Restore Rusty Wood Slide Clamps With Sandpaper & Grease

I have many wood clamps, and some over the years have gotten rusty most porbably from moisture getting into the garage.

I decided to finally get rid of the rust on these clamps, and I know some people use WD40 or coke, but I wanted to get more than the rust off, I wanted to make the clamps super smooth to glide effortlessly.

To do that, I removed the rust, polished the metal, then greased the metal.

All you need for this instructrable is:
120 Grit Sand Paper (white paper used for painted surfaces)
240, 360, 600, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000 grit Wet & Dry Sandapaper (black paper used for metal)
Grease
Face Mask
Rag

You will also need patience and fitness

Step 1: Sanding

Use the white sandpaper first to remove the rust as it is designed to not clog as quickly as other sand papers.

You want to sand off all the rust, and in my case, I also sanded off the paint too so I got back to the bare metal.

Once you have removed the rust, then start with the 240 grit black sandpaper all the way up to the 2000 grit sand paper.

What you are trying to do is sand out all the scratches from the metal from the previous sand paper grit. This way you will end up with a super smooth surface.

Step 2: Wipe Down Clamp

After sanding, use a rag to wipe down the metal thouroughly to remove any metal dust particles left over from the sanding.

Step 3: Add Grease

Last and most enjoyable step is to use a rag to apply grease over the metal.

The grease will aide in the sliding of the clamp and also protect the bare metal from mositure and corrosion.

I have not had a problem with the clamp being to smooth for it to grip and hold wood clamped together.