nina_campbell•19d agoMost Upvoted

Tried restoring a rusty hand plane with vinegar and it ate the logo off

I was working in my garage in Portland last Saturday, soaking an old Stanley plane in vinegar to remove rust, and I left it in for 6 hours instead of 2. The rust came off but so did the manufacturer stamp, and now I have a plain gray lump instead of a collectible tool. Has anyone else ruined a vintage tool with a simple cleaning trick?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley18119d ago

Vinegar is a lousy choice for vintage tools all around. You should have used evaporust or at least a mild soap and water scrub if you wanted to keep the markings. That logo was probably already loose from rust pitting, and the acid just finished the job. Next time try a brass brush and some mineral spirits, you will keep the patina and the stamp.

murphy.abby19d ago

Funny you say that, a buddy of mine tried the vinegar trick on an old Craftsman brace he found at a garage sale. He left it soaking overnight like some YouTube video told him to, and by morning the whole handle was loose and the logo looked like it had been sandblasted off. He ended up spending more time trying to reglue the wood and polish out the chemical burns than he would have with a proper rust remover. Last I heard he bought a bottle of Evaporust and swore off vinegar for good. Now he just scrubs with mineral oil and a stiff nylon brush, says it keeps the character without wrecking the stamp. That logo thing you mentioned makes total sense, the vinegars probably just pushed it over the edge if it was already thin.

faith_king19d ago

Vinegar is OVERRATED for tools.