I scored a bag of assorted dies (about 30) for $5 at a garage sale.
The condition is variable. Thick grime, old chips etc.

I gave them a bath in varsol today which got rid ot the worst and some of
them cleaned up quite nicely. I used a pipe cleaner to remove the old chips.

Now, some of them have a lot of surface rust and pitting. Also, I cannot
tell the state the cutting edges are at without trying them (at least one
cuts better than the boxed verison of the Canadian Tire dies).

So, what would you do now:
1) Leave alone, use as necessary?
2) Give them another bath in a Simple Green equivalent followed by a bath in
Evaporust followed by a spray of Dricote?
3) None of the above?

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Michael Koblic wrote:

I scored a bag of assorted dies (about 30) for $5 at a garage sale.
The condition is variable. Thick grime, old chips etc.

I gave them a bath in varsol today which got rid ot the worst and some of
them cleaned up quite nicely. I used a pipe cleaner to remove the old chips.

Now, some of them have a lot of surface rust and pitting. Also, I cannot
tell the state the cutting edges are at without trying them (at least one
cuts better than the boxed verison of the Canadian Tire dies).

So, what would you do now:
1) Leave alone, use as necessary?
2) Give them another bath in a Simple Green equivalent followed by a bath in
Evaporust followed by a spray of Dricote?
3) None of the above?


It depends. I'd get out the 10X optivisor and a strong light and look closely
at the cutting teeth on each one. If they aren't broken or obviously damaged
then they may well be reasonably sharp still. If they are intact but not
sharp you can do a fair job with a die grinder and a cylindrical stone by
hand.

I wouldn't worry about any rust for a minute except where it obscures any
writing you might need to read. For shining up previously ground surfaces
there is nothing like a 3M deburring wheel or generic equivalent, mounted
on a small bench grinder. I wouldn't use any detergent on cutting tools,
but I would soak in mineral spirits (which you call Varsol) followed by
some brushing followed by compressed air (wearing eye protection) through
a smallish needle. It always is a good idea to put on a drop or two of
tool oil.

Grant

Test
"Grant Erwin" wrote in message news:LMajk.320$rb5.14@trnddc04...
Michael Koblic wrote:

I scored a bag of assorted dies (about 30) for $5 at a garage sale.
The condition is variable. Thick grime, old chips etc.

I gave them a bath in varsol today which got rid ot the worst and some of
them cleaned up quite nicely. I used a pipe cleaner to remove the old chips.

Now, some of them have a lot of surface rust and pitting. Also, I cannot
tell the state the cutting edges are at without trying them (at least one
cuts better than the boxed verison of the Canadian Tire dies).

So, what would you do now:
1) Leave alone, use as necessary?
2) Give them another bath in a Simple Green equivalent followed by a bath in
Evaporust followed by a spray of Dricote?
3) None of the above?


It depends. I'd get out the 10X optivisor and a strong light and look closely
at the cutting teeth on each one. If they aren't broken or obviously damaged
then they may well be reasonably sharp still. If they are intact but not
sharp you can do a fair job with a die grinder and a cylindrical stone by
hand.

I wouldn't worry about any rust for a minute except where it obscures any
writing you might need to read. For shining up previously ground surfaces
there is nothing like a 3M deburring wheel or generic equivalent, mounted
on a small bench grinder. I wouldn't use any detergent on cutting tools,
but I would soak in mineral spirits (which you call Varsol) followed by
some brushing followed by compressed air (wearing eye protection) through
a smallish needle. It always is a good idea to put on a drop or two of
tool oil.

Grant
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Michael Koblic wrote:
I scored a bag of assorted dies (about 30) for $5 at a garage sale.
The condition is variable. Thick grime, old chips etc.

I gave them a bath in varsol today which got rid ot the worst and some of
them cleaned up quite nicely. I used a pipe cleaner to remove the old chips.

Now, some of them have a lot of surface rust and pitting. Also, I cannot
tell the state the cutting edges are at without trying them (at least one
cuts better than the boxed verison of the Canadian Tire dies).

So, what would you do now:
1) Leave alone, use as necessary?
2) Give them another bath in a Simple Green equivalent followed by a bath in
Evaporust followed by a spray of Dricote?
3) None of the above?



To remove rust ,get some cleaning vinegar from the super market laundry
section and soak the rusty dies in the vinegar for a few hours or
overnight .
Remove and scrub with hot soapy water , spray with a water dispersant
like CRC 2-56 or WD40 and wipe excess off with a rag.

Citric acid works as well , available from the cke section in the super
market in powder form ,mix with water and leave the rusty bits in for a
few hours, remove and as per above.

--
Kevin (Bluey)
"I'm not young enough to know everything."

Michael Koblic wrote:
I scored a bag of assorted dies (about 30) for $5 at a garage sale.
The condition is variable. Thick grime, old chips etc.

I gave them a bath in varsol today which got rid ot the worst and some of
them cleaned up quite nicely. I used a pipe cleaner to remove the old chips.

Now, some of them have a lot of surface rust and pitting. Also, I cannot
tell the state the cutting edges are at without trying them (at least one
cuts better than the boxed verison of the Canadian Tire dies).

So, what would you do now:
1) Leave alone, use as necessary?
2) Give them another bath in a Simple Green equivalent followed by a bath in
Evaporust followed by a spray of Dricote?
3) None of the above?


Evaporust