I seriously doubt that carb cleaner or WD will take chrome off of tools...unless you're buying those plastic mechanic tool sets from WalMart or something. ;-P

Really, when I'm done with a project, I wipe the obviously nasty tools down with a clean shop towel. Obviously, valve wreches or anything covered with diesel lube oil are gonna get a better cleaning than the others.

Periodically, I 'get religion' (as I say) and go on a cleaning binge which usually results in pulling tools out of the roll-around and dumping them into a bucket of diesel. This, a brass wire brush and couple of gin martinis seem to work pretty well for getting the packed-in greasy crud out of sockets and the grooves and creases of wrenches. After a soak and a scrub, I'll wipe 'em down and let them sit out for a while. Another wipe with a shop-grade paper towel and they go back into the tool chest. Needless to say, this doesn't happen all that often.

Plastic coated tools (the grips of pliers etc) don't go in the diesel, I use 'Greased Lightning' or Simple Green on those.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.