How to remove rust from your tools?

Tools can rust and need out help.

According to Aaron Barnett of BangingToolbox: With enough time and neglect, once proud and shiny tools can end up as orange shadows of their former selves – the time spent cooped up or left in a forgotten corner in the garage or a draw has allowed the surface to oxidize and rust.

When tools rust inside mechanisms parts – movement becomes encumbered. If a surface is left to rust your tools can turn into a downright pick-me-up health hazard. 

Tools, as you know them, were invented by man to help man, not as just decorative pieces to impress. When you take care of your tools, you take care of your investments and livelihood.

If you’re in the need of rust removal and prevention, then you’re in the right place! 

Continue reading on to find out how to remove rust from garden tools, and hand tools, and find out a secret on how to keep power tools rust-free, and always looking professional and ready to operate. Even if you need to know how to remove rust from old tools with moving parts.

When do tools become rusty?

Rust forms when metal directly comes into contact with water or when moisture from the air builds up on untreated metallic surfaces.

Much like food, you’d want your tools kept in a cool and dry place, away from hot temperatures and moisture.

The reason behind this is that metals tend to absorb less heat and end up colder than their environment, allowing moisture to build up and condense on their surface, eventually leading to rust.

That’s why storing tools in low temperate and damp locations tends to corrode quicker.

Take gardening tools for example; regularly watering your plants makes the soil moist and if you don’t get the moist soil off your trowels, your garden tools are bound to get rusty if you are not cautious.

Different methods to remove rust from tools

There are a lot of ways to remove rust from tools with home remedies.

In fact, some effective means how to remove rust from metal tools is done through the use of common household items. Rust-removing solutions can be pricey, so instead, why not take a look at some of these home remedies?

1. Using baking soda

We don’t know how many times baking soda has been mentioned in home remedies, but the versatile kitchen ingredient is just as helpful for DIYers to remove rust as the ingredient is in a batter of the weekend’s pancake mix.

Baking soda, when mixed with water, has abrasive properties [1] that simply eat away at rust as a concentrated alkaline solution.

What to prepare:

• Baking soda
• Water
• Scrubbing pad

1. Soak the rusty tool in water and apply a generous amount of baking soda on the areas that need cleaning.
2. Scrub the tool down with the scrubbing pad and apply more baking soda where needed.
3. Continue doing this until the tool is rust-free.

2. Using vinegar

Vinegar might be a great flavoring agent on your fish and chips, but the presence of acetic acid in vinegar also makes for a decent rust remover.

If you’re wondering how to remove rust from tools with vinegar, this is a simple and inexpensive alternative to using commercial rust removers.

Allow your tools some time to cure afterwards if you don’t want the metal smelling sour. 

What you need:

• Vinegar
• Hard plastic container or basin
• Towel or rug

1. Pour the vinegar into the plastic container or basin. If a tool is too large you can wipe down the surfaces instead using a cloth or rag.
2. Allow the liquid to soak for 30 minutes.
3. Any remaining rust after the soak is most likely loosened; remove these with a small brush.
4. Rinse the tool with water and wipe dry.

3. Using oxalic acid

Oxalic acid is an inexpensive chemical that you can readily be found in your local hardware store.

The highly porous penetration can easily get into hard-to-reach areas and turn even the most insoluble iron compounds into soluble ions, making for a great solution.

However, be careful when using this substance because its toxic nature can cause skin irritation [2].

What you need:

• Oxalic acid
• Rubber gloves
• Dish soap
• Plastic bucket
• Towel or rug

1. Prime your rusty tool’s surface by 1st washing the surface with dish soap water; this ensures that you maximize the chemical reaction from the oxalic acid.
2. Make sure to wear rubber gloves. Prepare an oxalic acid solution by mixing 1 gallon of water with 3 teaspoons of oxalic acid in a plastic bucket. Make sure that the bucket is large enough to fit your tool.
3. Allow rusted parts to soak for at least 30 minutes. The solution will seep into any hollow parts of the tool and fully dissolve persistent rust build-ups.
4. Rinse with water and wipe dry.

4. Sanding

5. Using citric acid

How to get critical movement back on tools?

Advanced hand tools with more moving components suffer more from rusting as every single rusted part can cause an entire tool to completely cease function.

As an example, locking pliers have parts that allow you to adjust the size of their grip with a mechanism that clamps the jaw to an object or workpiece.

All parts must move together for the tool to function. And rust that forms and accumulates on any moving parts can cause a cease in operation.

You can use CRC lubricants or better rust-removing silicone sprays to easily restore ceased and rusted tools.

Silicone spray is a cleaner lubricant for tools that won’t result in clogs from sticking dust and woodchips.

How to prevent hand tools from rusting?

You might have heard that stainless steel doesn’t rust. While stainless steel is highly resistant to rust, the notion that it will never corrode isn’t entirely true. Given enough time and exposure to the elements, even stainless steel begins to degrade.

The best way to prevent hand tools from rusting is to properly store and care for your tools.

Store your tools in a cool and dry place and put desiccant inside your toolbox or rolling tool bag to absorb excess moisture. 

Silicone spray helps add a protective layer between the metal and the air guarding against rapid oxidation.

Always fully wipe water of your tools after use, especially if you’ve worked outside in the mud, and give the surface and moving parts a light spray with silicone spray.

Rust: What is rust and how does the corrosion form?

Rust is that unsightly reddish-brown flaky coating that forms on metal surfaces as a result of a chemical reaction.

Rust isn’t like bamboo that spreads out. Rust is corrosion that occurs when elements like iron in metal interact with oxygen either by getting wet or by being exposed to air moisture.

The most common type of rust is called ferrous oxide. Other elements such as copper and zinc can also oxidize, not necessarily forming rust, but can result in gradual color change.

A phenomenal example of this is the Statue of Liberty which was originally brown as it is made from copper but is now bluish-green because of oxidation.

Rust is more than just a blemish on metal. Rust is usually indicative of structural flaws within a metal’s overall structure.

All the more important is to have any build-up of corrosion removed as fast as possible.

Tools that are prone to rust

As long as a tool is made from metal,the surface and components are prone to rusting.

Outside of chemically treating metal to be highly resistant against corrosion (E.G galvanization, powder coating, etc.), which can be rather costly.

The next best thing to do is to know which tools are more prone to rusting so that you can take the necessary precautions to avoid buildup and increase your tools’ useable lifespan.

• Garden tools. Garden tools are the most prone tools subject to rusting since the metal surfaces are in contact with mud, water, and rain. Tools like trowels, shovels, and gardening forks should always be thoroughly dried before being stored in the garden shed or garage. 
• Hand tools. Common hand tools like screwdrivers and wrenches are prone to rusting since the perspiration from your hands is actually enough to cause rust to form. Since these are usually stored in areas that are easily accessed, such as in cabinets and drawers, take extra precautions since these storage options are often made of wood. Likewise, drill bits and threading bits can easily absorb and build up moisture when stored improperly.
• Cutting tools. Depending on what you’re cutting, these tools can rust if left undried after coming into contact with oxygenated liquid. Rust forming on cutting tools makes tools unreliable, often dulling blades and edges, taking away the ability to cut effectively. Rusting saws can also leave a brown tannish on your finished workpiece if not clean. 
• Striking tools. Striking tools like ball-peen hammers, framing hammers, and chisels can still rust, but make sure to keep the surfaces clean because these tools need care and integrity to properly and safely function. Rust formations can offset striking with a slippery surface.

Rust is unsightly.

Rust is a persistent problem that tool owners constantly fight against. While there’s no surefire way to completely stop rusting, there are several easy steps that you can take in order to prevent and remove the stain of rust from developing.

Remember that rust affects the integrity of your tools and your image as a DIYer. Rust can shorten a tools lifespan and greatly lower the viability of tool value.

Thankfully, with the available home remedies we discussed, you can easily remove rust.

The best part is that rust prevention and removal costs you near to nothing and takes only a short amount of time for basic hand tool and power tool maintenance.

Most tools are made from metal components, especially tools with moving parts tools.

Tools work best when dry, so be sure to store your tools in a cool and dry place, especially if you live somewhere hot.

Rust is pesky, and not always unavoidable. Do your homework, keep a clean rag handy, and always focused and read building material before working with your tools.

This way you don’t get rusty either. See you inside our next guide!