Looking after small hand tools

[KAMIKAZEE DIY]

After all this years garden works it was time to tidy up garden hut, wash down lawn mower and strimmer etc.

Saw that all my tools used with cement were still (unsurprisingly) caked in it. Smacking trowels etc with hammer managed to shatter mortar/concrete residue off but they've still got a lot welded on.

Can anyone advise I how to clean trowels etc? I know clean after each use is way to go but it's too late for that.

Would acid based cleaners ruin trowels ?

Thanks for any help.

[mickg]

Smacking trowels etc only results in one thing - you will be putting it into a dustbin soon if you carry on using this method, bottom line is it takes less than a couple of minutes to clean your tools after use and that is the correct way to treat then - rant over :p

you can rub the trowels or what ever you have what requires cleaning over a brick, not the face of the brick the top or the bottom or flat concrete like a 7n concrete block, this will remove any residue if its not caked onto the metal

you can use acid like a mild brick acid from your local builders merchants, it will remove any cement based lumps or residue from the metal but it can make the metal rusty if the item is being put into storage and not being used continuously, its no big deal and will get removed quite easily when you use it again

[seanandruby]

I lent a trowel to a guy and he returned it covered in concrete, never again will i let him borrow anything. Tools make you money used correctly and therefore should be treated with care and washed and dried, maybe oiled after use, not ''smacked with hammers,'' tapped on scaffold tubes, or concrete this puts them out of shape and f***s the edges, handles etc: You need elbow grease now to get them clean. Would you smack your head with an hammer to clean it, or wash it ??? Hopefully smack with an hammer to knock sense into you :;):

[DNgroundworks]

Wire cup brush on a 4" grinder will mint them up to a nice polish, wear goggles.

[sy76uk]

I second all of the above. A vice or work mate will come in handy if your going to use a grinder.

[Exsparky]

For two reasons, I refused to lend a wheelbarrow to my next door neighbours. First, it wasn't mine to lend. Second, they wanted to transport freshly made concrete with it. They were the sort of people who would bring it back the next day with a concrete lining.

Because of this, they now hate me. (Shrugs)

[seanandruby]

Then i would say: you are weĺl rid of them :;):

[lutonlagerlout]

I lent a transit once to a mate
it came back with a gouge in the side and he pleaded ignorance

so now anything that I am not directly working for does not happen in my work vehicle

I get it all the time "just 12 fence panels,just a bathroom suite,settee,4 doors,a couple of tonnes of ballast"

it gives some people the hump but when i ask if they want to leave a 20k deposit they start to see the light

if its a close mate i would do it myself

but I havent got any close mates :;):
LLL

[michaelthegardener]

never understand people who don't clean tools after use lent my mixer to a mate and luckily popped in after work to see how he was getting on he had in his opinion cleaned it after a frank exchange of views :laugh: he cleaned it again and got a whole bucket full of concrete out of it :p
I also lent him a wheelbarrow when he was digging the footings for a wall he looked after it but then the "builder" ( later found out to be signing on !) he used it and left a bout an inch of concrete in it

[Dave_L]

"Lenders are losers" - don't forget that and you won't go far wrong.

[Exsparky]

Yep, well rid, seanandruby. They have now increased the fence height to 6' which is great. It's on my North boundary so I lose no light, gain shelter, and they can't give me the evil eye.

Many years ago we had trouble with a guy who borrowed other's tools instead of walking the great distance to his own toolbox. He even threatened me with my own hammer once, when I asked him to pack it in. I DID NOT back down. In the end we did the old trick of screwing his toolbox down while all our toolboxes were nowhere to be seen. We had, of course, screwed down his toolbox lid and the tray within.

That worked.

[rab1]

never lend anything you want back

[neatcon]

When your lending , your mending !!!

[lutonlagerlout]

^^ all of the above spot on

its sad but true

LLL

[KAMIKAZEE DIY]

Finally got round to cleaning trowels today.

Cementy gunk was well and truly welded on.

Using a wire cup brush on small angle grinder was one of suggested methods and it worked very well removing gunk with relatively little effort.

Cheers