OT Vise question

S

Shann

Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
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I found an old Wilton vise in my basement. Its kind of rusty, but seems to work okay. The swivel base is rusted so I can't move it.

How does one go about cleaning up a big chunk of metal like this? I don't really want to use any water which will only contribute to the rust. I suppose in the old days, I'd put it in a bucket of kerosene and let it soak for a while, but that seems a little hazardous these days ;)

Probably something like break free and a wire brush would work, I'm looking for something a little easier.
 
Get an engine shop to hot tank it for you. Or use a strong solution of lye followed by a LOT of fresh water followed by a good douseing with WD-40.
 
Moving to Shop Talk....

There are a lot of ways to free up rust; it's a question of which will be the easiest for you. I think the denizens of the Shop Talk forum will give you a good selection of methods to choose from. :cool:
 
I go the cheap route generally. As a matter of fact, I just finished restoring a giant vise that had been left outdoors for the last 12 years.

Get a tub it will fit in and put the vise and enough Kerosene to cover it...in.

Let it sit for a couple of hours and pull it out. Work all the screws and put it back. Keep this up for as long as it takes. It will free up as good as ever.
 
I just tried the electric rust removal recently. It's just washing soda in water and hook up a battery charger to it. I had been reading about this method for a while but haven't tried it previously because the only charger I had was a trickle charger for my motorcycle.
Even with the 2 or 3 amp charger, when I left it overnight, the rust changed to black crud that was easily wire brushed off. As a bonus the old paint that was on the old window operators that I put in was softened too. Didn't hurt any of the parts, even the brass.
Not quick but super simple. If I can do it anyone can!!
I don't have a site for the complete instructions but I'm sure someone will point the way for complete instructions. If not, google for rust removal.
Lynn
 
There is a product for freeing rust called Kroil. It has to be the hands down best product I have ever used for freeing rusty parts.
 
EvapoRust works great removing rust.
Non-toxic, non-flamable, biodegradable, non-polluting.
Great for use in the house.

And it is designed to specifically break down rust --
red iron oxide -- nothing else.

Not sure about penetration between close surfaces.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=282434&highlight=evaporust
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=evaporust

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Well, I've tried a lot of different things, including the rust electrolysis Lynn mentioned. The best product I've found is Ballistol. It's better than liquid wrench (or any other product I've tried) for freeing up rusty nuts and bolts and actually penetrates down to the metal surface and lifts the rust off. I use Ballistol for just about everything besides brushing my teeth with. It has replaced ALL of the oils and cleaners in my gun cleaning kit. I even use it as a patch lubricant for my black powder shooting. Of course, I make a paste with beeswax and Ballistol for that but you get the point. It's non-toxic and fairly inexpensive. The only negative thing I have to say about Ballistol is that it's no good as a quenchant. The flash point is very low, somewhere around 125 degrees I think.

So if you can find some Ballistol give that a try. I don't see how you could fail. Just spray or pour it on and make sure it gets into all the cracks and crannies and let it sit overnight. I can almost guarantee you'll get the results you're looking for. I could go on about how great that stuff is but you'll just have to try it and see for yourself.
 
Shann said:
I found an old Wilton vise in my basement. Its kind of rusty, but seems to work okay. The swivel base is rusted so I can't move it.

How does one go about cleaning up a big chunk of metal like this? I don't really want to use any water which will only contribute to the rust. I suppose in the old days, I'd put it in a bucket of kerosene and let it soak for a while, but that seems a little hazardous these days ;)

Probably something like break free and a wire brush would work, I'm looking for something a little easier.
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FWEEEEEEEET!
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+2 Shoptalk points awarded for the correct spelling of VISE. Play ball!
 
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