Soak tanks for plane and tool cleanup

[Bill_Houghton]

I've been cleaning up some bench planes in preparation for thinning the herd.  I use white vinegar for rust removal, and have found a couple of useful soak tanks.  I thought I'd pass along my discoveries.

A plastic "mud pan," used in sheetrock taping and available at any home improvement store and many hardware stores, will take planes up to No. 5-1/2 jack plane size.  The 5-1/2 is a just-barely-fits squeeze.  A No. 5 and smaller fits fine.  The pan takes under a gallon of vinegar to cover the plane parts completely.

But then I had to clean up a No. 6, and remembered the wallpaper soaking tray.  That one was great for the No. 6, and should take up to a No. 8.  I wound up with enough extra space that I tossed in a few wrenches that needed cleanup.  Total vinegar: 1-1/2 gallons.

[Tony (Charleston WV)]

Thanks, Bill!  It took me a year and a half of rather lackadaisical looking in the borgs to come up with the wallpaper tub.  As in many other situations, I'd forgotten that I had used one for its intended purpose years and years ago. Those brain cells were probably wiped out when my girlfriend at the time and I finished what was an atrocious job--don't ever use wallpaper with squares if you're incapable of matching up the lines.  The blessing--we argued so much while working that we broke up immediately after finishing, and I later married the gal who's been my wife for twenty-five years.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

Bill--Thanks for your timely tips. I was cleaning my shop today and found a pre-lateral #8 that needs a dunk.

Tony--Wallpapering (BTDT) will stress every inch of a relationship. Ditto with home remodeling. Glad to hear that your experience ultimately had a happy ending.

[Tynyyn]

Bill, how do you deal with the gray on the planes after the vinegar bath? What method of "gray" material removal do you use? I've found that sometimes the gray sloughs off while other times it needs some sanding. Have you tried power washing?

I love using vinegar on saws. Just apply a bit to the saw plate and use some sand paper to begin removing the rust. But the more that I've been sanding, the more I feel that there must be a more efficient way to reduce the amount of elbow grease involved in the process.

[Bill_Houghton]

I've never found it an issue.  I do use a brass bristle brush to wipe off the scale/rust; maybe that knocks off the gray too.

I should, I suppose, try Evaprorust some time - but at $3 a gallon, vinegar's a pretty good deal.

[Snipe Hunter]

I'm an evaporust user also. For a soaking the plane bodies, I use 4" pvc pipe with a cap on the bottom end and hang it from a screw. I usually cover it with something because it does stink. Usually, it doesn't need to soak more than overnight. Maybe 24 hours for the real bad ones. Then fish it out with a coat-hanger. Wipe it clean under running water when it's done soaking and blow out the screw holes with compresses air. No elbow-grease whatsoever with the exception of cleaning hard to get to areas with a tooth-brush. I'll usually oil the parts before re-assembly. I'll use a cottage cheese tub for the smaller parts. I don't use any wire or brass brushes or steel wool. The gray doesn't last long.

[Bill Lyman]

Hmm, I guess I will have to rethink. When I have used vinegar, the tool came out blackened.

[Bill_Houghton]

Vinegar (and probably the other mildly acidic rust removers, like citric acid, but I don't know because I haven't used them) is a handy way to identify the laminated plane irons that Stanley produced for some years: the higher-grade steel that forms the cutting edge turns black, while the rest of the iron turns gray.  I assume it has to do with the carbon content.

[PeteW]

Not my idea - I saw it posted some time ago - but for bigger items you can use any suitable cardboard box lined with a heavy-duty plastic garbage sack and as much duct tape as you feel appropriate for secure fixing. Pro tip: it helps if you make sure the sack hasn't been punctured before you start.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I haven't done a rusty plane in awhile, but I was a big fan of citric acid--hot. I used a wire brush and scrubbed. Most planes were de-rusted in a few minutes. Then they got a wash down with soap and lots of water to neutralize the acid. After drying with paper towels, I popped them in the kitchen oven for drying and then coated them with 3 in 1 oil while warm.

The citric acid did not remove any remaining japan finish but it did clean it up. As for the darkening, I left it as patina but lightly sanded the sole to polish it up.