Cleaning up old machines

[Mark18PLL]

I purchased a Multico M floor standing morticer which I am very happy with. It could do with oiling, cleaning up and some of the surface rust sorting out, can anyone recommend any products to use or give any advice. It did come with some chisels but they are very rusty, I have checked the Multico website and I can buy some new ones but they are over £100 for a set, which in the grand scheme of things does not seem too bad.

And a big thanks to those who gave advice on finding something, it was really appreciated and im quite excited to get it up and running.

Thanks
Mark

 

[Bingy man]

Elbow grease ( lots of ) acf50 , rustins rust remover etc and a big wad of wire wool and a decent pair of gloves and copious amounts of tea or coffee..

 

[Jameshow]

I use degreaser to remove muck and then semi fluid grease on the slides.

 

[Orraloon]

Soak the chisels in vinegar then scrub the sludge off with a scouring pad or stiff brush. Wash in hot soapy water then dry and oil to stop the rust starting again. Of course if there is bad pitting then some may have to be replaced. Its been my experience that rust can often look worse than it is.

Regards
John

 

[deema]

Do not use abrasives or acid on chisels. They are tapered from the cutting end to the boss, cutting end is larger to avoid it binding. Use electroysis only. It removes just the rust and noth8ng else.

 

[clogs]

the chisels prob are junk unless ur lucky ......even if cleaned they'll stick and jam worse that normal.....
for flat surfaces, beds etc......scrape of the worst of the clag n rust with a sharp stiff paint scraper then use what ever thin lube u like with various grades of 3M scourering pads.....think green is the course one, down to Rose or light gray........

then give the machine plenty of use to polish it up......
nothing looks as good as hard worked cast iron surfaces caused by wood dragged over them..........

 

[Mark18PLL]

Soak the chisels in vinegar then scrub the sludge off with a scouring pad or stiff brush. Wash in hot soapy water then dry and oil to stop the rust starting again. Of course if there is bad pitting then some may have to be replaced. Its been my experience that rust can often look worse than it is.
View attachment 162148View attachment 162150
Regards
John

Plane looks superb, have you painted it?

 

[Vann]

Surface rust on machined cast iron surfaces is best shaved off. I use a plastic scraper of the sort that uses a Stanley knife blade.
Once shaved then move to the 3M scouring pads, or steel wool with a lubricant (I use WD40).

Rust on rough cast iron surfaces can be removed with a powered wire brush wheel, then coated with an anti-rust primer.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Orraloon]

Plane looks superb, have you painted it?

Yes. The japanning was shot in any case and by the time I got the rust off a fair bit was bare metal so I took it all off. Used a metal primer and a spray can of enamel.
Regards
John

 

[Sideways]

For machines more than hand tools, angle grinder and wire wheels / a selection of flap disks.
I'm also a convert to Norton blaze and vortex discs (orange for paint stripping, blue for heavy rust and blending metal, black si carbide for the fine finish / almost polishing on steel.
They are £ and wear out a little quick so do the really rough work with a flap disk first but they are v handy.
I indulged in a brushless cordless angle grinder. You don't get a long run time but you can do a useful amount of cutting done or most small jobs finished in 10-20 minutes. Variable speed and lower noise are bonuses.

 

[Vann]

For machines more than hand tools, angle grinder and wire wheels / a selection of flap disks...

But not on machined surfaces.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Keith 66]

Scotchbrite pads red/gray, Parafin & a gallon of WD40 equivalent from the motor factors lots of elbow grease & rags. Parts that are removeable & really rusty might get chucked in a bucket of citric acid overnight, this is cheap, gentle & works really well. I would not hit machined parts with angle grinders or wire brushes, I have seen too many good tools ruined this way. Last one i saw was a fine Spiers plane with bronze body that had been wire brushed with a coarse wheel, the whole thing including the wooden infills was heavily scored all over with scores from the wire.
Whoever did it reduced its value by 99%.

 

[Fergie 307]

You can use wire wheels, but very important to blunt them first. I have a big old lump of heavy steel plate for this. Just run a new wheel hard against the steel to take the sharp edges off the bristles, then it can be safely used on most things, and won't damage machined steel or cast iron. And important to lubricate a wire wheel for this sort of thing. I just regularly wipe the surface with a rag dampened with diesel, or using a paint brush.