hats off to Garry(flex)

[mickthetree]

I didnt suffer with rust at all in my old little heated shed, but this new garage.... Well everything was dripping wet in there at the weekend and some of my best tools got a light "dust" of rust on them.

Picked up a Garryson fine (brown) Garryflex block. It has licked any spec of rust and restored tools to better than before.

Sorry didnt take any before and afters, but I'll certainly always keep one of these around for any such future occurances.

Oiling up everything now and brining the really good bits indoors for storage.

 

[Limey Lurker]

Surely, taking the best bits indoors and Brining them is going to rust them even more ?

 

[woodpig]

Garryflex (and Buck & Hickmans own brand) blocks are invaluable for this sort of thing. I've been protecting stuff from rust with Lanolin once cleaned.

 

[mickthetree]

Surely, taking the best bits indoors and Brining them is going to rust them even more ?

ah I dont know, the odd bit of sea water never did steel any harm ;-)

Seriously though, very good bit of kit and pretty cheap too. Feels like one of those ink rubbers we used to use at school. They worked by removing the paper with the ink attached!

 

[AndyT]

Seconded by me. I've been using three different grades on rusty old tools and found them really useful. Quicker and cleaner than wet'n'dry. The fine (brown) is especially controllable - you can just remove the surface rust, or carry on and get the sort of burnished finish that still looks old and well used.

 

[woodpig]

Anyone found a particularly good (cheap!) source of supply for these? As you know they wear away slowly so I think I'll need some new ones soon!

 

[rafezetter]

I've just had a look and while I don't wish to take anything away from them, to be honest it sounds like they are not much different from a well used el cheapo SiC sanding sponge; the block shaped ones, which are nice and firm, can be cut and mould to shapes and also used wet or dry. I use these all the time and once they get really well used and smooth, I use them as polishers to remove rust and other crud from tools, (I even "polish" up the heads of salvaged oxidized / rusted screws and bolts with them). You can even dab on a little talcum for a bit of extra shine.

Pretty much everlasting to boot - they just get finer and finer.

 

[AndyT]

They are not the same. On the common sponges, if I am thinking of the same thing as you, there is a core of plain sponge and a layer of abrasive on the outside. Once that thin layer has worn away the block is no use.
With the Garryflex, the abrasive is distributed all the way through, in a rubbery binder which wears away like a pencil eraser.
So you can use them till there is nothing left or cut shapes for awkward jobs.

 

[mickthetree]

They are pretty cheap too so price is not a concern as they last an age.

 

[Hitch]

Used quite extensively in metalworking, great for restoring the finish on small bits of stainless after discolouration from cutting, amongst other things.
Always keep a couple of grades in my toolbox, have done for a years.

 

[t8hants]

As I am unfamiliar with this product, will they clean the black staining left behind when the surface rust has been removed and return steel to bright, without wearing away the original surface, I have several steel rules that have discolored over the years?

 

[RogerP]

Anyone found a particularly good (cheap!) source of supply for these? As you know they wear away slowly so I think I'll need some new ones soon!

There's no particularly cheap source I could find but the best deal I could see is from Proops. 4 grades for 20 quid ...

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/PROOPS-BROTHERS/_i.html?_nkw=garryflex&submit=Search&_sid=298658219

 

[AndyT]

As I am unfamiliar with this product, will they clean the black staining left behind when the surface rust has been removed and return steel to bright, without wearing away the original surface, I have several steel rules that have discolored over the years?

I'd say that they would probably not shift that sort of black staining.

I have managed to restore an old steel rule to use by very careful use of a kitchen product, Bar Keeper's Friend.
It's an abrasive powder which you dampen and use on a cloth, rubbing gently. A bit like the old style Vim.

Do go carefully if you try this, as you don't want to lift the black out of the graduations. You might get similar results with Cif, but try it on a small area first.

Another thing that might help is a glass fibre brush. These are a bundle of fine glass threads in an adjustable holder, widely available on eBay, sold to model makers. I've used them to clean localised corrosion off old drawing instruments, which is probably a similar application.