All Replies on Removing rust from old hand tools

Citric acid?

-- Its not a crack, its a casting imperfection.

Citric acid?

- chrisstef

Exactly!

Battery charger and some washing soda?

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

It seem like those video on electrolysis works pretty good. Never tried myself though.

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

Brass wire wheels in the grinder, the drill press, and the Dremel…..and a bit of elbow grease…..seems to work for me….

-- A Planer? I'M the planer, this is what I use

Yep, look into electrolysis. I use a car battery charger but you can use a cell phone charger or any small dc charger you plug into the wall (but have to watch what the AMP output is).

-- The Carpenter Bee is derived from the Ancient Greek word wood-cutter "xylokopos/ξυλοκὀπος"

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Chris, what should be the dilution of citric acid? Is it safe to use on brass as well (I have few brass backed saws)? Does it leave any residue on the metal or does it give the bare metal surface? Is there any possibility of damaging the metal?

Brad, I read up a bit about electrolysis and while the method appears gentle on the metal there are some concerns/doubts. Can I use it on brass ? asking because brass is a copper alloy. I use a very small single car garage with no ventilation (once I close the front shutter) as my shop. The hydrogen formation seems a bit worrying if the process takes more than couple of hours & I have to leave the process unattended in my small shop.

Bandit, I don’t mind elbow grease but it would be elbow grease all the way for me :). I am a hobbyist with a very minimal set of tools and don’t own any of the tools you mentioned. I don’t mind the elbow grease but it would be nice if some of the work can be done a bit easier.

Citric will etch if you leave something in it for too long (say 12+ hours). I mix about 4 tablespoons in a gallon. Honestly i eyeball it. I like to soak then scrub a couple times over. Not sure about the brass. Some guys dont like it on saws, i personally dont mind it but i deal with red rust a lot where i live. Tough stuff.

-- Its not a crack, its a casting imperfection.

Related to Saw plates, I would check in the saw thread. You would want to be careful of the etch on the blade.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

And related to brass, I would remove the brass and clean separately.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Google shopsmith rust potato, say it works, would be cheap.

Have a drill? Chuck the wire wheels into the drill…be sure to reverse it now and then…..

-- A Planer? I'M the planer, this is what I use

Brad, I read up a bit about electrolysis and while the method appears gentle on the metal there are some concerns/doubts. Can I use it on brass ? asking because brass is a copper alloy. I use a very small single car garage with no ventilation (once I close the front shutter) as my shop. The hydrogen formation seems a bit worrying if the process takes more than couple of hours & I have to leave the process unattended in my small shop.
- dinu

Brass cleans up nicely using electrolysis. And the hydrogen produced is a non-issue… there is so little produced, and it is almost instantly harmlessly dissipated into the atmosphere as soon as the tiny bubble bursts. In fact, it’s pretty fun to pop them with one of those long nose grill lighters :) Just as long as you don’t cover the container, there is absolutely no worry (and even then, it’s minimal). If you do want to produce hydrogen to use, google HHO (Browns Gas) generators. They make fantastic torches and sources for alternative heating, and can be powered by solar cells. The torches are awesome and don’t get hot, but can melt lava rock, glass, stainless steel and even tungsten (melting point of over 6000°F)!

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

I would probably end up trying all the methods to see what I like best. I would likely try with citric acid and abrasives (wire wheels/sandpaper) first as those would need least investment and move on to electrolysis later. Thanks a lot for the help.

Wayne, the saw thread is a great place, I would probably spend days going thru it.