Tip for cleaning swarf from Magnetic Sockets

I find that the magnetic drivers or sockets often get clogged with little bits of swarf or other debris (paint from hex screws, etc.).

In trying to clean them, I have tried tweezers, air, pins, etc. - none seemed to work very well. So I thought - why not try hot melt glue.

Here are the dirty sockets with finishing nails sticking to the sockets:

Attachment 49676

You then squirt some hot melt glue into the cavity, holding the finishing nail in place. Let the glue cool for a short bit and then pull the nail to extract the glue:

Attachment 49677

Attachment 49678

and then you can pull the glue off the finishing nail (I had more of these to clean, so I reused the nails):

Attachment 49679

There was one that was oily, so some degreaser was used before the hot melt glue.

Cool idea!

Hot tip!
Thanks!

Now that is clever!

Congratulations BuffaloJohn - your socket swarf cleaning method is the Tool Tip of the Month for September 2025!

This is a quick and easy method for getting sockets perfectly clean.

Some more good tool tips from September:

Silicon Rust Erasers by Make Things
Viewing Heat on Your Lathe by Claudio HG
Dog Hole Router Table Hack by Make Things
Homemade Knobs by Make Things
Brad Point Bit Restrictions by Make Things

To enter your tool tip in our monthly contest, just post it here in the Tool Tips and Tricks subforum.

BuffaloJohn - we've added your Tool Tip to our All Tool Tips of the Month winners post. And, you'll now notice the tool tip award in the awards showcase in your postbit, visible beneath your username:

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Congrats again :thumbsup:

Excellent tip!

Thought I should try the torture test of this tip. So, I found lots of small bits of swarf from the bandsaw and packed them in tight. Did it to a 1/4 and two 5/16 drivers:

Attachment 49793

Then, I used the tip. To aid in getting the stuff in all the nooks and crannies and to speed up the process, when I put the hot melt glue, I used the finishing nail to stir the glue/swarf mixture and then let it harden, now using the finishing nail to pry the mass out.

And the result is:

Attachment 49794

I didn't use more than 4 passes on any driver. The photo shows a couple of tiny bits, could have made another pass, I suppose...