Smoked damaged tools

[chipper67]

Hi,

I went to a garage sale today. The lady was having a fire sale. She is a woodworker. Last week she had a fire in her garage. It destroyed a lot of nice woodworking machines. I asked her if she had any carving tools. She looked in a file cabinet that was in the garage. The stuff in the cabinet did not burn but had a lot of smoke damage. There was a small beginners set (Woodcraft - 6 tools) of carving tools. I was just wondering what would be the best way to cleanup tools that have been in a fire but did not actually burn up. They stink very bad and are a little black on the handles. The tool ends do not seem too bad but I think the fire has caused some damaged. I am just wondering if it had gotten too hot it might be a problem when I try and sharpen them (won't hold an edge, no temper). Thanks,

Chipper67

[Kenny_S]

Chipper, if you have already bought them and you have concerns, Contact Rick of littleshavers and see what he thinks and if need be, send them to him to have sharpened and stropped.

[Capt. Bandaid]

If the wooden handles did not burn up, chances are pretty good they did not get hot enough to really ruin the temper. They might have softened a tiny bit but I doubt you could notice it. Just sand the charred wood off or re-handle them and enjoy!

[Just Carving]

Chipper,

About 15 years ago, there was a fire in the rescue squad building where I volunteered. I was a senior officer on the rescue truck that was destroyed. Although the truck was destroyed, some of the heavy tools, wrecking bars, axes, etc. were salvageable. My method of cleaning them to see if they were still safe to use, and for repainting consisted of the following.

After removing the wood handle, if applicable, using a wire wheel, I removed whatever debris, ash, tar, etc. I could from the tool. Then I sprayed the tool down with WD-40. That along with some scouring with steel wool or a stiff wire brush would cut through any oil, tar, etc. left on the tools. Once they were pretty clean, then I would use acetone to cut through any other residue that the WD-40 didn't get. Once I was pretty certain there was nothing else I could do--and by this time, they were pretty clean--then I used alcohol to remove any oil left on the tool, and to prep them for priming and painting. Then I painted them. Obviously, you won't paint your tools, so I suggest a coat of wax--use regular car wax--to keep them from rusting. This is important because during the fire, these tools were exposed to a significant amount of acid. (See below) Then when you're ready, put new handles on the tools, and then sharpen and hone them. I'm fairly certain that once you get through with the WD-40 and the acetone, and new handles, the smell will be gone. The smell is from the residue and tars left behind from the fire. I don't think you will get the smell out of the handles, so I suggest you replace them. BTW--if you have respiratory or sinus problems, I suggest you wear a mask to filter out any odors, and the chemicals that may emanate during the cleaning process. Also, wear gloves and eye protection. This may be going overboard, but I am erring on the side of caution. Fire does a lot of damage, and in the course of the process, there are a lot of chemical reactions that occur. The tars and residue as mentioned are by-products, but there are also many chemicals that are created by the breakdown of ordinary products in the bulding with the heat of the fire. And as with any chemical process, many different compounds are created. Some of these can be harmful to the skin, lungs, eyes, etc. An example of the burning process creating a chemical would be the breakdown of PVC in electrical wiring and plumbing into a number of unknown chemicals, but it is pretty safe to say that hydrochloric acid would be one of them. Any natural product could create hydrogen sulfide which combined with moisture will become sulfuric acid. So, it is best to play it safe since there may be a small amount of these compounds on the tools.

As for the heat damage to the tool, if there is still any blue or other discoloration to the metal--very similar to what you would see if you held the tool to a grinding wheel to long--then the tool will need to be retempered. Rick or someone who is more familiar with the metallurgy can tell you about that. Good luck.

[chipper67]

Thanks for the information everyone.

Chipper67