Hand tool cleaning uses non-power tools to remove loosely adhered material from a substrate. These materials include loose rust, mill scale, and paint. The tools will not remove rust or mill scale that is tightly adhered to a surface. Types of hand tools include chisels, scrapers, wire brushes, non-woven abrasive pads, and hammers.
These types of tools are used only for jobs that are difficult to get to or those where power tools are inaccessible. The process is slow and time consuming, and is therefore not used for large areas. Hand tools do not always prepare the surface to the specified roughness. SSPC-SP-2 Hand Tool Cleaning, is the specification for the use of these tools. The standard details the use of hand tools for sanding, scraping, chipping, and impacting.