Hey Steemians, if you're like me you might be a little clumsy with your tools. In my case I left out a few pairs of pruners and it rained (which is rare in San Diego). They rusted. I was bummed. They were Felco F-2's which are pretty nice, so I set out to figure out how to de-rust them.

This method should work for any metal tool though, not just pruners!

I made a video for you all but there's also a step by step guide below with images too :)

What You’ll Need

• Rusty tools
• White distilled vinegar
• Old mason jar or container
• Scour pads
• Some kind of lubrication or rust protection oil

Step 1 - Soak Your Tools in Vinegar

First things first - let's look at how bad my pruners were:

Not TOO bad, but definitely in need of some love. Grab your container and pour white distilled vinegar inside, then place your tools in. You'll want to leave them for at least 24 hours to let the acidity of the vinegar do its work on your tools.

After about 24 hours, the rustiest parts will have fallen off and the rest of the rust will be loosened up and ready for scouring.

Step 2 - Start Scouring!

Now that your tools are properly soaked, grab your scour pads and start hitting them hard. Make sure you get a scour pad with a bit of metal in it so you have a heavier-duty approach. I try to make sure I get as much rust off as possible, so I went a little scour-crazy here.

Don't be afraid to be heavy handed...we're going to dry and lubricate it next, so it's important to get off all of the rust.

Step 3 - Dry and Lubricate!

After you’re done scouring , dry your tool as best as you can. This is important because we're applying a lubricating and rust-protecting oil next...and we all know water and oil don't mix well.

Step 4 - Enjoy Your Cleaned, De-Rusted, and Lubricated Tools :)

BOOM! Doesn't that look nice? A clean, de-rusted and lubricated tool! In the case of my Felco F-2’s, I shouldn’t need to repeat this process unless I foolishly leave them out again (which I promise will probably happen again).

Bonus - Why Does Vinegar Remove Rust?

If you're like me, you're probably curious as to WHY this works in the first place. Well, here's some chemistry for you:

3CH3COOH + FeOOH –> Fe(CH3COO)3 + 2H2O

What that gibberish is saying in English is the following:

Acetic acid (contained in vinegar) plus rust reacts to form iron (III) acetate, which is water-soluble. The reaction also creates some water as well.

That’s why the water looks rusty when you check on your tool after 24 hours – there is iron acetate in it!

This reaction doesn’t actually clean the metal, it just removes existing rust. That’s why we have to scour the rest of the rust off and add some lubricating and protective oil to make sure that no new rust forms.

Thanks For Reading!

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Thanks and happy cleaning,
Kevin