Cleaning old sockets

[dirtymike1]

Since this is my first post let me give a little background before I get on with my question.

It all started with a nasty, grimmy rust covered tool box that I have been lugging around for the last five years. It's been in either a closet or now in the back corner of my garage since it was past down to me but I honestly could not rememer how or why I had it. Well this weekend I decided that I needed to do something so off to the garage to clean it up. While moving things around I stumbled upon this old box again and decided that it was time to open it up and see what is actually in it. Now I had opened it up before but I never took a good look inside it because it was full, quite literally, with dirt, coal dust and 60 years of grime.

I was floored with what I found in this box, old Craftsman sockets, extentsions and a speed driver, a Bonny 1/2" drive ratchet and a Snap On Midget M-70M 9/32nd ratchet . I've seen tools from years gone by before by I was amazed that under the filth all of these tool were in great condition. A little oil (ok, a lot of oil) was needed to loosen the gears in both of the ratchets but they are both spinning great again. Tonight my goal is to clean, sand and prime to tool box as I want to work on restoring this back into usable condition.

Now for my question. The sockets were all sitting in about all of crude and my fingers are to big to get in and clean the insides of the sockets. What is a good, safe way of cleaning them out that won't hurt the patina that has formed? All cleaning that was done last night was done with just a rag and some oil so I'd rather not have to use a chemical to clean them. I was thinking about boiling water and dropping the sockets into that to loosen the crude then washing them out in the sink with hot water. I'm just looking for a way to clean them that won't hurt the finish.

Thanks in advance

[snapy64]

your sockets and tools are pretty hard to hurt - think using them in tight places etc so they may have a few nicks and scratches but doubtful that you will add more, I always use a screwdriver to dig out the big chunks and hardened dirt from the inside then i soak them in carburetor cleaner for an hour or two then rinse them in water and blow them dry with compressed air - the air pressure will also remove some stubborn chunks. the carb cleaner will not hurt the chrome or the patina as long as you don't leave them in for an extended period. you can purchase a small one gallon can of carb cleaner that comes with a soaking bucket from any parts store.

[dirtymike1]

Thanks for the advice, like I said I I just don't want to hurt the patina that is on them. I'm restoring the box that they came out of currently, and hour here and a hour there, and once I'm done I'll throw the tools back in and have it as my off road tool box. I figure if two previous generations weren't able to destroy those tools nothing I can do will hurt them!

I'll soak them and carb cleaner and see how they turn out. Thanks again

[daviddiag]

I like to spin them with a small electric impact wrench. Spinning them in a good sized wad of fine steel wool soaked in WD-40 makes them shine. You can help the inside with old tooth brush jammed in it as you spin. I sit with an old blanket in my lap, to keep mess contained. On unplated sockets, I use Scotchbrite pads, but oil them good, or ugly rusting will occur.

[HLAV1]

impact sockets or anything natural steel you can make look new by going to a local gun shop and get some Super Blue or Perma Blue. Clean the pieces good with some laquer thinner then apply the Perma Blue and it will re blue the steel. Several coats will almost blacken it. After that just oil them a bit. An $8.00 bottle will go a long way.