time to clean my tools...

[indulf]

what do you guys do to clean your hand tools up?

i wipe them down after every use, but that has failed to keep up. looks like i need to clean them with some kind of solvent.

anything in particular work well? any tips or tricks?

[Tolly]

I use a rag.

[timf1]

kerosine bath followed by a spray of wd40 and a wipe with a rag

[1996cc]

A steam cleaner works awesome. That's what we used when I worked at Les Schwab. It was like a giant kick ass dishwasher. Wish I could afford one. Or an ultrasonic cleaner - just uses water with ultrasonic waves. It is like a bathtub. Jay Leno has one of those. Can't afford that either.

[Urban Wheeler]

I use a rag, and spend time on all the little nooks and crannies. Now and then I'll take them to the parts washer.

[jerseyzuks]

Cotton rag + WD40

[Munchies]

Cotton rag + mineral spirits. Then wd40 and wipe
Gets grease oil off, and the wd protects it!

[Iron Horse]

I use 3M brake clean and a rag to get the nasty stuff off. Then WD40 and wipe it with a clean rag to protect the metal.

[Mutt]

Rag, brake cleaner, parts washer (remember some ratches aren't sealed so you'll wash out what little lube they come with), and good old GOOP for the soft handles and plastic parts, makes them shine like new!

[Toyota_Jim]

wd40 on a rag wipe them down, handles get goop soap. before they get put back in the box. clean when in the box.

[frankenfab]

Mineral spirits and a "flow through" solvent brush in my 20 gallon parts washer.

[n9emz]

throw them in a tub of kerosene and let them sit until I get a day off to wipe them down and stow them back in the toolboxes.

[GOAT1]

I was cleaning up a bunch of new old tool I aquired the other day and was wandering if you could rig up an old dishwasher, has anyone ever tried this? What would you use for soap/degreaser?

[willyswanter]

I used an old dish washer for a parts washer a couple times. I would put entire transfer cases (in pieces) in there with regular "Grease Cutting!" dish washer soap. They would come out looking brand new. BUT, after seeing how much gook was going down the drain I stopped that practice, might as well pour your old oil down the drain. I've been trying to find a used "organic" parts washer for a while now. They use a citrus stuff that runs through a filter and doesn't have any cancer causing junk in them and with the filter the fluid lasts for a good year before it needs replacing.

[GOAT1]

How much water does a dishwasher use? Could you just contain it in a 50 gal drum, then just let the water evaporate after a while. Many machine shops do this with there old soluble oil coolant, they make drum heaters for 50 gal drums that evaporate all the water to reduce the amount of waste you have to dispose of.

[4x4mike]

At my job we have one of those Simple Green parts washers. I take all of my dirty stuff there to clean. It is 25 gallons and has 2 filters the size of a roll of paper towels. We get it cleaned out and refilled twice a year. We put in the simple green crystal, it works and smells a whole lot better. The cool thing about the washer is that it has a heater in it. 90* SG melts off grease and grime. The plus is that you don't have to wear gloves.

[jeepn4life]

nothing works like brake cleaner

[Kartracer55]

I used an old dish washer for a parts washer a couple times. I would put entire transfer cases (in pieces) in there with regular "Grease Cutting!" dish washer soap. They would come out looking brand new. BUT, after seeing how much gook was going down the drain I stopped that practice, might as well pour your old oil down the drain. I've been trying to find a used "organic" parts washer for a while now. They use a citrus stuff that runs through a filter and doesn't have any cancer causing junk in them and with the filter the fluid lasts for a good year before it needs replacing.


haha my dad had a friend who used to wash his spoked hub caps in his moms dishwasher. lol came out great.

As for keeping your tools clean, well, It all depends. For a ratchet, The best thing to do for undsleaed ratchets is to put the head into a can of oil, whenever your not using them, but this gets messy. Ususaly I will take them apart and re poil them about once a month, or every other month. For wrenches, I ususaly just wipe them with a cotton rag and oil, or a bit of wd40 and a rag. For sockets, Will you can always get the insides clean, so i deal with it.

basically, 10wt oil and a rag is good for most tools. For measuring tools, its important them you oil them often, to keep them working smooth. good tools are not cheap, so its important you take car of them.


If im working on somethign and htey are all oily and stuff I wil simple green them, then quickly oil them after that.

Jim