I’ve in the process of starting to collect old metal hand planes and some of them I’ve collected has old rust on them, I was going to sand blast them but I think it’s a bit extreme is there a less extreme way of doing it. I have tried wd40 and wire wool but with limited success.
Old hand planes
- Thread starter Gerwyn
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Phill05
Established Member
Welcome Gerwyn,
I have had very good success with a product off the evil-bay it is Bilt-hamber DEOX-C it is a powder that you mix an amount with hot water in a bowl and leave the item to soak for an hour then rinse and brush off with warm water and blow dry if you can but then you must coat with oil or WD 40 straight away or you will see it going brown again.
You can use on brass as well but don't leave it too long in soak and it eats aluminium.
I have had very good success with a product off the evil-bay it is Bilt-hamber DEOX-C it is a powder that you mix an amount with hot water in a bowl and leave the item to soak for an hour then rinse and brush off with warm water and blow dry if you can but then you must coat with oil or WD 40 straight away or you will see it going brown again.
You can use on brass as well but don't leave it too long in soak and it eats aluminium.
I’ll try that, it just seems excessive sand blasting them 
electrolisys - very very effective
here is a chuck I did a while back, 2 amps from a 12v battery charger for may be 4 hours
not only did it remove the rust, before it was stiff to turn with the chuck key, afterwards as free as a bird
here is a chuck I did a while back, 2 amps from a 12v battery charger for may be 4 hours
not only did it remove the rust, before it was stiff to turn with the chuck key, afterwards as free as a bird
That’s very impressive. Is it much work to set up?
+1 for electrolysis.
The guy from The Repair Shop has a YT video showing how.
The guy from The Repair Shop has a YT video showing how.
Thankyou
The_Yellow_Ardvark
Established Member
Strip them down, the steel parts steep in warm citric acid.
The rust will turn black and is easly removed with scotch-brite pads.
The brass parts will clean up with a dunk in coke.
The wooden parts will clean up well and look good with a few coats of french polish.
The killer on saving old hand tools is getting parts.
The rust will turn black and is easly removed with scotch-brite pads.
The brass parts will clean up with a dunk in coke.
The wooden parts will clean up well and look good with a few coats of french polish.
The killer on saving old hand tools is getting parts.
Electrolysis, mechanical removal or citric acid would be my three choices. Citric acid is cheap here, and may be there, as a bulk mail order food.
I have used all three of the above. The only really difficult thing to do is get a tool that's rusty to have no rust without destroying the patina.
I have used all three of the above. The only really difficult thing to do is get a tool that's rusty to have no rust without destroying the patina.
Vry simple and cheap to set up providing you have an old style battery charger. Its a dirty job cleaning off the black gunge afterwards, and recleaning the sacrificial bits of steel
Be very careful what metals you use, some can create very toxic gases . and do it outside as
And be careful disconnecting the connections, I wasn't, there was a spark, there was quite a bang, nearly jumped out of my skin - LOL
the process releases hydrogen and oxygen.
Be very careful what metals you use, some can create very toxic gases . and do it outside as
And be careful disconnecting the connections, I wasn't, there was a spark, there was quite a bang, nearly jumped out of my skin - LOL
the process releases hydrogen and oxygen.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
Established Member
The black sludge is easy to remove, hot water and a scrubing brush. The sacrifical metal I leave out to dry and wire brush it off..
If your producing that amount of gas, the current is too high.
If your producing that amount of gas, the current is too high.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
Established Member
OH yes, never use stainless steel in an electroylis set up.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
Established Member
On of the many planes I have restored. This time I baked the body and the frog untill it was dry, then using bee's wax used the black oxide and the wax to give anice finish.
One of my tanks in action.
does embrittlement concern you?
I cooked a very rusty pair of pliers at 5 amps for hours and hours, it didn't seem to develop and cracks or weaknesses, I couldnt break them with a hammer or crushing in a vice.
I cooked a very rusty pair of pliers at 5 amps for hours and hours, it didn't seem to develop and cracks or weaknesses, I couldnt break them with a hammer or crushing in a vice.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
Established Member
Never had it yet.
Only tools that have failed have failed after de-rusting had the cracks before I cleaned them.
I had i SIF 1946 drill frame crack on me, the crack was old, has shown by the shiny and dull surface. So I brazed it back together.
I went through a restoration phase and did a lot of electrolysis and never had an issue with it. Only the gray oxide coating on whatever was being used as problematic. It's a little messy, but tool restoration is messy.
Keith 66
Established Member
I just use citric acid, Its available on amazon & ebay as foor grade & is cheap as chips. Bucket of warm water half a cup of citric granules, quick stir & drop your bits in. If heavily rusted might need a couple of days but usually overnight will do. Scrub off black residue with soft wire brush or scotchbrite, dry & wd40. Oil it or wax it.
It is particularly good at cleaning rusty files as it seems to sharpen the edges a bit.
It is particularly good at cleaning rusty files as it seems to sharpen the edges a bit.
Corset
Established Member
I personally think on planes that citric acid/ electrolysis leave a pretty poor finish. I perosnally prefer to use scrotch bright pad and buffing (not the awful over polished thing) non woven mops by 3m etc are really good.
I find the dull grey look is not good. When i have used the above techniques i have ended up buffing it out which in my view means straight to buffing was the right course. I have probably done about 650 planes in one form or another and on chisels it really is the best option.. Just my two pennies worth...
I find the dull grey look is not good. When i have used the above techniques i have ended up buffing it out which in my view means straight to buffing was the right course. I have probably done about 650 planes in one form or another and on chisels it really is the best option.. Just my two pennies worth...
niall Y
Established Member
For many years, I have used 'Armohib' which I add in small amounts to hydrochloric acid . Ii is a dark brown gunge, but with this added the acid will eat away at rust, bur stop when the bare metal is reached. Not sure what the chemistry is, but it leaves a greyish film, that smells a bit 'eggy'
It was used in the lab of a firm I used to work for. They used it to clean steel plates, that were suspended in the water of sewage-treatment plants. I believe that by weighing the plates ,before and after exposure, ,and cleaning with the inhibited acid, they could work out the oxygen content of the treated water
It was used in the lab of a firm I used to work for. They used it to clean steel plates, that were suspended in the water of sewage-treatment plants. I believe that by weighing the plates ,before and after exposure, ,and cleaning with the inhibited acid, they could work out the oxygen content of the treated water
BillHoughton
Established Member
Embrittlement, specifically hydrogen embrittlement - hydrogen atoms alloyed into cast iron and steel - has been a discussion issue with all the various chemical/electrolytical rust removal processes. I saw a reference to a study in which the hydrogen was found to off-gas in a few hours, leaving the iron as it was.
I like white vinegar - a 24-hour soak, followed by removal of the now-loose rust with a brass wire brush (or even a [used] toothbrush at times), followed IMMEDIATELY by washing off the vinegar in running water, followed by a soak in WD-40 to absorb the water.
I've been thinking of late that I should follow that with cleaning off the WD-40 and phosphatizing the metal - a mild phosphoric acid treatment that will convert any residual iron oxide into iron phosphate. In the U.S., one of the better phosphatizing agents is Ospho, which seems to be available in the U.K.; but you may have other local brands, too.
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