Rummaging thru the bowels of my box of spare tools I was in unshocked to find a set of rusted miscellaneous hand tools. It’s a shame when you have an abundance of stuff that someday you may need but are useless when you need them.
Frozen shut from the magic of humidity and the neglect of time. These tools have a lifetime of use left in them. Great deals can be had at garage sales and thrift stores. That rust is a great bargaining tool for super cheap tools.
Refurbishing rusted tools is pretty straight forward. Start with an overnight soaking in oil. Then give them a brushing with a heavy wire brush.
Work them free with some elbow grease and persistence. Then off to the shop for some drill and wire wheel tuning.
A vice and drill can make easy work of most tool rust. Keeping everything oiled up as you go. A little sand paper for tight spaces and heavy rust removal.
The multi screwdriver proved the most difficult. I was able to free one end of the screw tip out, the other side may be locked in forever.
Take your time, enjoy the fact that your revitalizing your tool collection and with minimal work you’ll have a refurbished tool in no time.
I’m pretty happy with the end results. I don’t mind if some of the chrome has turned to dust. All the tools function as intended, except for the small end of the adjustable screwdriver. I’ll gladly add these back into my working tool collection.
