Is this worth anything ?

[chris hennelly]

Timeless Tools is a good site for info but his prices are inflated and not what the current going rates are.

 

The best way of cleaning old tools is using the electrolytic method. All you need is a battery charger and a bucket. Follow it up with wax.

The best way of cleaning old tools is using the electrolytic method. All you need is a battery charger and a bucket.

 

......i'm intrigued,how does this work?

[mendiplogs]

Had a look at a couple of sites one had an asking price of £80 and timeless tools was £180 think I may just clean it up (properly) and put it out of the way for a rainy day! Thanks for all the replies gents !!

 

HI LAKEY still worth half of time less tools £80/90 :thumbup1:ok for free :thumbup1:thanks jon

[lakeyboy]

Yes mate I'm proper chuffed with it not everyday you get something like that for free

[mendiplogs]

Yes mate I'm proper chuffed with it not everyday you get something like that for free

 

HI LAKEY yes nice one i do like your saying about you never have too many saw :thumbup1:thanks jon

[Graham]

The best way of cleaning old tools is using the electrolytic method. All you need is a battery charger and a bucket.

 

......i'm intrigued,how does this work?

 

Just a little more than those. Some washing soda crystals and a piece of scrap steel. Make a solution of water and soda crystals in the bucket. About a handful is enough.

 

Place the piece of scrap in the bucket and connect the negative wire from the charger to it. With a stick across the top of the bucket suspend the piece to clean under water using a piece of wire and fix to the stick. Connect the positive cable to the suspension wire. Switch on and all the rust will bubble and fall away with plenty of fizzing. Oh make sure the bucket is a plastic one.

 

Thinking now I may have got the pos and neg mixed up but there's plenty of info on the net. It's a standard method to renovate old tools etc. Edit....make sure the scrap and good piece don't touch.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Graham

[morten]

Just a little more than those. Some washing soda crystals and a piece of scrap steel. Make a solution of water and soda crystals in the bucket. About a handful is enough.

 

Place the piece of scrap in the bucket and connect the negative wire from the charger to it. With a stick across the top of the bucket suspend the piece to clean under water using a piece of wire and fix to the stick. Connect the positive cable to the suspension wire. Switch on and all the rust will bubble and fall away with plenty of fizzing. Oh make sure the bucket is a plastic one.

 

Thinking now I may have got the pos and neg mixed up but there's plenty of info on the net. It's a standard method to renovate old tools etc. Edit....make sure the scrap and good piece don't touch.

 

* Negative (black) terminal to the tool.

* Positive (red) terminal to the scrap metal.

 

Lots of info on the web https://www.google.com/search?q=electrolytic+cleaning+tool+rust

[agg221]

Electrolytic cleaning works extremely well. I have the wheel from a Ransomes Crawler gradually revealing just how bad the pitting is overnight tonight (I suspect this weekend I will be mostly doing weld overlays). Don't expect the rust to vanish - you have to rub it off but it is no longer connected to the metal. It does still strip the patina though - it leaves bare steel which flash rusts really quickly (rinse, dry and oil immediately). A battery charger really runs at too high a voltage to be ideal as there is a theoretical risk of hydrogen embrittlement in carbon steels but I've never experienced it.

 

To keep the patina, which is a thin layer of magnetite (a sort of rust) you need to just rub it over with oil or wax on a cloth until the surface is smooth but still black, and no more rust rubs off on the cloth. Takes a lot longer and a lot more work.

 

Alec

[Peasgood]