How To Remove Rust From An Ax?

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Axes, just like any other gardening tool, also tend to rust from time to time - especially often when they are not stored properly. However, do not rush to throw away the rusted tool - it is quite possible to clean almost any ax of rust and safely continue to use it further! How can this be done, and how difficult is it?

How to get rid of rust?

You can clean an ax from rust in a variety of ways - someone uses an electric emery cloth or a vaunted electrolysis for these purposes, for someone a grinder with a petal or a scraping disc becomes the best assistant, and someone likes simpler, but also effective ways, however, sometimes they turn out to be much more laborious.

If the ax is not too rusty, you can wrap it with a generously oiled rag, then place the tool in a sturdy plastic bag and send it to the sun. From time to time you will have to look into the bag and clean off some of the "come off" rust, but it is important to understand that it will not be possible to remove all the rust in one step using this method.

Kerosene is also quite suitable for these purposes - the ax is wrapped in a cloth abundantly moistened with kerosene and left in this form for several hours. During this time, kerosene will corrode rust without damaging the metal. And then it does not hurt to wipe the tool with machine oil as well - it perfectly helps to prevent corrosion, as it forms a strong protective film on the metal surface.

Sometimes a rusted ax is wiped with vinegar, and the resulting grayish coating is carefully cleaned off with a soft cloth - as a rule, it is removed without much difficulty. You can also soak the ax for several days in a citric acid solution (the latter is taken at the rate of ten grams for each liter of water). At the same time, some summer residents who have tested this method note that in this case the side of the ax that lies "facing" outward is much better cleaned. By the way, even with this method, a grayish coating can also form on the ax, which will also not be difficult to eliminate. And so that the metal does not oxidize, it is recommended to wash the ax in a soda or soap solution.

The variant with the well-known to many means for cleaning pipes "Krot" has proved itself very well - at first it is bred in half with water (and some masters quite safely use the tool in its pure form!), And then they lower the ax into the resulting solution and keep it there for at least seven to eight hours, maximum - a day. And, surprisingly, many people note that this tool really works great in this direction as well! And to make the result even more pleasing, after the end of the "procedure" you can walk over the hatchet with a brass cord brush. And if necessary, this "procedure" can always be repeated fearlessly! Just do not forget that you should always wear reliable rubber gloves before starting it!

And you can finally get rid of rust after carrying out all the above manipulations using the most ordinary sandpaper, so it does not hurt to stock up on it in advance.

Prophylaxis

So that the ax does not subsequently begin to rust again, it is recommended to "etch" its head in phosphoric or nitric acid (in a 10 - 15% solution) for three to four hours. Of course, before this, the tool must be degreased. However, even in this case, it is still impossible to give one hundred percent guarantee that the ax will never rust again in its life. So it is extremely important to constantly monitor its condition and ensure it is stored correctly!

How do you get rid of rust on tools?