How To Clean Rusty Metal Files
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Hi folks,
I have about 200 files inherrited from my grandfather(he was a retired toolmaker). Everything from large Bastards to small tool and die files. Some are a little rusty to light surface rust. What would be the best way to clean them up. I was thinking of soaking in Kroil and then a rinse in the parts washer, card them and store properly. Any ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.
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SIR,
there is an acid bath to clean, and
sharpen files. i think it is sulfuric
acid, but not sure about this.perhaps
someone on the website would know.
wlbrown
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There has been many threads on this.
David/toledo
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I'd certainly start by sorting them, theres gotta be a few in there that have done their life.
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You could send your files to Boggs Tool Company. They use some kind of vapor or chemical process to renew the files.
http://www.boggstool.com/
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I buy white vinegar at the supermarket and just soak rusty parts in it.
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Masterlynk, I use muriatic acid its cheap and cleans like sulfuric acid. just watch the fumes there pretty potent.
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My brother told me he uses vinegar for small automotive parts. Said it works great. User friendly too.
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I had good results with a solution of 1 part phosphoric acid and 9 parts of water. Immerse the files, but keep an eye on them. It will remove the rust and sharpen the files at the same time. In addition, a thin coat of phosphor also protects the files from further rusting if you store them in dry place.
Rolf B.
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I used muriatic acid, which is commercial or technical grade hydrochloric acid (HCl) in my shop almost 25 years ago to clean rust from a small part. Sealed the bottle carefully. Next time I went out into the shop, every piece of steel that wasn't heavily coated in oil had a coating of surface rust. If you use muriatic acid use it outside. Stand up wind. Neutralize with baking soda until it stops bubbling. Use a good quality eye shield. Use heavy rubber gloves and a neoprene apron would be nice.
Battery acid is a somewhat dilute sulfuric acid. An apron and eyeshields are IMHO mandatory. Neutralize with baking soda. If you get any on your body, flush with lots of water and neutralize with baking soda. The baking soda will foam like mad until the acid is neutralized. Wash for atleast 5 minutes.
Having said all this, these 2 chemicals can acomplish things in the workshop that it is hard to do otherwise.When you neutralize muriatic acid with baking soda you get table salt. When you neutralize sulfuric acid with baking soda you get sodium sulfate. The phosporic acid sounds good. You still might want to use face shield or goggles and gloves.
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A word of caution on phosphoric acid ! If you use it just make sure you never heat the treated item as the resultant gas (Phosgene ?) is not compatible with maintaining human life. i.e. don't weld, forge or heat treat anything that has a phosphoric acid treated surface.
Vinegar is a good thing to have in a workshop- especially if you are trying to drill 316 or in fact any stainless steel, just remember to dry and oil the drill table afterwards.
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How To Clean Rusty Metal Files
Source: https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/rusty-files-suggestions-143618/
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