tool cleaning

[goldie lox]

wondering what everyone is cleaning there tools with. from the chrome plated ones to the non plated ones. i have some channel locks that are not rusty but not like original, wondering what you use to clean/restore those kind of tools

 

[ChevyEFI]

Dexron.

 

[Adam.C]

You can clean chrome with aluminum foil and a drop of water or vinegar. Rub hard until the foil turns black. I touch up black oxide tools with Brownells Oxpho Blue cream.

 

[Jure]

wd 40 + wire wheel

 

[AndrewV]

I personally just use the oil, trans fluid, brake fluid that fell on them. Then a clean rag.
Since I was 14 or so.

 

[kctyphoon]

hot water and dawn with a scrub brush.

 

[Tim37]

Brake cleaner.

 

[carcajou]

My wife was gone for the weekend. Her dishwasher sure cleaned up my chrome sockets.

 

[JUNK-MAN]

I usually use a wire wheel on chrome tools and fine sandpaper on non-plated tools, then a rag and some WD-40 or paint on pipe and crescent wrenches so they don't rust up again.

 

[zakmartin]

Rose water and a silk handkerchief.

 

[goldie lox]

ever try to use gun blue on the non chrome tools

 

[Shadowdog500]

I send mine to the dry cleaners!

Chris

 

[Dave455]

Wipe 'em down after use with a squirt of WD-40. Works great on Chrome, blue, plain steel or whatever.

If you've no WD then any oil on a rag works!

If your tools are plain steel, perhaps pliers or suchlike, then they are much easier to keep clean if they have been given a polish. A go over with progressively finer grades of emery takes a little while but then you have a tool that looks good and is easy to clean.

Really rough bare metal just gets rougher even if you try to look after it!

Good steel used on good tools (Snap On or Elliott Lucas pliers for e.g) doesn't seem that prone to rusting unless you really abuse 'em! Cheap tools, even cheaper European pliers, seem to rust at the slightest excuse!

 

[d.mcfarland]

Good steel used on good tools doesn't seem that prone to rusting unless you really abuse 'em! Cheap tools, even cheaper European pliers, seem to rust at the slightest excuse!

Harbor Freight long reach pliers will rust in your living room. They still work, just somehow have very little corrosion resistance! Good point.

 

[Palmer812]

I like the blue S.O.S. pads if tools are really dirty/rusty

 

[Boiler]

I use a brass wire brush extensively on auction tools to clean them up. I also use a plastic bristle brush. Round pipe type brushes of various sizes for sockets and box ends.

Usually I drop everything in wd40 first, then brush them, then rag the excess oil. I've got micro fibers that are semi wet with wd40 all the time from this process. I use them to wipe down my personal tools after use. In grime anywhere, even box wrench internal corners. No rust either. And it smells good.

 

[jobo1004]

I use simple green to clean them and then spray them with T-9 boeshield and wipe them off.

 

[beatcad]

i clean my tools w/ unicorn tears

 

[rdn2blazer]

ProtectAll or Lemon Pledge

 

[defektes]

Mobil 220 industrial gear oil, because its plentiful here at work. Otherwise, at home silicone spray to waterproof.

 

[jim1987]

You mean some of you guys get your tools dirty? I thought that's what mechanics were for? You pay them so they get THEIR tools dirty while YOURS stay nice and shiny.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Wonder what mechanicnamedjohn uses to clean his tools and toolbox They always look brand new like they were never used. I believe he uses goo gone.
Chris

 

[AmishFury]

i have chuck norris bottle his ball sweat and use that to clean my tools... doing that will make even an HF combo wrench so strong you could snap the head off a grade 8 bolt with the open end... without even turning the wrench

 

[njride]

i have chuck norris bottle his ball sweat and use that to clean my tools... doing that will make even an HF combo wrench so strong you could snap the head off a grade 8 bolt with the open end... without even turning the wrench

what if they get pregnant?

 

[AmishFury]

no idea... but make sure not to drop them... one fell out of my delorean back in 1908 when i was in russia

 

[1950mercury]

i have chuck norris bottle his ball sweat and use that to clean my tools... doing that will make even an HF combo wrench so strong you could snap the head off a grade 8 bolt with the open end... without even turning the wrench

Glad you like touching another guys ball sweat I'll pass...

If it's more than a wd40 and a rag clean up I just deal with it...I use my tools and keep them clean from grease and oil but don't polish them.

 

[AmishFury]

that's why you use gloves... i'm sure direct contact with human skin would either cause growth of extra testicles or a constant feeling of getting a roundhouse kick to the face




all joking aside i just wipe them down with a rag... only time i get more serious is if i dig up or buy some old tool that could use a good thorough cleaning (for example a ratchet with old dryed up dirty grease in it or something with some rust on it) in which case i have a wide array of various products and techniques for handling these tools

 

[HalfFlip]

brake cleaner and/or breakfree clp

 

[Adam.C]

i have chuck norris bottle his ball sweat and use that to clean my tools... doing that will make even an HF combo wrench so strong you could snap the head off a grade 8 bolt with the open end... without even turning the wrench

Why did you feel this was neceessary? This is embarrassingly stupid. You typically have valuable content to offer that I appreciate. I didn't appreciate this.

I get that some here are too manly to clean their tools. Real men use rusted tools crusted with blood and grime. Got it. If you feel strongly about that, state it respectfully or take it elsewhere. The OP has a legitimate question.

FWIW, I have always kept my tools **** and span. Call me what you will (but please do so privately). Part of that comes from working on aircraft. But I've also been inspired by the motorsports guys. I got to tour Penske's shop in Reading years ago. One might expect it would be clean. It was cleaner than that. Almost like an operating room. Also recently toured the Mercedes and Porsche plants. I guess they are as girly as the aircraft guys because even the guys doing the restoration work (in the Porsche cafe), were neat and tidy. BTW, their tools weren't glitzy like our Snap On stuff is. I guess they were using Hazet and Gedore stuff. It was all very industrial looking (personally, I find those tools unattractive). Aircraft mechanics where I work use very little chrome tools, due to potential FOD. I dig the industrial finish stuff, especially when it isn't rusty. The race car teams have boxes that look like Snap On display cases. They are beautifully arranged, gleaming chrome goodness.

 

[Jlbc212]

From living and working in the rust belt I've learned that the best way to keep your tools free from rust is to use them. Keep a rag or paper towel handy to wipe off the excess dirt, grease and/or oil.

 

[geojag]

I generally just wipe them off with an oily rag when I am done with them. For automotive applications, the automobile generally supplies the oil. For other applications, usually a squirt of cutting oil from the workbench and a wipe off, if it is dirty. If something gets really grimy, maybe a nylon brush and then a wipe off. Tools that are stored in the open, humid air in my shop (clamps and such) occasionally get a spray of WD40.

 

[AmishFury]

Why did you feel this was neceessary? This is embarrassingly stupid. You typically have valuable content to offer that I appreciate. I didn't appreciate this.

i'm sorry you couldn't handle a bad joke

i have two modes... serious and excessively not serious

but back to serious.... ATF, brake cleaner, CLR, simple green, purple power, carb cleaner, steel wool, scotch brite, wire brushes, wire wheels, shop rags, sometimes even the use of a hammer or mallet on a rusted tool that has moving parts that no longer want to move without some convincing

there is something satisfying about bringing a rusty old tool back to life... currently working on some rusted kleins that i found in the back of the garage

 

[MechanicNamedJohn]

Wonder what mechanicnamedjohn uses to clean his tools and toolbox They always look brand new like they were never used. I believe he uses goo gone.
Chris

For chrome.... Mineral Spirits bath in parts washer, then WD40 soak, wipe/dry with PIG Mats.

 

[Wamsutta]

scotch-bright + WD40 for rust

go-jo creamy white hand cleaner for plier grips and screwdriver handles

 

[Coach James]

usually wipe them off with a rag before putting them away. I use a old toothbrush to remove dirt from hard to reach areas.

For rust, usually scotch brite then oil.

Coach

 

[panknuckshovel]

i clean my tools w/ unicorn tears

Are they Cornwell?

 

[General Geoff]

I rarely feel the need to clean my tools, but I will give them a quick wipe-down with motor oil or BreakFree CLP if they've gotten wet or have been snowed on (junk yard/outdoors), to keep them from developing rust. For getting grime off, just a basic dish scrubbing brush and whatever degreaser I have on hand, rinse with water, then a wipe down with motor oil or CLP. I don't clean them to surgical standards, I just like to be able to pick up my tools without my hands getting grimy.

 

[countryroad82]

About once or twice a year I give all my tools a good wipe down with WD-40 and a rag. In between those times I wipe them down if they get horribly dirty, but due to me mainly doing body work I don't have to deal with grease all that much. While I'm not much of a fan of WD-40, it has seemed to work well for me to keep them clean and rust free.

 

[Adam.C]

but back to serious.... ATF, brake cleaner, CLR, simple green, purple power, carb cleaner, steel wool, scotch brite, wire brushes, wire wheels, shop rags, sometimes even the use of a hammer or mallet on a rusted tool that has moving parts that no longer want to move without some convincing

there is something satisfying about bringing a rusty old tool back to life... currently working on some rusted kleins that i found in the back of the garage

I melted my Snap On hard handles with Brakleen. Anybody have tips for cleaning soft grip handles? I've heard the gritless gojo is good. I use that for my surface plates.

I love ressurecting old tools and machines. A grinder with a wire wheel is like therapy for me. A buffer and my gun bluing and I could be happy the rest of my days. If I could only do the caustic salt psychodelic bluing.

 

[Dave.R]

For really rusty tools, EvapoRust is great at gently busting up the rust. It's non-toxic, and pretty mild smelling. I've used this in a couple bike tanks and pliers with some great results. It works through chelation to bond to, and pull away the iron oxide, when this happens generally the carbon from that steel is left, so you get a light black finish. This can be left in a bucket and tools put in whenever. It doesn't lose effectiveness for quite a few treatments.

If you're after that factory finish on the CL's I would wire brush them to a raw brushed finish. Then if you want raw, you can use a paste wax. When I was in school for Machine tool, this is what we used on all the raw steel tables, mills, and anything else. Stinks, but it protects raw steel really well.

Otherwise, most CL's are lacquered/ clear coated. If you go this route make sure you remove and oils from the steel.

For chrome sockets that a just dirty, I just toss in my tumbler with crushed walnut and a quick spray of Deep creep. The deep creep cuts the rust, and helps protect them. It doesn't take much, maybe a 1 or 2 second spray into the walnut. Corn cob works too, but it gets jammed into the sockets.

For wrenches, I find it best to clean them with carb/brake cleaner, let them dry, and the mist them with the dry-lube/teflon wax. Let the wax dry to a film and wipe them off. You get a killer sheen that isn't sticky or greasy.

Finishes are kind of a hobby of mine, so I like to experiment. I got sick of our new stainless fridge getting excessive finger prints, so I used M-ron glass, and I haven't had a fingerprint in a year. I did take a progress picture of the wax on the fridge, sent it to my gf, and asked why comet would do that. That was worth the chuckle all its own. A good wax fixes a lot of things.

I can be a bit of a wrench polisher, but clean / protected tools last longer.

I melted my Snap On hard handles with Brakleen. Anybody have tips for cleaning soft grip handles? I've heard the gritless gojo is good. I use that for my surface plates.

I love ressurecting old tools and machines. A grinder with a wire wheel is like therapy for me. A buffer and my gun bluing and I could be happy the rest of my days. If I could only do the caustic salt psychodelic bluing.

The best thing I've found is regular orange hand cleaner with pumice. I have a Kobalt roto-head that I love but the blue can get pretty nasty. Just a small squirt and a "motorcycle grip" scrub, and its back to new.