On 2019-01-10 8:26 a.m., Michael Blair wrote:
> De-rusted over 100 of the buggers a couple of years ago.  They came 
> out fine.  Thought of writing about it under the title of "Vinegar and 
> Oil for a Hundred."  Eric Sloane mentioned using cider vinegar in one 
> of his books, and I tried it out over a dozen years ago. Worked.  
> White vinegar works just as well (there's a "cleaning white vinegar" 
> that's slightly stronger).  I've tried Evaporust but found it works no 
> better than vinegar though it costs a lot more. 


No doubt it works. But vinegar is acid. It will indiscriminately attack 
good metal as well as rust. Not sure that's desirable. If the files are 
dull, vinegar might be the thing to do. But how will you know that 
before the rust is removed? I will stick with my method of de-rusting 
first, then checking the files to see if they're sharp before subjecting 
them to an acid bath. No, Evaporust isn't cheap. But neither are good files!

FWIW

Don

-- 
A thermometer is not liberal or conservative. - Katharine Hayhoe

A good row does wonders for raising interest, and to be 'good' a row must have
something to be said on both sides,
  and a proper issue in the middle." - Rosemary Hill, 'Writing About the
Crafts', in The Culture of Craft, Peter Dormer, ed.

Being offended doesn't make you right.