# Rust remover and other restoration techniques



## pierce85 (May 21, 2011)

I know this subject has been covered before in one way or another but I'm looking for specific product recommendations and techniques. I'm slowly acquiring vintage tools that require some work to bring them back to usable condition. I'm not primarily concerned about collector value per se, but I do want to have hand tools in top working condition and that *look* in top working condition as well.

What rust removal products would you recommend? Are there any resources - online or in print - that detail the proper way of restoring metal tools that have seen better days? This may sound weird but I believe tools that look like crap will be used differently than tools that look well taken care of.

In any event, if you were to restore a tool full of surface rust, how would you go about doing that and what products would you use?


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## jerkylips (May 13, 2011)

the one I've heard is Empire Top Saver. I haven't used it, but heard good things..


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## LesCasteel (Jan 9, 2010)

I can't tell you why it works. But, go and buy some plain ole' MOLASSES. Mix up a batch 1 part molasses to 9 parts water, cover the tool wait and it works. I use it on all my old stuff. Do a search for it and you'll find all sorts of resources including guys who mix up stock tanks and dip car parts.

Works for me.


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## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

As stated there are many ways and products out there. Having recently gotten my tools out of storage and having to deal with surface rust. I was short on funds to buy penetrating type oils. I took SAE 30 and thinned with mineral spirits and used the green scotch brite pads to clean off the rust followed buy a good wiping down with plain mineral spirits and a final wiping down with acetone before waxing.


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

I have an old Parks Planer I am planning to restore along with a few other tools. I found a website that was helpful:

http://vintagemachinery.org/

I found there was a foundry that still makes parts that are original specs. I'm sure you can get some answers there.


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## MedicKen (Dec 2, 2008)

I have mainly used and continue to use electrolysis. However, you have to remeber my machines are disassembled to the last nut and bolt. Electrolysis is a very simple and safe method that involves the part to be cleaned, a sacrificial anode(old saw blade, rebar, metal plate, NO stainless), washing soda and a battery charger. To use electrolysis submerge the part to be cleaned fully in a non conductive container, plastic barrel, bucket etc, add the washing soda, about 1 tea spoon per gallon, hook the neg cable to the part being cleaned and the pos cable to the anode and plug it in. It will immediately being to bubble and when all the rust has been converted the process stops. It will also remove old paint and loosen some grime. After the process is done unplug the charger, rinse with clear water and hit it with a wire brush. Good as new!

Here is a unisaw top I did….Before









After









Yes thats the same top

Here a I am cleaning the top in my garbage can


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

@Pierce85, I'm with you 100% on the "tools that look like crap will be used differently than tools that look well taken care of."

You've already got some good responses here… from Topsaver to Electrolysis in 4 posts flat !

I see you mentioned hand tools. Are you also restoring bench or floor machinery (or their surfaces) ? Let us know what all you're doing and you'll get responses tailored to that.

If hand tools and rust is the main culprit, as usual you have mechanical, chemical and electrical removal… and combinations thereof.

Mechanical: Sandpaper, wire wheel, scotchbrite, sandblasting, buffing wheel with rouge, etc. for mechanical. Depends what surface you have now and what you want to end up with.

Chemical: Naval Jelly, Evapo-Rust, and others to remove the rust.

Electrical: Electrolysis for iron and steel parts.

Elbow grease may fall into one or more of the above categories as well ;=)

More on the finishing end, but some things do well to be powder-coated and others even re-plated.


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## pierce85 (May 21, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. It would only be for hand tools. I have a bit-brace and some auger bits that have surface rust, as well as a few saws and other miscellaneous tools. I'm doing the ebay thing looking for planes and anticipate removing rust from them as well.

I might experiment with each of these methods, although electrolysis looks to be a popular way to go.


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## kiss4afrog (Jul 8, 2011)

The electrolysis works great. Have used it on automotive parts that aren't replaceable.


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## MedicKen (Dec 2, 2008)

If you use electrolysis remember it is ONLY for cast and steel. The process and chemical reaction will eat up brass, aluminum, pot metal etc. It is not fun to put a piece in and pull out a skeleton.


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

Throw "Evaporust" on the list.

No personal experience, here, but I've constantly heard good things about it.

What about old school Naval Jelly ???

And … for light, superficial rust … a Scotchbrite pad and WD-40 can do wonders.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Voting for electrolysis with Ken's caveats.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Another chemical is citric acid. You can get it at brewing stores. It works fairly well for parts and stuff.

http://lumberjocks.com/WayneC/blog/1439
http://lumberjocks.com/Dennisgrosen/blog/21248
http://lumberjocks.com/PanamaJack/blog/1591


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Evaporust, Put it in overnight and all rust will be gone. i have it and cleaned all my old tools that I got out of storage after a 30 year lapse between woodworking. And… evaporust is non toxic, you can put it down the drain safely and it gets all the rust but won't eat away at pits that rust can put into metal if it's been rusted a long time. I've tried a bunch of stuff that either take a lot of work (electrolosis) or are messy (pink jelly) and evaporust works as good or better than any of them and is as easy as pouring water.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Soft wire wheel & elbow grease

I am thinking of electrolysis though in the future, I have heard & seen good things from it.


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## thiel (May 21, 2009)

The trick is finding the really really GOOD planes on ebay. Don't let some jerk from up the road pawn off a crappy old #4 on you! At least make sure he sharpens it first! 

I just did some auger bits with Evapo-Rust and it works well … just be careful about leaving it in there too long or else the metal will turn black. Since you really need to immerse things in Evapo-rust, don't be afraid to make your own custom troughs or bowls using cardboard and plastic garbage bags-that's really the only way to submerge a long auger bit without using gallons of the stuff.

I'd also recommend picking up some light oil-I use Camelia-to seal things right after you derust. Do it quick or you'll get flash rust. I find that citric acid is best for flash rust.

One thing not mentioned is automotive rubbing compound… works well for me for fine stuff.

One last thing: buy all this stuff at McMaster.com They have great prices on everything (and they sell EVERYthing) and the ordering process is shockingly simple.

-David


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## llwynog (May 5, 2011)

David, when you write "citric acid is best for flash rust", do you mean that citric acid is best for removing flash rust or that citric acid leaves you with less chances of getting flash rust.
Sorry, just checking, not sure I understood right.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

Without a doubt - Evaporust! I love everything about it except the name.

I've tried electrolysis - it takes a lot of setup, sacrificial anodes, a chemical that is not that common anymore and it eats paint. I've tried naval jelly (actually anything that contains phosphoric acid) - it works well but it smells horribly, leaves a grey patina on parts that can be removed with scratchy pads and it discolors paint.

Evaporust will not touch paint if it has sound metal underneath, it is effortless - just pour it over parts and let it soak, it is non-toxic and easy to dispose of and it smells a little but not nearly as bad as phosphoric acid based stuff.

I am working on an old bandsaw right now. The entire stand was covered with rust. After soaking the legs overnite in Evaporust, I could not believe the results! When I removed them from the bath, they looked brand new, complete with a coating of factory paint. Evidently there was still good paint under the coating of rust, Evaporust left the paint and the legs looked brand new! I repainted them anyway since the original coat of paint was very light or there wouldn't have been that much rust, but the results were astounding.

I second making custom troughs or bowls or ?? for odd size parts. My favorite is a long PVC tube with a cap on one end that I made to soak a column for a drill press (it came out looking new). It also served for the legs I mentioned above. It reduces the amount of Evaporust you need to cover whatever you are derusting. That's important because of the one disadvantage of Evaporust - it is expensive. A gallon is about $30 at HF now. But you can recover it and reuse it over and over again. I have a gallon that I have used on 3 different machines and several planes now, it looks kinda like used crankcase oil but it still works.


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## pierce85 (May 21, 2011)

Thanks for the sage advice, thiel! :lol: As long as I avoid local pickups at groceries stores I'll be golden ;-)

What prompted my question originally was a jack plane on ebay at a low starting bid that was completely covered in what looked like fairly light surface rust. I was going to bid on it but lost my nerve and let it pass. After all the great response here, I feel a bit more confident. In short, I want to see if I can transform an ugly duckling into a swan. Evaporust seems to be the ticket.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

For a handplane, I would second the vote for evaporust… I also believe you can find it at your local Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-gallon-evapo-rust-rust-remover-96431.html


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## jimmypaul (Jul 9, 2011)

if its just surface rust , you can get mineral oil cheap at The Walmart….. ( Wally World )


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Ahhh , Evaporust at HF …something to use their 20% off coupons on : )
Knocks it down to $24.00


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Evapo-Rust is 19.99 a gallon at Tractor Supply and I found it in stock at our local store.


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

So we know where to get Evapo-Rust, where can you get "washing soda?" Is it Borax?


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Quick google for washing soda found this…. About 1/4 the price of Amazon.com

http://www.greatcleaners.com/Products/Arm%20and%20Hammer/PID-33200-03020

http://www.amazon.com/Arm-Hammer-Super-Detergent-Booster/dp/B0029XNTEU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310254873&sr=8-1


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Thanks Wayne.. should have done that myself !


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

If you can't find evapo-rust local, (i couldn't) I just ordered it from orisonmarketing.com it $26 with free shipping. It seems to be highly recommended. What I recommend would really depend. I use different technique depending on the tool and condition. Wire wheels work well if you can get to all the parts. Electrolysis is great, and the only reall investment would be a battery charger.

So it depend on what you have, what you want to buy and what you want to do.
sandblasters are $28 and work really well for completely stripping but you must have a decent compressor.
Electrolysis only removes the rust and you need a battery charger.
Evapo-rust is $30 a gallon.
wire wheel are $7 each, but you need a way to spin them.

Having all the above is great. Its taken me some time, but I have managed to pick up the equipment to do most of it. Keep your eyes open for electric motors cheap. You can put wire wheels on them cheaply.


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## thiel (May 21, 2009)

llwynog… I meant that citric acid works best to remove flash rust when it forms… it's very quick and easy: spray on, wipe off… which is not really how Evapo-rust works in my opinion (requires submersion).

I can't believe I forgot to mention Boeshield! I've had my best results with Boeshield and a thick coat of wax.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

You don't really need washing soda. Any caustic electrolyte will work. I just bought an old cast iron table saw from *Loren* on this website. The top of it was pretty rusty. I tore the saw all apart. Then I bought a big tote from Lowes, put it in the bathtub with two dishwasher detergent packets (gouged 'em open on an edge of the top), filled it most of the way with water and hooked up the battery charger. Rotated it at two hour intervals, dumed the water down the drain, and the top looks pretty good now. Wire brushed it and all the rest of the parts, greased 'em up and put it all back together. All I did to the top after assembly was apply carnauba wax. Works nice.


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Bathtub huh?

Man… I can see my wife freaking out if she saw a bunch of rusty iron and electrodes in her tub! Made me chuckle a bit.

I get your point however and it makes sense. I have to go back to the college chemistry books.

I have a decent size utility sink in the shop that has years of abuse and is heavy plastic. It has a separate drain. (I don't want nasty stuff going into the septic system) I'm thinking some simple drain cleaner would work fine, it's a strong base. Diluted down of course.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

I bought *washing *soda (Arm and Hammer) at a grocery store.


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## llwynog (May 5, 2011)

Never tried it myself but I read that washing soda (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3) can be made at home with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3). 
In theory, you just need to heat sodium bicarbonate for about 1hour in the oven at a temperature of about 150C (302F). You are basically just removing water from the baking soda so it is really safe to do at home.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

You can use the washing soda from Arm & Hammer, or get some soda ash from the swimming pool store. Also, DuPont's Pool Care pH Increaser is 100% sodium carbonate, is readily available at home centers and pool stores, and comes in a moisture resistant container. All are EXACTLY the same thing, just different name. All are NA2CO3

You can also use baking soda with or without some TSP (tri-sodium phosphate). You can use lye, but it is very caustic and slimy. Stick to the NA2CO3 is my recommendation.


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## retiredandtired (Mar 10, 2011)

My wife read the post about the bathtub, kicked me in the but, said if I every had any idea about that she would kick me all the way to Toledo Bend { just 23 miles down the road } with one kick.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

http://digitalfire.com/4sight/hazards/ceramic_hazard_sodium_carbonate_359.html

*A few words of caution regarding sodium carbonate.*


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

That's good info to know. Do not eat it, snort it or get it in your eyes. You can step in it, though.


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## bubinga (Feb 5, 2011)

Apparently, you can drink Evap O Rust ,if you are so inclined, but I don't think you will get a buzz


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

just not with pickled eggs for some reason…


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## BarneyTomB (Jul 5, 2011)

Okay, you can get Washing Soda at any Grocery store, supermarket, Wal-Mart, or K-Mart. Just look for Arm and Hammer in the detergent and bleach aisle. 20 Mule Borax is a totally different product. Actually a cup of both and a shredded bar of soap can be used as detergent. Only use a Tablespoon at a time of the mixture. ;-p


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## Gary_Roberts (Feb 15, 2010)

This may sound right wingish… find yourself a local body shop or metal shop that has a glass bead as well as a walnut shell blaster. The walnut shell is softer and more gentle, the glass bead a bit more aggressive. I've had both done on rusted tools that need major cleaning.

I have asthma and so avoid electrolysis. Soft brass wire wheels, mineral spirits and steel wool, extra fine emery paper and so on do well for me and have for years.

If it's a rare item, a dremel fitted with felt wheels and rottenstone does the trick, or a cotton swap if necessary.

The problem with chemical action is that you can't control where and how it works. A skilled bead blaster can control the job better.


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