Calling all steel/metal/ tool craftsmen, farmers...Seeking advice on restoring old school, rusted tools

Naval jelly for rust.

Thanks. This is many decades of rust. The metal is covered.

Will naval jelly cut through that?

Restoring some cast iron pots took soaks in a vinegar solution, which didn't do the work, and I reluctantly resorted to chemical easy-off spray, which was better. In total, a lengthy process.

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Last Edited by TXP on 07/09/2022 02:40 PM

Yes, but decades of rust is going to leave deep pits in everything.

That's OK. I'm not restoring to sell but to keep for family sentiment, and there are a couple tools I could use like the shovel and other major gardening implements of which I don't even know the name.

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once you get the rust off and clean all the jelly off, spray them with some clear acrylic or spray teflon. should keep them nice and clean for display.

Acetone (nail polish remover) and transmission fluid in a 50/50 mix will free up rusted stuff.
Liquid wrench does the same.

Place rusted tools in a closed container of vinegar for 3 weeks and the rust will be removed. The leftover fluid can be used as an antique wood stain that gives an interesting silver hue. Your tools will be shiny and clean and prone to rust quickly without oil, or clear spray or wax or SOMETHING.

Steel wool scrubbed with just about any appropriate liquid will shine up light rust. Use Wd40, paint thinner, charcoal lighter, etc. Try to be sensible about sparks.

Many thanks. Straight vinegar or a vinegar water solution? Following recommendations, I did the latter with the cast iron pots but only soaked for three days. Not a lot of success. Perhaps it was the dilution and time.

How long does the liquid wrench, or the naval jelly as one person recommended, need to sit on the metal? Until rust starts freeing up?

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Many thanks for the info! I'd rather not go down this road again.
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I use silver spray paint on a rag, when I want just improve the look without the obvious and tacky look of silver spray paint. (Sometimes that hillbilly chrome looks pretty good, though. It depends.)

Black, silver and double cover white are my go-to's.

For wood, use a fine grain rag and varnish or poly. The thin coat is a better fit than brushing on varnish. Satin looks better than gloss because you see into the wood rather than seeing a shiny reflection.

The use of a rag is called a 'dap'. You put something in the rag and make a mushroom shape to do it old school, but a rag works fine if you tuck the edges away.

Electrolysis! Cheap, Easy and effective.

Vinegar works great. Just be sure to rinse them in a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid.

Straight vinegar in a closed container. Vinegar is so weak nowadays. I have read about people using molasses, of all things in the same manner. Youtube.

Haven't used Naval jelly.

If I can't move it after 20 minutes, I give it an hour.

The acetone and transmission concoction can seem miraculous when it works.

Have fun with this. This is not being graded and will not go on your permanent record.

These tools are every bit of art and sculpture as they are heritage.

Enjoy.

These tools are iron/steel, mostly circa 1930s-40s and have been sitting in a detached garage in a high humidity environment without use since about, oh, the 1980s. I think I'd rather cover/'seal' with a wax or a matte acrylic to show the metal and the age.

Vinegar can take away ALL the rust.

That can sometimes leave big pits or take away too much.

The matte acrylic sounds like a good choice.

Thanks for the great advice. Yes, indeed, the tools are craftsman pieces and many of the hand tools were actually made by my grandfather who was a troubleshooting field machinist in the oil fields during the boom and then had a machine shop working with refineries and other industries until retirement.

So, I sort-of do feel like I'm being graded. Ha! Not really, he'd be thrilled his granddaughter wants to restore his pieces...as uneducated as I am in his craft and with iron/metals.

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I'd probably take a wire wheel to them.

An anvil without the square tool hole is likely Medieval.

People don't realize. Anvils don't go away.

I think I'll start with the naval jelly, Liquid Wrench or transmission fluid solution - a method I can better control as a first step - and then move to the vinegar if I don't have much joy.

Thanks so much for the advice! Greatly appreciated.

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coca cola overnight baths
then
hit the local auto parts joint
buy a handful of the "wire brushes" that are toothbrush size

start working the shit off

repeat until satisfied

Bare metal?
Then use an acid etching primer before applying any finish coat

This one is from my grandfather's machine shop, so not medieval. It has a base with quite large diameter screw/attachment holes.

I tried to pick up and move that sucker the other day. Bahahahaha!

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Last Edited by TXP on 07/09/2022 03:45 PM

Fun with chemicals.

yeah that would work too

If it does not you can do electrolysis.

Do this in a well ventilated area,it will make some(small)amounts of hydrogen gas.

Get a plastic tote.
Get a battery charger(12v 2A trickle charge is what you need). Plugging it in is the VERY last step.

A piece of scrap,but not rusted steel. I use framing straps as they are cheap,rust free,but you do need to wash them in soap and water to remove any oil(they are oiled to keep them from rusting).

Add water and 2 cups of washing soda(available almost anywhere laundry detergent is sold,even walmart).

Connect what you want to remove the rust from to with the negative clip of the charger,and it can be submerged with the object.

Take the strap and connect the positive. DO NOT let the clip of the charger touch the water,it will rust away to nothing QUICKLY. You do want as much of the strap as possible in the water,just the the connecting clip.

It will remove all rust from anything. It may take a day or two,but you will be left with shinny steel.

Oh,plug in the charger set on 2A or trickle charge. DO NOT TOUCH THE WATER it will shock you. Do not move the object or strap with the cables. DO NOTHING without unplugging the charger first. If you want to check after an hour,just unplug the charger first. KEEP children and pets away.

Last thing. Dry and either oil(even cooking oil will work if it is all you have) because shinny clean metal will start to get a tiny bit of surface rust very quickly again. It is just what steel does when clean.

Positive to the item you want to remove the rust off of. Negative to the scrap you are sacrificing.
Here is a video. Bit more complex than what i do as he uses 4 pieces of scrap connected together,but it is pretty much the exact same thing.
[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Thank you for such detailed instruction. I'm a visual 'gotta see it' learner when it comes to processes like electrolysis...you know, that which can electrocute me or otherwise potentially blow up the property.

Thanks for the instruction and thank god for YT. I'll keep it bookmarked for a last resort method or until I feel more comfortable messing with batteries and water.

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With a tiny bit of common sense you will be fine. Plenty of videos on youtube doing this as well(has been around for about 100 years now). It is safe,just follow the instructions. I only use one wide framing strap,he uses 4 pieces of rebar. My way works just as well.

[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Use a wire wheel on a non-treated piece to knock off some of the rust and then after treatment to smooth out some of the pits, which I assume, perhaps, might require a different type wheel? I've seen this in cast iron cookware restoration vids.

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Last Edited by TXP on 07/09/2022 04:11 PM

Probably cost you about $150 to have them sandblasted and powdercoated or wet sprayed. You could get them cleaned using the blasting method and wet spray them yourself. Use a primer first though.