Vinegar on a really rusty plane?

[mark kosse]

Howdy all, I picked up a really rusty craftsman plane about a number 8c size. I think it had a dead mouse in front of the lever cap, it was that nasty. Strangely enough it doesn't appear to be pitted, just rusty. I've already lost the tote screw to rust though

ive never really liked how vinegar makes steel look but it is all a have access to. Anyone else done a rust removal in vinegar? Were you happy with the results? I'll have to put the tote in too, I can't get the frog loose or the depth knob, so it all goes in if I do. It not worth much so I'm not too worried.

[Jim Koepke]

My suggestion would be to give it a few spritzes of WD 40 or some other rust busting oil before doing anything.

De rusting works a lot better if all the parts are separated.

I have use citric acid. It should be available from a brewing supply store. One member here said they couldn't find any so they used a dry lemonade mix with a high content of citric acid, check the label.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Have tried vinegar...did not like it. Because then you have to cover it with baking soda, then try to wash the mess off. If you leave it in too long, it will eat too much of the metal away, as well. WD40 does have a soak that you could use. Similar to evaporust, pour the stuff into a tray deep enough to cover everything up, and just let it soak overnight.

Sometimes, all I use is a wire wheel, with brass wires, to remove most of the rust. For the sides? Palm sander with 100 grit paper.

[Bill Houghton]

Brush off as much loose rust and dirt as you can, including the dead mouse. Vinegar has worked fine for me, for some pretty intensively rusty items. 24 hours in white vinegar, followed by brushing off the now-loose rust, followed by washing in running water, followed immediately by a soaking with WD-40, to absorb the water. Let it sit for a while, then wipe it down. This approach has cleaned up quite a few tools for me.

The cast iron winds up dark gray, but you can steel wool much of that off if you like.

[Nick Stokes]

Yep. Works great. Don't put the brass parts in there with the steel though. And don't leave it too long.

Also, immediately taking care of it when you take it out is important.

[Glen Canaday]

I've done it on some old saw plates and plane irons.

Don't leave it in too long, give it a baking soda water rinse after you pull it out, and oil/WD40 right away after you pat it dry.

The vinegar can exaggerate any pitting you've missed when you examined the castings. One of those saw plates is now unusable- it used to be a 26" 8pt crosscut D8. To be fair, it was a long shot to begin with as the plate was pretty scary.

It WILL eat iron!

Case in point: to make a black stain for woods with a high tannin content, place a steel wool pad into a jar of either white or pickling vinegar. Cover lightly. Come back a week later and the steel wool will be gone. Brush it onto the wood and watch the cool science project change colors.

Edit: recommend the wire brush idea listed above . It's what I do on most things and it works great. Again, don't overdo it as you can take out detail. I use a cup-style brass brush mounted in a benchtop drill press.

Oh, and I forgot to ask...pics? The largest Craftsman planes I have seen are #7 sized made by Stanley, Sargent, and Millers Falls. I would be curious to see who made a #8 for them.

[mark kosse]

I have used vinegar and like what it does, just never cared for that grey color. When I use it I just give a hot water bath followed by a heat gun dry, then some oil. If the grey will polish off then in it goes.

glen, I'll get pics later but it is 23 1/2" long. There was also Arps Company that made planes with the 619 prefix, but looks Sargent like to me.

[Daniel Rode]

I use lemon juice from the grocery store. I mix it with water 2:1 or 3:1. I use a fine scratch pad to gently loosen rust as the critic acid does it's magic. Diluted lemon juice is slower, but I prefer it because it's easier to control how much rust I remove.

When I'm satisfied, I wash the parts with soap and water, dry them with a towel (and compressed air) and then a liberal coat of WD-40.

It's dirt cheap, no smell and non-toxic. Citric acid powder in water will give the same results. Vinegar is a different acid should will work similarly.

[Glen Canaday]

I'm definitely interested in seeing it. I thought 619 was recycled when Sargent got swallowed up and that's how arps got it...whoever they are.

I know the 3 big ones! I swears!
The lemon juice might be a fun idea..but lemon juice comes at a higher premium than vinegar does. I found a tractor supply nearby and they carry evaporust, but I also wanted to try electrolysis too. I finally got the parts of my setup back together after a break in..they stole my charger.

[mark kosse]

Glen, and everyone, sorry to burst any bubbles with a new size plane. When I was at the flea market a grabbed a yardstick to measure it. It was 23.5", which I thought was a strange number. When I went to the shop to get pics and I got the measure out to show, it's only 22, or a no 7 size. I guess the flea market yardstick didn't start at zero. For me, that is actually ok as I have a no 8, and not a 7.

[Jim Koepke]

Glen, and everyone, sorry to burst any bubbles with a new size plane. When I was at the flea market a grabbed a yardstick to measure it. It was 23.5", which I thought was a strange number. When I went to the shop to get pics and I got the measure out to show, it's only 22, or a no 7 size. I guess the flea market yardstick didn't start at zero. For me, that is actually ok as I have a no 8, and not a 7.

That is one reason there is always a tape measure in my pocket. The one I carry now has been in my pocket since the late 1980s. I found it in the parking lot of a Home Depot. The marks on the first few inches have been worn away. Haven't bothered to replace it of yet.

jtk

[Bill Houghton]

Glen, and everyone, sorry to burst any bubbles with a new size plane. When I was at the flea market a grabbed a yardstick to measure it. It was 23.5", which I thought was a strange number. When I went to the shop to get pics and I got the measure out to show, it's only 22, or a no 7 size. I guess the flea market yardstick didn't start at zero. For me, that is actually ok as I have a no 8, and not a 7.

It may have been a fisherman's yard stick.

[Jim Davis]

The WD-40 is a good treatment after rust removal, but for the record, it doesn't "absorb" water, it displaces it. That's what the WD stands for: Water Displacing.