Cleaning up tools...

I found a load of britool sockets but they're covered in rust, mostly surface, nothing too deep... Just wondering what's the best way to clean them up?

A friend suggested leaving them in a tub of coca cola overnight... Would that work enough to remove the rust?

Butch

Wd40 and some scotchbrite

Damn, I was hoping for something that required little effort!

Little Butch said:

Damn, I was hoping for something that required little effort!

Click to expand...

get the missus to clean them !!

I like that idea! I'll ask her... Not holding my breath though lol!

Molasses

Just google rust treatment and molasses.

Soak in zinc phosphate will remove and kill rust
Effortless

Lazy

dish washer !!

hoss A said:

dish washer !!

Click to expand...

Nooooooooooo

Dishwashers are for smelly trainers...

Chrisw8 said:

Nooooooooooo

Dishwashers are for smelly trainers...

Click to expand...

and engine bits !!!!!!!!!!!

I found an old adjustable spanner loafing under the bench, surface rusted n seized up solid, left it in a pot of diesel for a week and it came up lovely with hardly any effort.

I've left them in a bowl of coke, we'll see what they're like in the morning! Just used coke as that's what I had to hand...

If that doesn't work I'll try some zinc phosphate.

With ratchets i leave them in a small tub of oil to allow the ratchet bit have some oil and it also quiet's them down a bit aswell ideal for working late in the garage

I wish I took some before photos because they were absolutely covered in rust, both surface and deeper rust!

Anywho, i left them in a bowl of coke overnight and have just took them out and scrubbed them with a Brillo pad... Removed 80% of the rust so far, so I'm going to stick them in a bowl of vinegar and see of it removes the last lot of rust...

I'll post pictures of the end result

Oh - there's a small 1/4 drive 'angled wobbly thing'... Don't know the technical term! That has seized up, would soaking this in oil or wd40 loosen it up and make It useable?

I spray penetrating fluid into an old ice cream container, tilt it so the liquid pools in one corner and then soak the item in that

Old glass jars easier if item is small

I've got some plus gas, I'll try that?
They've come up okay so far, still got to shift the badly rusted parts. I've put them back in the coke until I get some vinegar
Considering they were all free, I can't complain! The photos don't show the bigger sockets...

I keep finding more britool stuff to clean found a handful of spanners and a seized 1/2inch ratchet... I think I'll leave that in a tub of diesel or oil.

Need to buy some spanner and socket set racks now!

The vinegar seems to be doing a much better job than the coke! I honk I'll leave them for another day though and then give them a rinse

Left the britool ratchet soaking in a tub of diesel, hoping I can get it working again.