Cleaned my chisels with vinegar and ruined three of them

Was at a hardware store last Tuesday and an old timer told me to soak my dirty chisels in vinegar overnight to remove rust. Tried it on three old Stanley chisels I picked up at a flea market. Woke up the next morning and the vinegar had pitted the blades so bad they're basically scrap now. Lesson learned - anyone know a safe way to clean rust off without damaging the steel?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia67017d agoMost Upvoted

Scotchbrite pad and wd40, no soaking needed. Works every time.

nancy_wood16d ago

You're spot on with the Scotchbrite pad and WD40, that's my go to method too. I've tried soaking stuff overnight before but it never worked as good as just scrubbing with that combo. The WD40 breaks down the gunk fast and the pad gives just enough grit without scratching everything up. I actually use it on old tools and rusty bolts all the time and it clears them up in minutes. No need to let things sit around when you can just scrub and go.

phoenixk6416d ago

@nancy_wood I've had it leave a weird film sometimes though.