Cleaning really cruddy old collets?

[jantman]

I just bought a mixed lot of 5C and R8 collets at a shop closing auction, hoping to fill out some of the missing sizes at a local non-profit makerspace that's trying to get a small machine shop up and running. The collets are pretty rough, some with a little bit of rust, most of them with such a thick coating of ... shop crud... on the nose that I can't even read the sizes.

Any advice for cleaning them in a safe way?

I've got a small ultrasonic cleaner that I've used on parts and hand tools before, but I've always just used water and Dawn and then air-dried and oiled afterwards to prevent rust. There's no way I'm going to be able to oil the inside of an R8 collet...

 

[mmcmdl]

Soak them and hit them with a brass wire wheel . Inside really doesn't matter , just run a tap thru the R-8s to clean out the threads and use a small wire brush on the 5Cs if they are threaded on the ID .

 

[markba633csi]

Some of the new orange oil formulas are good but pricey- I like Coleman fuel for softening baked on junk

 

[brasssmanget]

Any solvent oil should clean them up also......WD / LiquidWrench.....

 

[brino]

Not Vinegar!
Too many horror stories of bad affects on spring steel; hydrogen embrittlement?

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/white-vinegar-derusting-disaster.28528/post-249021
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/who-needs-digital.96891/post-906660
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/white-vinegar-derusting-disaster.28528/post-476116
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/vinegar-for-rust-removal.79279/post-678488

.....and even Evap-o-rust may not be good:
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/who-needs-digital.96891/post-906649
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/white-vinegar-derusting-disaster.28528/post-256079

I'd stick with a light oil and wire brushes......

Brian

 

[Eyerelief]

I used Evaporust on some pretty heavily corroded ones. Quick dunk of about 10 minutes, rinse with fresh water and a brass wire wheel to buff them up. Some came out a little gray in color, but they are clean and serviceable. If the collet in the picture below says Hardinge on it, it was certainly 40+ years old, rusted up pretty good and I likely gave around $3 for it (if that).

 

[Eyerelief]

Brino is likely correct, if you are using Evaporust, dont leave them in for an extended period of time. Mine were so bad, I had nothing to loose.

 

[mmcmdl]

Evaporust and WD 40 rust soak love to devour dividers also leaving them in pieces . I found out the hard way .

 

[Ulma Doctor]

I have had good luck with phosphoric acid, commonly sold as paint prepping and etching solution and also sold as driveway cleaner .
I have de-rusted many buckets of parts and i have not had any instances of embrittlement or structural failure of any kind (other than operator error)

 

[Nutfarmer]

Be careful with evaporust. I had the spring on a pair of dividers fall to pieces. Also the polished surface on a gauge block looked like it was glass bead blasted.