Might take a couple of passes to remove all the old oil. They might come out with some surface rust that can occur rapidly, but it also can be rubbed off with a rag using the coatings described above. Those coatings will tend to drive out water that gets into the pores in the metal but perhaps not completely creating the possibility of pitting. But in general it should work. I would avoid some of the new-fangled dishwasher detergents if the tools contain metals other than steel because they can be corrosive, especially on aluminum, though most of the tool wouldn’t likely be made with aluminum. Not sure if it might ruin the finish on brass or bits made of pot metals. A gallon of kerosene costs around 4 bucks around here. Isn’t a fire hazard even though you’ll want to keep it outside anyway, and can be re-used for cleaning many tools. It is just acting as a solvent, some other treatment will be needed as for effective corrosion protection, to avoid odors, and a build up of oily gunk on the tool.
The OP could just take rags and spend enough time rubbing to clean them, but soaking in a solvent is much easier.
My wife wouldn’t be thrilled but she’s been pretty tolerant of me cleaning machine parts in the dishwasher. I actually have a spare dishwasher and I’ve wondered about using it as a parts washer. I knew guys who turned dishwashers into flux cleaning machines for circuit boards. They had to find some acetone resistant gaskets or something over time to keep using it for that.
If after the cleaning there is still odor, I would try treatment with ozone or hydroxyl. The larger equipment rental places will have the machines.
You will need to set up a treatment room, garage or other out building is the best rather than your living space. The ozone is toxic of course, and the hydroxyl at useful deodorizing levels is unpleasant. Treat for a daybor two.
These chemicals are very effective at oxidizing odor causing molecules.
We use these machines in the restoration industry all the time. The hydroxyl is a little less reactive and may be a better choice than ozone if the culprit is the plastic handles.
As a bonus, your treatment room will smell fresh for a long time.
IMO if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They’ve been sitting in the damp for years without rusting, and they are tools, why should they smell pleasant?
That being said, what i would do is strip all of the existing oil off the tools using brake cleaner or carb cleaner, and then wipe them all down with a light coating of pure lanolin. Lanolin is an excellent corrosion preventative and has a very mild and neutral smell (compared to petroleum-based products anyways).
Unfair for me to say because I’ve seen the question come up before. I think it’s just the right size for a small size version of the Machinists Handbook (often called the Machinists Bible).
My late father had a small number of yellow-handled screwdrivers that gave off an acetic acid smell after many years. They corroded steel tools lying next to them.
It had a .00005" plunger indicator when I looked through it. My guess was that he kept his keys and wallet in there when he was working–it was the only mostly empty drawer. His copy of Machinery’s Handbook (18th edition) was in his living room for as long as I remember, so he could have kept it in this drawer back when he was working.
Generally I’d agree with you. But I don’t want a stinky work room and the garage these were previously stored in had definitely taken on this odor.
I have a newish dishwasher that’s great at washing dishes. I remember the manual expressly warning against cleaning parts in.
Old Craftsman screwdrivers in particular have those acetate handles and stink like puke terribly as they age. The article says it’s rare, but that’s just BS. Maybe it’s rare somewhere cool like Michigan, but it seems nearly inevitable here in Texas over time.
Of course the OP’s problem wasn’t stinky screwdrivers. It was a stinky preservative oil or wax on the metal part of tools. plus maybe some mold or other deterioration on the wood & cloth parts of the toolchest.
One very useful tool to keep around the house: an ozone generator.
You can put it in a small room with all kinds of stuff you want to de-funkify, and let it run for several hours. The ozone will kill most moldy smells and cigarette odor.
Don’t let any living thing (people, animals, plants) enter the space during treatment.
