How to Remove Rust from Tools

fureverywhere

fureverywhere

beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
Location
Northern NJ, USA
I need some suggestions for getting a moderate amount of rust off of several wrenches and screwdrivers. I have a good sized tool box that was on the front porch. It got knocked over and everything was haphazardly tossed back in. I just got it sorted today and noticed a lot of rust on some things.

I'm pretty handy with repairs and would like to clean everything up and get it organized. The farmers almanac says rub the rust with foil or soak in white vinegar. Any other helpful hints?
 

I soak them in a rust remover and then use a wire wheel on my grinder, or you could put a wire wheel on your drill and the tool in a vice.
 
That box is too gorgeous to use! I found something that did the trick. I soaked the bad parts in white vinegar about a half hour. Then scrubbed it still wet with foil. Worked like magic.
 
fureverywhere said:
That box is too gorgeous to use! I found something that did the trick. I soaked the bad parts in white vinegar about a half hour. Then scrubbed it still wet with foil. Worked like magic.
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I'll have to try the foil step. For heavily rusted items, I have always used vinegar, but I would soak the item for about a week - not just a few hours. This process leaves a dark colored muck on the item which can be rinsed away. The result is no rust, just pits where the rust ate away at the metal.
 
Most of my working tools, such as end-wrenches, "fits-all" wrenches, even screwdrivers, are chromium plated. Unless the plating develops defects, they withstand rust very well. That's why I'm wondering what happened with one of my Crescent wrenches: rusted quite a bit, to the point of difficulty adjusting the jaw. imp
 
imp said:
Most of my working tools, such as end-wrenches, "fits-all" wrenches, even screwdrivers, are chromium plated. Unless the plating develops defects, they withstand rust very well. That's why I'm wondering what happened with one of my Crescent wrenches: rusted quite a bit, to the point of difficulty adjusting the jaw. imp
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I don't think the plating is as good as it use to be. I can see evidence of that on the chrome on motorcycles, tools, etc.. It just doesn't hold up as well as it has in the past.
 
Good point, Dennis! In order for Chromium to be well-adherent to steel, the underlying metal must first be Copper-plated. Then Chromium. Have a hunch with all the imported crap today, they may be skipping the Copper step. imp
 

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