How to Clean Reamers and Keep Imprints

Susan_in_SF

Wood and Metal Goddess
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Jul 18, 2017
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Hi guys,
I picked up some used reamers for super cheap off of ebay. When they arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few of them were carbide tipped. However, I also found that the ones that had size imprints on the shaft were really hard to read under the grime. I tried lightly using a fine grit pad on one of them, and I stopped since it looked like the imprint was leaving, along with the old rust/grime. Do any of you guys have any recommendations? I thought I'd save time asking instead of just letting them soak, and hoping the degreaser knows what to remove, lol.
The 2nd and 3rd pics below were taken at a higher resolution that you could probably click on for a close up, and in the 3rd pic, I included a weird reamer with only one side cut. Is this a special kind of reamer, or is it just a partial "homemade" one?
Thanks again for being so friendly and patient with me .
I finally am getting back to being interested in machinery stuff. I have been off this site for quite awhile after losing several close family members within a somewhat short time span, but now am ready to get back on the saddle; -)


Susan

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Hi Susan,
I'm very sorry to hear of loss of your family members, it is never easy.
i hope their memories and spirit give you strength.

i might try using a short soak in vinegar or Evaporust
otherwise you'll need to measure them to find their size

the single cut reamer is used for very light reaming, it has very little relief and appears to be sharp on one side
 
Susan, try Evaporust. Put it in a plastic-ware tub with a snap-on lid so it doesn't evaporate. After about 18-24 hours rinse them off and I'd be willing to bet they look like brand new. I've found that product to be amazing.
 
I've never found any way to get the imprints back so I'm hoping there is one.
 
You said grime. Maybe not rust? I would first try WD40 on a rag and try and wipe. Evapo-Rust is good stuff…but. It likes to remove rust, gun metal blue and black oxide. If the reamers are laser etched, it might change the finish of the etch? Make it even harder to read? I would try just one reamer first and see.
 
I just use Spray Penetrant or WD40 and Scotchbrite. It’s not quite as aggressive as wet/dry sandpaper in my opinion. I wouldn’t worry about discoloration.... just worry about the surface rust. I’ve bought a few lots like you have there and mine were in very similar condition. Haven’t had any issues at all. Of course....most of my reaming is to just “get It close”. Nothing super precision on my end. If I was gunsmithing and it needed to be dead on....I’d splurge for a new reamer. I recently had to buy a new tapered pin reamer for my clapper box.
That said, for the “just close stuff”.... I’m happy with used lots off of eBay
 
Hi guys,
I picked up some used reamers for super cheap off of ebay. When they arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few of them were carbide tipped. However, I also found that the ones that had size imprints on the shaft were really hard to read under the grime. I tried lightly using a fine grit pad on one of them, and I stopped since it looked like the imprint was leaving, along with the old rust/grime. Do any of you guys have any recommendations? I thought I'd save time asking instead of just letting them soak, and hoping the degreaser knows what to remove, lol.
The 2nd and 3rd pics below were taken at a higher resolution that you could probably click on for a close up, and in the 3rd pic, I included a weird reamer with only one side cut. Is this a special kind of reamer, or is it just a partial "homemade" one?
Thanks again for being so friendly and patient with me .
I finally am getting back to being interested in machinery stuff. I have been off this site for quite awhile after losing several close family members within a somewhat short time span, but now am ready to get back on the saddle; -)


Susan

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Hi Susan. Sorry for your loss. It's good to have you back. Regretfully I don't have a remedy for your problem. Have you tried vinegar. I know it does wonders for rust removal, but I don't know if it will know not to remove the print too :big grin:
 
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