Any suggestions on how to remove rust from tools such as files ? Thanks.
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If your tools are getting rusty its because you are not using them enough. Like parts of my body that are getting rusty! :)
But seriously, at many auto parts stores they sell a spray called Tool Guard or something like that which I use for many of my tools.
I also bought a few of the larger "dessicant" bags that I leave in the drawers of my tool boxes for the items like punches, chisels and files which are not polished, molybdenium or other rust-free finish to pull the moisture out of the air.
Its difficult to do here in Florida as the humidity is always pretty high.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Mineral spirits and motor oil about half and half will give them a bronze look and do a fairly good job. I am in Florida too and I have lots of bronze tools.
Appreciate the reply.
WD-39 works great. If you can't find that settle for WD-40.
You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
Helpful AND amusing!
I used to collect antique tools and an old-timer suggested a 50/50 mixture of linseed oil and turps. I coated a couple old tools years ago and they've never rusted. BUT - it will gum up and clog things. You can pull them out of mothballs later and remove it with turps. Were I to try it again I'd go 25/75 and see what happened.
Thanks to clinkard, what I'll actually do is go with Boshield. I'd never heard of it, but sounds like the ticket to me.
If we go to Hell for selling old files at yard sales, Hell will be a very crowded place judging by some of the things I've seen at yard sales!
I use a wire brush wheel mounted on a bench grinder. Or a product called rust converter.(combination of the two) To protect against tool rust twice a year I will wire brush the tool lightly to remove anything rust/dust/#### and hit it with some compressed air and then a hit of Boesheild t-9. Which I get at leevalley, developed by boeing aircraft engineers displaces moisture and leaves a thin layer to protect against rust. (http://www.boeshield.com/)
Thanks!
Try this:
http://www.evapo-rust.com/
Thanks for the tip!
this process works like a champ...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/
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I may be wrong about this (there a first for everything)
but
I believe once rust starts on a file it is shot because the cutting edges is the most vulnerable and delicate part so they get rusted dull...
Somebody tell me I'm wrong....
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"After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion"
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
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If Pasta and Antipasta meet is it the end of the Universe???
Well, it's not shot, but it's damaged. At that point you have to ask yourself, "Do I want a tool that still has a bit of life left, or would I rather acid-etch and wire-brush it until I have a spotless but worthless piece of junk?"Files are one of the few tools that I buy blister-packed, if possible. A chisel? That, you can sharpen. A file? Buy it as pristine as possible, downgrade it to less exacting jobs as it dulls, and then say good-bye to it.If you have no scruples, you can always sell old files at garage sales -- but you'll probably go to Hell. At least from now on, that is, because now you can't say you didn't know.AitchKay
As a luthier, I will share with you a very important tip.
Most blister pack files can't be checked easily for flat. I work with frets on guitars and a bad ( not flat) file is as useless as a dull one. The process of just making a file induces some stress, and hardening adds more.
I strongly suggest you check every file you look at for accuracy, as you would a flat sharpening stone, a small deviancy can become an issue in some instances.
Being crazy as I am, I carry a 3x4 card scraper in my wallet..yeah, I know..one edge is always dead straight, I check the Nicholsons before I buy them..a bad file can impart a bad edge, or be a PITA to use.
BTW, there are caustic and acid dips that will rejuvinate RASPS , to a certain extent, but, they are snake oil for the true cutters. Any file that is rusted is good for the forge, to make something else out of, such as a chisel or tooling tip.
I weld new tips on a pair of horseshoe nail clippers when they are cheap and wore out at yard sales, they make great nail pullers, and tongs.
Does ANYONE Blacksmith anything here?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
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try this -it works!
http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tools/Electrolysis.htm