The Jalopy Journal

TruckTech915 · 11-04-2009, 12:40 PM

I wipe/clean mine after use. Before they go back in my box they are clean.
If I loan a tool to someone and it comes back to me greasy, I will not loan them anymore.

nate379 · 11-04-2009, 12:42 PM

I wipe my tools down but I don't get carried away with it either. Most of what I work on it fairly clean (I try to fix leaks before they get bad).

I don't always put them away right away. Usually it's more when I can't remember where I put something or the bench is too full of crap to be able to work on something.

Old Donn · 11-04-2009, 01:29 PM

Wipe them off, put them away, lock the chest every time.

T56 Impala · 11-04-2009, 01:45 PM

Yes, after wiping off the grease an dirt, they get wiped down with a felt cloth saturated in gun oil.

Mike83 · 11-04-2009, 01:59 PM

Tools, or at least tool handles, are cleaned after use, and usually the toolbox drawers that become covered in grime. I don't rinse out the inside of sockets.

If I borrow a tool it goes back in better condition than when I recieved it. Whether that means cleaner, new replacement part, whatever.

Joe69 · 11-04-2009, 07:35 PM

I just wipe them off with a reasonably clean rag.

Joe

Rickster · 11-04-2009, 07:40 PM

I just wipe them down after the job and put them away. If needed I hit them with a little WD40.

krusty the clown · 11-04-2009, 07:43 PM

i wipe mine off with a shop towel before i put them in my box. if i have been doing a front end job i'll throw them in the parts washer and clean them there.

VegasBruce · 11-04-2009, 08:22 PM

I wipe them down with a rag, if they are really dirty I'll spray them with carb cleaner. No rust here in the desert.

rjohnson · 11-04-2009, 08:24 PM

I try not to get them dirty-I wipe my hands of iff greasy or oily, seems like only sockets wrenches, and screwdrivers really get dirty.

Schrodingers Cat · 11-04-2009, 09:35 PM

just wipe them down with a shop rag...

I am pretty particular about cleaning a bolt/nut before I loosen or reuse it...
wire brush/some penetrating oil/rag...

GDA · 11-04-2009, 11:02 PM

I like to wear the original black Mechanix gloves so picking up a dirty tool is not that big of a deal.

That said, unless a ball joint blows its wad on a wrench or somehow a tool gets a bunch of gunk on it, I keep a rag on hand to wipe stuff down along the way and keep me from just piling up a stack of tools in my cart.

I then just wipe down all my tools as part of finishing up my project and making sure I didn't lose any tools along the way.

ImportTuner · 11-04-2009, 11:14 PM

I always clean my tools after I use them; it was not always this way, back in my younger days (ruined alot of tools due to rust, etc.) I would just toss them back in my tool box dirty ..

bgott · 11-05-2009, 12:53 AM

Quote:

I wipe them down with a rag, if they are really dirty I'll spray them with carb cleaner. No rust here in the desert.

That ain't no shit. I moved to Texas the first time from Nevada. I kept my tools abolutely spotless. I had a can of carb spray just for clean up. I moved to Houston and the first weekend I worked in a shop was a three day weekend. I came in Monday morning and opened my box and WOW! My tools looked like they had been sprayed with saltwater every day for a month! One of the many shocks for a gulf coast first timer.

nissan_crawler · 11-05-2009, 01:56 AM

yep, I clean them. I don't like greasy tools.

Merkava_4 · 11-05-2009, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by APEowner

I usually use Simple Green but I'll sometimes use glass cleaner.

Both of those chemicals are extremely corrosive. And you certainly don't want to use them on any kind of metal without a thorough rinse with water afterwards. I'd use Simple Green on a dirty grungy mower engine followed up by a water rinse, but NOT tools!!

Big Bad Jon · 11-05-2009, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merkava_4

Both of those chemicals are extremely corrosive. And you certainly don't want to use them on any kind of metal without a thorough rinse with water afterwards. I'd use Simple Green on a dirty grungy mower engine followed up by a water rinse, but NOT tools!!

I thought you used a buffing wheel after each use.

hetkind · 11-05-2009, 05:56 AM

I live in a humid climate, so the tools get wiped down with a oily cloth after use.

If I am doing a "dirty" job, I try to remove most of the crud before I start. Clean tools and a clean workspace are critical to quality work.

Howard

north · 11-05-2009, 07:14 AM

I always clean my tools after use, and sometimes during use, with an oily rag. Also give the inside of sockets and wrenches a quick wipe. Then everything goes back to their designated places.

Living next to the North Sea mandates taking rust preventive measures.

Have a nice day.

ddawg16 · 11-05-2009, 07:24 AM

The bigger issue here gentlemen is the fact that his jeep was so dirty......I personally do not allow my vehicles toget that way.....if I have an oil leak, I fix it....the only oil grease you will find is where its supposed to be...

Hence, my tools don't get dirty.....but in the odd time they do...I wipe as I go....easier to hold onto a clean wrench than a dirty one.....about the only time I soak anything is if it is a socket or box end with a bunch of gunk in it....then it gets a rub with WD40 afterwards...

BTW....that spray you use to clean stainless steal in the kitchen works really well too....if you don't mind the 'pretty' smell.

11-04-2009, 12:42 PM	#22
nate379 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Palmer, AK Posts: 5,182	Re: Do you clean your tools? I wipe my tools down but I don't get carried away with it either. Most of what I work on it fairly clean (I try to fix leaks before they get bad). I don't always put them away right away. Usually it's more when I can't remember where I put something or the bench is too full of crap to be able to work on something.

11-04-2009, 01:29 PM	#23
Old Donn Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 709	Re: Do you clean your tools? Wipe them off, put them away, lock the chest every time.

11-04-2009, 01:45 PM	#24
T56 Impala Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Roswell GA Posts: 2,312	Re: Do you clean your tools? Yes, after wiping off the grease an dirt, they get wiped down with a felt cloth saturated in gun oil. __________________ WTB/WTT: Plomb 1/2 drive WF stuff. Bonney Bonaloy DBE wrenches. Bonney Streamlined DOE wrenches. Technology is a gift of God. After the gift of life it is perhaps the greatest of God's gifts. It is the mother of civilizations, of arts and of sciences. — Freeman Dyson

11-04-2009, 01:59 PM	#25
Mike83 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,075	Re: Do you clean your tools? Tools, or at least tool handles, are cleaned after use, and usually the toolbox drawers that become covered in grime. I don't rinse out the inside of sockets. If I borrow a tool it goes back in better condition than when I recieved it. Whether that means cleaner, new replacement part, whatever. __________________ Looking to Buy: SK Tuff 1 1/4" Flex Ratchet and 1/2" Flex Ratchet; Snap-on TF72 Ratchet

11-04-2009, 07:35 PM	#26
Joe69 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Muncie, Indiana Posts: 631	Re: Do you clean your tools? I just wipe them off with a reasonably clean rag. Joe

11-04-2009, 07:40 PM	#27
Rickster Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Northville, MI Posts: 2,594	Re: Do you clean your tools? I just wipe them down after the job and put them away. If needed I hit them with a little WD40. __________________ Rickster Garage Junkie Tools For Sale Mustang Project Ricksters Seller Feedback

11-04-2009, 07:43 PM	#28
krusty the clown Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: niangua, mo Posts: 7,496	Re: Do you clean your tools? i wipe mine off with a shop towel before i put them in my box. if i have been doing a front end job i'll throw them in the parts washer and clean them there. __________________ DEGENERATE Main Entry: 1de·gen·er·ate Pronunciation: \di-ˈjen-rət, -ˈje-nə-, dē-\ Date: 15th century 1 a : having declined or become less specialized (as in nature, character, structure, or function) from an ancestral or former state b : having sunk to a condition below that which is normal to a type; especially : having sunk to a lower and usually corrupt and vicious state c : degraded 2

11-04-2009, 08:22 PM	#29
VegasBruce Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Huntsville TX Posts: 153	Re: Do you clean your tools? I wipe them down with a rag, if they are really dirty I'll spray them with carb cleaner. No rust here in the desert. __________________ Bruce A craftsman is someone who does a better job than anyone thinks is necessary.

11-04-2009, 08:24 PM	#30
rjohnson Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Marengo, Illinois Posts: 401	Re: Do you clean your tools? I try not to get them dirty-I wipe my hands of iff greasy or oily, seems like only sockets wrenches, and screwdrivers really get dirty.

11-04-2009, 09:35 PM	#31
Schrodingers Cat Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 161	Re: Do you clean your tools? just wipe them down with a shop rag... I am pretty particular about cleaning a bolt/nut before I loosen or reuse it... wire brush/some penetrating oil/rag...

11-04-2009, 11:02 PM	#32
GDA Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 821	Re: Do you clean your tools? I like to wear the original black Mechanix gloves so picking up a dirty tool is not that big of a deal. That said, unless a ball joint blows its wad on a wrench or somehow a tool gets a bunch of gunk on it, I keep a rag on hand to wipe stuff down along the way and keep me from just piling up a stack of tools in my cart. I then just wipe down all my tools as part of finishing up my project and making sure I didn't lose any tools along the way.

11-04-2009, 11:14 PM	#33
ImportTuner Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 4,261	Re: Do you clean your tools? I always clean my tools after I use them; it was not always this way, back in my younger days (ruined alot of tools due to rust, etc.) I would just toss them back in my tool box dirty ..

11-05-2009, 01:56 AM	#35
nissan_crawler Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 7,097	Re: Do you clean your tools? yep, I clean them. I don't like greasy tools. __________________ If guns cause crime, all mine are defective. Ted Nugent "A man with a gun is a citizen. A man without a gun is a subject. " John Lott "Taking my gun away because I might shoot someone is like cutting my tongue out because I might yell `Fire!' in a crowded theater." Peter Venetoklis

11-05-2009, 05:56 AM	#38
hetkind Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Johnson City, Tennessee Posts: 603	Re: Do you clean your tools? I live in a humid climate, so the tools get wiped down with a oily cloth after use. If I am doing a "dirty" job, I try to remove most of the crud before I start. Clean tools and a clean workspace are critical to quality work. Howard

11-05-2009, 07:14 AM	#39
north Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Norway Posts: 112	Re: Do you clean your tools? I always clean my tools after use, and sometimes during use, with an oily rag. Also give the inside of sockets and wrenches a quick wipe. Then everything goes back to their designated places. Living next to the North Sea mandates taking rust preventive measures. Have a nice day. __________________ Aka B.O.V., Norway New account due to password trouble and old e-mail provider partying with the Dodo bird. Have a nice day. :)

11-05-2009, 07:24 AM	#40
ddawg16 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: S. California Posts: 3,411	Re: Do you clean your tools? The bigger issue here gentlemen is the fact that his jeep was so dirty......I personally do not allow my vehicles toget that way.....if I have an oil leak, I fix it....the only oil grease you will find is where its supposed to be... Hence, my tools don't get dirty.....but in the odd time they do...I wipe as I go....easier to hold onto a clean wrench than a dirty one.....about the only time I soak anything is if it is a socket or box end with a bunch of gunk in it....then it gets a rub with WD40 afterwards... BTW....that spray you use to clean stainless steal in the kitchen works really well too....if you don't mind the 'pretty' smell. __________________ John 2-Story Garage Complete My Garage Build Link Home for..... 84 CJ7 - With a 'few' modifications.. My Jeep Build Link And my wife's art Studio... and 3 kids with more energy than we have...

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode