How do you care for your hand tools?

What tips do you have for looking after hand tools?

At least three time a year I remove any rust that forms with either a wire brush or a wire wheel on a rotary tool. After they’re all rust free, I scrub any rubber handle coatings good to get any grease or dirt off, then I wipe them down with WD-40 or silicone lubricant. I also use the blow gun on my air compressor to blow any shop dust off everything on my peg board about once a month.

Is it getting to the point now where the old practice of sharpening and oiling and cleaning tools is in decline, and things are becoming far too disposable?

Your right. That’s especially true with pocket knives. Most people my age don’t know the first thing about knives. They don’t know a $2 knife from a $100 knife. I’ve carried the same German Eye since my wife (then girlfriend) got it for me our first christmas together. When people ask what kind of knife I’ve got and I tell them they just look at me all confused. Most knives never get sharpened anymore. Used to be knowing a little about knives was a right of passage to becoming a man.

Wayne Burgess wrote:

What tips do you have for looking after hand tools?

For ratcheting tools, take them apart and relubricate them with a quality moly grease, use a PTFE spray if they have an expose mechanism.

Wayne Burgess wrote:

Is it getting to the point now where the old practice of sharpening and oiling and cleaning tools is in decline, and things are becoming far too disposable?

I take good care of my more durable tools and will resharpen quality screwdrivers, drill bits, etc. but these days some tools are so cheaply made as to not be worth it. I do keep some cheap tools around to use as disposables, like cheap drill bits, for when I might damage a more expensive tool.

Eric J wrote:

Speaking of that, I need a good knife. What brands do you guys recommend. I want a quality knife that will last and take some abuse. I want to be able to sharpen and have it for a long time.

This question is worthy of its own thread…

. It would depend on what you want to use this knife for and what type of knife you want to carry. I myself like a big folding knife to wear on my belt. My usual carry is a multi tool like the Leatherman wave For when I do every day carry (EDC) just a plain knife on the job, I like my Buck 110, a good solid knife that is not particularly pricey, so I won’t cry over loosing, breaking or having some one walk off with it. For something to carry IN the pocket, I like a Case Stockman. I have a bunch of other knives that I carry dependent on where I’m going or what I’m doing.

Topic split to Recommend a Good Knife, as we are getting a little off topic and knives deserve their own thread.

I work out in the elements a lot, and a good preventative measure for hand tools is to spray Liquid Wrench on moving parts every month. sometimes if i’m caught out in the rain then i will spray a few shots of it to prevent corosion overnight. I have never sharpened my tools personally, as usually there is always a new and improved model catching my eye that i just have to try out haha.

I must admit being over here in the U.K wet and windy is no stranger, and my tools get hammered so I must be the worlds hardest on allmy tool kit.

And because it is such a varied game I am in, there is virtually no tool that I wouldn’t have some kind of use for,and the habit of cleaning and oiling tools has made many last much longer and better.But it is not always easy to find the time.

I would like to get my hands on some of the new Panasonic range,as they are awsome for those of us who need to keep working when the weather is awful. 🙂

Wayne Burgess wrote:

I would like to get my hands on some of the new Panasonic range,as they are awsome for those of us who need to keep working when the weather is awful. 🙂

Does Panasonic have a reputation for working in inclement weather over there???

Panasonic is one of the worst at marketing their tools over here in the states, I hardly ever see them, in fact I see more Festool than I do Panasonic. What little exposure I do have to them has lead me to believe they are a worthy contender. One of the groups I volunteer for has one of their 15.6v NiMH drills and it is still going strong. I also tried one of their newer impacts at a demo station set up in a store and it felt really good. Panasonic is a manufacturer of batteries and I would hazard a guess that they put some of their best in their tools.

Being in a lower populated area like West Virginia we really don’t have a tremendous selection of retail offerings, but I can honestly say I’ve never seen Panasonic tools for sale anywhere. I have seen them online, but even then I had to really seek them out. I’ve never just stumbled upon them.

The new I.P range can be dumped in a pond for over ten minutes and will still work.

How do I know? Because my old one that got stolen did. 🙂

That’s pretty impressive!

I also used it while it was absolutely hammering with rain up a scaffold and just had to plod on and keep working and it never missed a beat. 🙂

Wayne Burgess wrote:

I also used it while it was absolutely hammering with rain up a scaffold and just had to plod on and keep working and it never missed a beat. 🙂

I posted previously about using cordless tools underwater, (I used mostly cheap or older tools) they will work for a while, it is when they are taken out of the water and dried out that they stop working, very much more so when salt water is involved.

Wet,dry or damp it kept working. 🙂

The thought of my tools submerged in water keeps me up at night! lol

Conductor562 wrote:

The thought of my tools submerged in water keeps me up at night! lol

Just picture the thought of your boat sinking or having to drain and refill your pool verses that old 9.6v drill you have had for far to long, and figure that it might actually live to tell the tale.