On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 16:34:44 -0700, "AKA gray asphalt"
wrote:

I've got to start taking better care of my tools. CLR got some lime or
whatever it was off of an electric stapler but my T=square is rusted beyond
help.

Have you tried a 4 or 5" wire wheel on a bench grinder? I haven't had
anything that wouldn't improve** and some things come out like new.
Including lots of rusty things. Some times the improvement is
incredible.

I'm almost sure I'm using coarse and not fine for the wheel. I know
that's what I used on the muffler and it seemed the same.

I've even cleaned a chrome motorcycle muffler with a wire wheel, and
although it looked like 30% was covered with rust, underneath much of
that was shiny chrome. It's like the rust oozed out of a tiny hole
and spread over the surface of the chrome.

Practice on something less important of course, but it didn't take
much practice. The only hard thing is avoiding painted surfaces that
I don't want to repaint. And some times positioning the thing so that
the wire wheel can get to all the surfaces.

All I have is a grinder axle in a housing, powered by a spare motor,
like powers a furnace fan, maybe smaller than that. I can check on the
HP if it matters. I don't think I have any cover on the side, and
that helps get access, and the muffler I did with a 6" wheel and I
took off the entire cover. With the cover on, it only takes a 5"
wheel.

Spent a lot of time on the muffler and exhaust pipe, but then again,
it was almost 6 feet long.

When you do hit something you don't intend to, it doesn't do that much
damage, but that's not carte blanche.

I'm dubious about any method that doesn't use a motor because I would
never have the energy to do what the motor does.


**A couple putty knives didn't improve much, but rust was not the
issue with them.

It's a few decades old but when it was my dad's it was bright and
shiny. Is there an oil to put on things like saws clamps which seem to be
taking the worst from the desert weather here?
Thanks again,
: - )