De-rusting taps and dies

[John Hall]

Not at all…taps are made of carbon and high speed steel…I have a 6” dia wire brush permanently fitted to my bench grinder that I constantly use for rust removal on old tools etc…I’ve cleaned numerous taps with absolutely no problems regarding dulling the cutting edge
For small taps i use a Dremel fitted with a 25mm diameter stainless rotary brush…they don’t last long, but are very cheap from EBay.

 

[John Hall]

Not at all…I’ve used one for years with absolutely no problems

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I often get a lot of rusted taps and dies in Men In Shed Donations.

Mi up citric acis, 1 table spoon per 1 ltr of water.

Place the taps and dies in a deep baking tray. I use a Betri stove, but any stove will do. Heat untill the rust is converted to black oxide.
Remove and rinse under fresh water.

Place back onto a hot baking tray and dry.
Then cover with a nice light oil.