Heard an old timer swear by vinegar for scale removal, tried it last week

I was at a flea market out in Millersburg and overheard this guy telling someone about soaking his tongs in white vinegar overnight to get rid of heat scale. Figured I'd give it a shot on a set of pliers that were caked up. After 12 hours in a bucket of undiluted vinegar, the scale just wiped off with a wire brush. No grinding or sanding needed. Saved me maybe an hour of elbow grease on just those two pliers. Has anyone else tried acid soaks for cleaning up old tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot4519d ago

Vinegar works okay but I wouldn't call it a miracle worker for heavy scale.

the_pat19d agoMost Upvoted

Yo did you catch that bit on Consumer Reports or wherever about citric acid being way better for hard water buildup? I tried it on my showerhead after reading about it and honestly it cut through like twice as fast as vinegar with less scrubbing. The trick is getting the powder form and mixing it hot, not just dumping it in cold. Only downside is it smells kinda weird if you let it sit too long, but that beats the vinegar stank for sure.