Cleaning some tools with vinegar...great results!

k2gleaner

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I haven't posted here in a long time b/c well, life changed, last winter was WET, work changed, etc, and I haven't been detecting. I also don't generally detect when it's hot outside. Drips on my glasses...

Anyway, I was working on my boat recently and left my driver bit set outside in the rain for a few days unknowingly and you can see the result of that. Also, I needed the old tap and die set my dad gave me and found them to be in need of a cleanup.

So, I got my Harbor Freight rock tumbler out, some vingegar, and aquarium gravel and threw in the taps in one container with the dies in another.

Check out the results! I was a little concerned b/c the rock got stuck in the dies and was worried the thread could be damaged getting pieces out so be careful about that.

Sprayed em down with some WD40 but should've used something else maybe.
 

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Those cleaned up well. Never thought of using a tumbler on tools. Now may have to go through the garage tonight.
 
If you are using quartz pebbles (aquarium gravel?) as your tumbling medium, I suggest using something else that is softer. The hardness of the quartz can't be good for the sharp surfaces required for metal cutting/tapping. Quartz is around 7 on the Mohs Scale which is rather close to the hardness of tool steel. Chalk/calcite (limestone) is around 3. Might take a little longer but be gentler so as to not dull the surfaces. If you are tumbling cartridge casings for reloading you generally use something like treated shredded corncobs, crushed nut shells or dried coffee grounds. If you are tumbling siliceous rocks then you need to get tough, using various abrasive tumbling grits and polishing tumbling media for finish work. If you are a rock tumbler you probably already know a lot of this stuff. Happy polishing!
 
If you are using quartz pebbles (aquarium gravel?) as your tumbling medium, I suggest using something else that is softer. The hardness of the quartz can't be good for the sharp surfaces required for metal cutting/tapping...

Thank you very much for the info. I was/am actually a little nervous b/c of the gravel that got stuck in every single die. There are a few pieces I haven't got out b/c I'm scared to damage the threads.

I'm not a rock tumbler but bought it to tumble coins - I metal detect a little bit.

My kids would like me to tumble some rocks so I might become one yet... it's partly the reason I bought it.
 
now finish it off with a lite coat of oil
so they will not rust.. i do that with all my tools keeps them like new..
 
now finish it off with a lite coat of oil
so they will not rust... I do that with all my tools keeps them like new.

Good call. I used some WD40 at the time - b/c there was some there and hey - water-dispersing agent sounded good. The next morning, everything was fine except for the taps - in the concave areas, they had a tinge of rust again. Probably didn't hit them well.
 
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