Just wondering what people like when it comes to old tools....sometimes a scouring pad and some WD-40 or whatever can derust and clean pretty good....I've noticed chrome can sometimes oxidize black and flake off which is hard to restore.I found a BluePoint wrench that was rusty and after cleaning with 380 grit sandpaper it was still patchy so I decided to lightly sandblast it just a second or so on each side...I don't think it was shiny when new but just looking for feedback if I should avoid and leave the "rusty gold" or not.May sound a little OCD but it's a diverting pastime..

Some do the black paint with white letters thing and others cry if you dare disturb the rust flakes.

   I have done it all from just tossing it into the display as found to welding in metal on re-filed old wrenches and bringing them back to true.
    I have even made new parts for broken open end wrenches to bring them to form. 

    Now it just a minor cleaning to define the stampings and into the display.   

    My NeverStall pliers came missing a thumbwheel and one was adapted from a wrecked Ford type adjustable.   Now one is battered but working and the other is still wrecked.
    It all depends on the relative rarity of the piece and my hopes of finding a good clean example. 

Do whatever you like, it's not like they are valuable.

Are you going to sell it or keep it?

If keeping it; is it a user or a looker?

I don't like having rust and rough edges on tools i plan on using; too much extra chance of hurting myself and having loose rust or chrome or whatever stuck in my hide; no thanks to that.

Some folks like the way tools look out of the rustbucket, so if you're selling it you may not want it pristine.

This is something that really peeves me because it is so prevalent.  People who try to sell something, but can't be bothered with cleaning it, even if it's just to wipe the dust off with a rag.  I can understand that when selling certain items, they are better left untouched, but that doesn't mean you should leave it looking like you just dug it out of the ground.  I better get off the soapbox before I fall off.
Al with CDO (that's like OCD but in alphabetical order as it should be).
 

     oh, you mean,
   
      CDO =  " clean dust off "

Yeah it's a each tool will be different kind of thing for sure....the Lectrolite in this pic has an almost Bronze look and feel to it so I won't mess with it...depends on how crusty and pitted and all that stuff they are.

For me, if it is just darkened, I use them as they are.  If rusty, they get dipped in evapo-rust rust remover, wire brushed and given a light coat of clear lacquer.

I like the looks of the one you did.

Quote from: Catch22! on March 31, 2017, 10:06:52 PM
For me, if it is just darkened, I use them as they are.  If rusty, they get dipped in evapo-rust rust remover, wire brushed and given a light coat of clear lacquer.

I like the looks of the one you did.

I've been playing with the Evapo-rust since you mentioned it earlier. The stuff works pretty good.

If I plan to keep it, I soak it in Evapo-rust overnight, then a wash and brush, then a light wipe down with WD-40. OK, you suppose any companies will notice my endorsements and send me some compensation or products? If I'm getting them for trade bait, I tend to leave them alone other than wiping the obvious crust and dust off, just in case you like them that way. I figure we're not messing with museum pieces and even if we are they're your museum pieces. So, if you wanna touch up the "Mona Lisa", paint away my friend.

I used to have a display case at an antique mall in Central New York. I would clean up old tools and display them all nice and neat. After a while , I would get notes left in the case saying that they would have bought a bunch of my tools but I ruined them by cleaning them. So I starting just whipping them down  with a oily rag. Then I was getting notes saying my tools look like crap and I should clean them up. Can't win sometimes.

Hello, Ken. I have found that if I am going to keep & use a tool, I clean it to where it is functional, & comfortable to use. If I am selling , I do a light cleaning ,no abrasives, free up parts that need to move, and leave the rest to the future owner. Regards, Lou

The biggest problem I see is that people do not know when to stop cleaning. If it doesn't shine, it isn't clean enough in their eyes. That may be fine for modern day, mass produced, dime a dozen junk wrenches... but for something that may have actual value, and you are intending to sell(which I hate to break it to you, but every single one of our collections WILL be sold someday), then cleaning beyond just getting rid of grime will hurt you eventually. Sure, you bought it, you can do what you want to it applies, but remember that you are just the current temporary caretaker of that item and what ever you do to it can not be undone to get it back to the original look it had after surviving how many ever years. If something is that rusty and pathetic looking where you really have to nuts with cleaning, why buy it in the first place? Why not wait for a better one to come along, unless it truly is a very rare item, but most are not that rare.

Some great observations and I'll probably keep my finds more natural going forward because I like to see the history and have the tool reflect it's time of manufacture... funny to think something from the 1920's is almost 100 years old and when it comes to wrenches they still seem plentiful and cheap. Who knows give it a few more years and and it might become the next collecting fad and we'll all be sitting on a few bucks. Something to be said  for old steel as newer doesn't mean they are getting it right as the old guys who really knew this stuff are pretty much retired or passed on...those guys were all hands on at the forge as well unlike today's generation.