in my tool boxes, but those aren't air tight so not sure how well they would work.

 

[gungatim]

I have done this. Took some old baby socks and filled them with descant that you buy in the hobby store. Put them in those rubbermaid containers that have my old Lionel trains and other items we store.

I should put them in my tool boxes, but those aren't air tight so not sure how well they would work.

they would work as well as the little gel packs, but they do get saturated and stop working. Again, I've read there are ways to dry them out and re-use, forget if it is microwave or oven, but never tried it...I eat enough beef jerkey and buy enough Chinese **** that always has those packs in it so I'm never short of 'em...

 

[Warrenator]

If you live in a humid place, try a rust inhibitjng drawer liner like Zerust.. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00150M732/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Most old tools I have (I buy used tools exclusively to get better quality for my $) have at least surface rust, and we are in dry Los Angeles. Some of them look like they were left out in the weather, some have dirt down in the nooks and crannies. Rust can't really get a hold of a clean dry tool.

Big heavy steel tools almost always have rust as they will stay cooler than the surrounding air and dew will form on them.

I put paste wax on the cast iron tables of saws and stuff, wipe oil on the smaller stuff.

 

[General Geoff]

With black oxide tools like impact sockets, I'll occasionally give them a wipe down with a CLP-soaked rag, particularly if I'm using them during a very humid period. The CLP stays on the sockets that are untouched, but with ones I'm using/handling, I'll wipe em down again after I'm finished with the job.

Otherwise, I just try to keep most dirt and debris off of the stuff.

 

[zmotorsports]

odd.

I say keep tools clean and use the tool only for its intended purpose.

Agreed. A tool for every job and a job for every tool. Nothing bothers me more than seeing a co-worker using a ratchet as a hammer or a screwdriver as a chisel.

Like most others, I treat my tools well, clean them before putting them EXACTLY where they go so I can grab them without thinking, clean shop equipment after each use and don't leave a mess when I quit for the evening. There is nothing worse that walking in the next day and having a mess smack you in the face.

If I have a tool that needs repair I address it immediately rather than put it away and worry about fixing it next time. I also dress or sharpen my drill bits immediately and not put them away with a nick in them or dull. When I want to reach for a drill bit, I need to know it is sharp and ready for action right then and there.

Mike.

 

[hautpot]

Machinist tools:

-Don't leave a micrometer at minimum value (touching faces) and put oil on the spindle.
-Avoid letting sharp tools like drills and endmills touch each other.
-Put light oil on the slide of a caliper
-Keep light oil on steel gauge blocks for storage

-put a little oil on machine screws to drive them easier if allowed

 

[d.mcfarland]

Store them well, keep them clean and well-maintained.

I think the question is already answered...

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Cleaning Sockets:
If they are really dirty or rusted, put an drive adapter into a drill and use a scuff pad and wd40, don't go too fast or too long because it makes alot of heat. Then take a course cloth and repeat the first step minus the wd40. Cleans sockets really well and quick but can be a pain if you use reducers since sometimes they get stuck. You can use it on the inside of the socket as well if you can get in there. If the sockets are not that dirty just use the cloth and a bit of wd40, it also oils the sockets to prevent them from rusting.

 

[leg17]

It goes without saying:

In the end, EVERY tool is a hammer.

Just watch your wife for a while.

 

[leg17]

Clean your garden tools and apply a coat of oil after every use. My grandfather kept a bucket of sand and used motor oil in his shed. After cleaning the tools he would simply push the blade into the oily sand then pull it out and hang the tool.

A well-known tip "back in the day".

 

[kirkkw]

My grandfather oiled the bottom of the lawnmower deck.

 

[rdog422]

let me give some advice on what not to do........
I used to work maintenance at a recycling plant, which is a filthy place. Keeping your tools "clean" is a hopeless struggle there. Anyhow, I worked nights so my Ryobi Lantern was always at my side. I noticed that the layer of filth on it was making my lantern dimmer, so I sprayed with brake cleaner and wiped with a rag, looked brand new...... the next day the bright green plastic turned to a faded white film, and no amount of wd40 and polishing would bring it back to bright green.

In conclusion, Brake cleaner works really well on chrome tools, but horrible for plastic ones.

 

[thatguysb]

To clean sockets I usually dip them in a small container of gas. The dirt and grease easily move out once agitated. I usually air dry them and pack them back on their rails. Some wd40 mist and back in storage.

I clean them maybe once every 6 months or more depending on the uses. Never had any problems with this.
A parts washer would do this very easy now thinking about it.

 

[hautpot]

Torque wrenches should always be reset to lowest value.

 

[Leoruiz]

Torque wrenches should always be reset to lowest value.

Good torque wrenches are needle type. The rest are junk

 

[Mohawk Dave]

As far as digging tools and striking tools, i.e. shovels, picks, mcleods, etc, I got bored one day after seeing someone on here restore one, and I wire wheeled them and painted all the working ends my favorite green color.

I can't believe how well dirt and muck wash off them now. I have touched up the bottom of the square shovels once already from concrete scraping. But damn! they stay clean now. And look awesome.

 

[rick carpenter]

1. With the vintage sockets and extensions I picked up that had the chrome chipped and/or had rusty areas, I stuck them in a drill w/adapter and sanded off the remaining chrome or rust. Then I progressively sanded/polished them down until bright. Then I waxed 'em. They don't rust unless I don't clean them and maintain the wax, and they don't cut my hands.

2. Protect toolbag beater chisel edges, awl points, etc with sections of old garden or air hose.

3. Flatten wooden round-handled hand tool handles enough so they don't roll > fall > dull/chip when in use.

4. Take apart and clean and re-lube ratchets when new and when you have plenty of time. You'll know how to do it quicker when time is short.

5. Use dabs of painters tape on AA and AAA cell ends and store them in clear plastic tubing for testers etc if you don't use them often.

6. Vacuum cleaner flat extension nozzles http://www.xavax.eu/bilder/00110/abb/00110265abb2.jpg makes great drywall saw toolpouch sheaths if adjusted for friction fit by boiling and squishing as needed.

 

[WMS PERFORMANCE]

i use this


http://www.fine-tools.com/pflege.html