Cleaning rust off tools

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Looking in the basement today, I noticed several gardentools (hoe,shovel,axe,etc) had rust on them. How do I clean them and get them back into workin shape? Terran in VT.

-- Terran in VT (homefire@sover.net), January 31, 2002

Answers

I have a bucket of sand in the garage. I have pour motor oil in the bucket. Several times a year I shove my garden tools into the sand and clean them off as well as oil them at the same time.

-- Gary in Ohio (gws@columbus.rr.com), January 31, 2002.

preferrably sand blasting, if not then try a grinder with a wire wheel attached. Also:

hand held wire brush navel jelly can of coke (for minor rust) sand paper lots of elbow grease

-- otter (kitchen@eng.fsu.edu), January 31, 2002.


I use a five gallon bucket filled with vegetable oil saturated sand to clean rusted tools as this keeps any petroleum based contaminants out of my garden plots. Just stick the tool head in and roll it in the sand sludge to knock off the rust. I also use vegetable oil to coat them for storage.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 31, 2002.

I like the idea of the bucket with oiled sand. That's a good way to treat tools after using them. For light surface rust, a scotchbrite pad and some elbow grease works well.

-- Darren (df1@infi.net), January 31, 2002.

I use a wirebrush wheel on a bench grinder or drill, then coat with used oil. But something like a shovel or hoe, just put it to use and the rust will soon be gone.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), January 31, 2002.


Okay, this might not be too conventional, but, it works! A couple of years ago, I decided to make some soap. I didn't measure stuff just dumped in the ingredients....well, the soap never set up, just a large bucket of gloop. While we were deciding on how to dispose of this caustic stuff, I accidently dropped a knife in that gloop...a very, very rusty knife. And after fishing it out, it was shiny as a brand new penny! My husband ran out and got some of his rusty tools and either dipped or brush on the mixture and the rust literally disappeared before our eyes. Hubby said it was the lye, so, now he uses a small amount of lye and dish soap and walla!!

-- Sissy Barth (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), January 31, 2002.

If the rust doesn't wear off when you're using them, then it's not affecting their efficiency. If it worries you, you can either oil it (or use grease or clear petroleum jelly), so it doesn't rust any further; or use one of those rust converters that contain phosphoric acid to turn the rust into a protective coating.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), January 31, 2002.

Thanks for the help! Got a project for cold, snowy days now. Terran

-- Terran in VT (homefire@sover.net), January 31, 2002.

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