What do you use to clean your tools?

[r6_cannibal]

I have a wheel cleaning brush that was picked up for a couple bucks from a auto parts store. the brush came off it's handle so now it's my parts cleaner, it's great with a little solvent for cleaning oddly shaped crevices since it's bendable. It's especially good for sockets since they can just be run up and down it real quick getting all the gunk out. usually i use WD-40 on a rag afterwards, but i've been using pb-blast recently with good results so far.

 

[jamesemery728]

Usually its a 2 step process. Step one is a rag and some Naptha followed by Step 2, a rag and some WD-40. Naptha is a good solvent used for many things, taking off sticky labels, solvent based glues, grease off tools, it's the same thing as Zippo lighter fluid but much cheaper. The WD-40 follow up just keeps the tools from rusting.

 

[babzog]

Thanks for all the hints guys! I will pop into my local CT Boutique and see if they have the Simple Green so I can clean up my wrenches and pliers (and clean up post-job going forward).

I also found the solvents thread in the Tools forum to be quite informative. Seems that there's a wide range of preferred solvents but I think I will try the mineral spirits first as that's what I have on hand. Just toss the sockets and ratches, etc in a bucket, cover in mineral spirits and soak for a few days. I just didn't want to open up a can of some toxic chemical that I'm just going to have to dispose of if it's not going to do the job.

 

[Farmallgray]

I'm real fussy about keeping my hands clean. Not spotless, but the grime wiped off. I hate when your hands are too slippery to get a good grip on something. I keep a blue paper towell in my back pocket most of the time in the shop. I use it to keep the oil and grease wiped off my hands. Keeping most of the gunk off my hands, keeps it from getting on the tools so all I do is wipe them off when I put them back in the box.

 

[ears]

For the nastiest stuff, 100 percent lye and water. Mix it up strong enough so it burns if you get any on you. Only use it on steel iron etc. it will remove paint also. Rinse with water or you can dip it in soda or vinegar then a quick wipe with a rag soaked in wd40, pb, oil etc. to keep the flash rust off.

It's the main ingredient in the old style EZ-OFF. Now sold as drain cleaner. Wear gloves and keep it off you, it will turn you into soap.

Google lye to find out what not to do with it, it is not pleasant stuff but water it down enough when done with it and it is harmless.

Cheap, effective, and keeps working long after it looks like black goo.

For lesser jobs mineral spirits or a quick wipe with a rag.

 

[babzog]

Picked up some of the Simple Green today. I didn't find it great at getting the caked-on crud removed but it did remove the lighter stuff (and it smells nice too!). I also picked up some engine degreaser (the Motomaster citrus stuff in the orange can - works great!) and shot a bit of that on the handles. That seemed to do the trick.

I saw a bottle of something called "Mean Green" with an image of some mean looking eyes above the title graphic. Claims it's the "best degreaser, guaranteed". Anyone ever heard of it?

Sockets are soaking in a bucket of mineral spirits. Hopefully I can go through the old boxes and clean them all up this weekend.