A handsaw that has spent the winter in a damp shed or garage often comes out covered in orange bloom. Many people bin it straight away, but surface rust comes off in an hour and the saw cuts straight and easily again.
The key is to work carefully around the sharp teeth, remove the rust without deep scratches and protect the clean metal at once, because a bare blade in damp weather will rust again within days.
What you will need
- protective gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask
- old newspapers or cardboard
- a blade scraper or metal scraper
- fine sandpaper
- a little white spirit
- WD-40 Multi-Use or WD-40 Smart Straw
- clean dry cloths
Important: The blade is sharp: wear thick gloves and move tools along the blade, away from you, never across the teeth. White spirit irritates skin and airways, so use gloves, a mask and good ventilation.
Step 1
Put safety first
Put on thick gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask. They protect you from the saw teeth as well as from white spirit and rust dust. If the handle comes off, unscrew it so you can clean the full length of the blade.
Step 2
Protect your work surface
Cover the bench with old newspapers or cardboard. All the rust flakes and dirt will fall onto them, and when you are done you simply fold them up and throw them away. Lay the blade flat so it does not flex under the scraper.
Step 3
Scrape off the rust
Hold the scraper at a low angle to the blade and work from one end to the other with short strokes. Repeat until the bulk of the rust has gone. If the rust is thick or patchy, spray it with WD-40 Specialist Penetrant, wait a few minutes and carry on: it comes away more easily.
Step 4
Finish with fine sandpaper
Remove the remaining rust with fine sandpaper. A fine grit lets you feel the surface and avoids deep scratches that would later drag on the wood. To speed things up, dampen the paper with a very small amount of white spirit.
Step 5
Protect the blade from new rust
Apply a thin, even coat of WD-40 Multi-Use to both sides of the blade and spread it with a clean dry cloth. As you rub, the last traces of rust come away too, so repeat until the metal is smooth and shiny, then wipe off any excess. The WD-40 Smart Straw makes it easy to reach between the teeth.
If the saw is heavily rusted, or small metal parts are covered in rust, they can be soaked in WD-40 Specialist Rust Remover Soak, which dissolves rust without scraping.
Tip: Before the first cut after treatment, wipe the blade dry so that no product transfers onto timber you plan to paint or varnish.
What next
After each job, brush the sawdust off the blade, wipe it and apply a thin film of WD-40 Multi-Use every few weeks, especially if the saw lives in an unheated garage. That keeps it sharp and clean for a long time.
These uses come from the experience of WD-40 users in many countries. Always follow the instructions and warnings on the product label.
More guides in «How to use».