# Preventing rust: camellia or 3-in-1 oil?



## Silly_Billy (17 Mar 2018)

For preventing rust on hand tools, is there any difference between using camellia oil or regular 3-in-1 oil?

I’ve seen that camellia oil is marketed as ideal for hand tools. How come? Is it any better than good old 3-in-1 oil?


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## thetyreman (17 Mar 2018)

the only difference basically is that camellia oil has no smell, 3 in 1 does the same thing but has a slight smell,


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## custard (17 Mar 2018)

It's a common view that rust problems are best treated by coating your tools with something.

I'm not sure I agree. A better approach IMO is to make sure your workshop's properly ventilated, to store your tools under cover in a tool chest or in a tool cupboard, to only have the minimum essential toolkit so to use them all regularly. Get this right and you don't have to wipe your tools with anything. Get this wrong and neither Camellia Oil or 3-in-1 are really up to the challenge of keeping rust at bay.

Just my opinion of course. But if you do a forum search you'll find a recent thread where someone tried to take the personal opinions out of this, and ran a test with a wide range of candidate coatings on a metal sheet, and then observed the outcome.


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## ED65 (17 Mar 2018)

Just so you know:







The pros and cons of various oils have been discussed to death here and in other forums online. And various tests have been run by various people and magazines from which no clear winner has emerged, and famously in one magazine's test WD-40 came out on top (in stark contrast to the widespread belief that it sucks for this purpose).


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## ED65 (17 Mar 2018)

So camellia oil or 3-in-One? When it comes down to it for most users it probably doesn't make much difference, although I bet that if you did a properly-run test you would find 3-in-One was better in more-challenging environments simply because it's based on a petroleum product and not a natural oil. 

But wax is better than both.

Why? Because a thicker coating can be left on the surface without interfering with use and coat thickness is everything here. This is why Boeshield doesn't do well in some testing conducted by woodworkers, because they don't use it the way it's intended to be used in its original role.


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## Bodgers (17 Mar 2018)

According to this test - Camellia oil was one of the worst...

topic108800-45.html?forum_uri=rust-prevention

I am trying Ballistol atm - smells nice and nothing is rusting so far. Seems to clean stuff up nicely as well.


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## MusicMan (17 Mar 2018)

Ballistol is brilliant stuff. Terrific penetrating agent too. Designed for the German Army in the early 1900s to protect steel, wood and leather!


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## D_W (17 Mar 2018)

There is a simple reason the camellia oil has been pitched at us - its price. Mineral oil will do the same thing (odor free) and isn't retailed for $10 for 8 ounces, because it's (in the states here) $10-$15 for a *gallon* and $3 a quart for baby oil. 

It's a very transient rust protector. If you have issues with rust for real, there are three points worth noting:
* you're going to have to learn to tolerate that it occurs here or there, you'll never be able to stop it all
* if you have a tool that you don't look at every couple of weeks, paste wax will be far better than camelia oil. 
* If you have a tool that's in long term storage, or very seldom used, you're far better off putting a coat of superblonde shellac (a very light coat) on any surfaces that are freshly milled, etc)

As a matter of practice, when I switched to oilstones, that ended transient rust that I used to have to oil for. And cut down overall sharpening time, because you're not faffing around with flattening stones or putting oil on things that already get it by incident. And they get inexpensive mineral oil, and not some dopey overpriced product like camelia oil or even worse, those water-based anti rust products like "hone rite".


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## sunnybob (17 Mar 2018)

Like all of these "whats the best" threads, you will ALWAYS get differing opinions.
i use camelia oil and a garry block fine, and I am happy with the results. The cast iron stays clear for at least 4 weeks, maybe longer.
I used to use ACF50, which is made for military aircraft under all conditions, even at sea on aircraft carriers. If I was still in the UK I would still be using it, but its not available here.


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## MusicMan (17 Mar 2018)

Just read about ACF50 and it seems very good. Does it stain wood, if you use it on e.g. a table saw top and use it soon after?

I usually use wax and try to keep using the tools, but that's taken a knock with this winter's viruses and cold weather.


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## lurker (17 Mar 2018)

I found a part used bottle of baby oil in a cupboard in the house. The kids are in their mid thirties so you know how long it's been there.
I have been using this same bottle to wipe tools down with for around five years and there is still plenty left!


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## Woody2Shoes (17 Mar 2018)

I use 3 in 1 and also VCIs (on the tool and the storage shelf/drawer) in the form of Napier VP90 e.g. https://www.farlows.co.uk/super-vp90.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_ ... _inhibitor

But +1 for Custard's point re. sensible storage choices.

Cheers, W2S


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## Silly_Billy (17 Mar 2018)

Thanks everyone. I won’t be spending any money on camellia oil.

I’d never have guessed that rust could be a hot topic. Who knew? (hammer)


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## deema (18 Mar 2018)

I’ve used Metalguard once a year, and liberon wax as required for years and not had any issues with rust. Last year I built a new workshop and had to move my machines / hand tools in before it was fully aired and the concrete fully dried out (about six months to fully dry out). I had terrible problems with condensation over the winter for the first time ever. In the morning the machines were literally soaking wet. I had to towel them off before I could use them / heat up and dry out the motors. The cast iron tops were stood in puddles. The worst was after a weekend / break for Xmas where it resembled a swimming pool. Anyway, anything that had Metalguard and liberon wax on it was completely unaffected, rust free and no blooming. 

Custard is right, the two best ways to stop rust is to have warm atmosphere and failing that constant use. The resin in the wood helps I believe to add a protective layer and the friction wears off the surface to create a lovely patenia.


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## G S Haydon (18 Mar 2018)

On the basis that you have a selection of tools used regularly, mineral oil is fine. Making an oil wick like Mr Sellers shows on his blog is a good start. 

For storage of a collection of seldom used tools. Dry, dust free, wiped with oil and checked regularly.


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## Phil Pascoe (18 Mar 2018)

Yes. I was very sceptical of this, always worrying the oil would get on the workpiece but in reality it doesn't seem to - although maybe I wouldn't use it right before the final stroke of an edge to edge joint. I use mine on my saws, silversmithing hammers and tools I rarely use (when I put them away) as well, the hammers being well polished.


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## Silly_Billy (30 Apr 2020)

sunnybob":2fon91uz said:


> I used to use ACF50, which is made for military aircraft under all conditions, even at sea on aircraft carriers. If I was still in the UK I would still be using it, but its not available here.



I switched to ACF50, and it proved significantly better than camellia oil and even 3-in-1. However, I wonder about what these chemicals could do to my skin. Am I being a bit paranoid?


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## D_W (30 Apr 2020)

ACF50 and 3 in 1 both have two main components - hydrotreated oil and naptha. The former is 70/30 more or less, and the latter 97/3. 3 in 1 also has fragrance listed in the ingredients (which seems odd because the smell isn't *good*)

If ACF50 isn't thinner feeling (due to the naptha), then it may have a heavier oil in it. the extra naphta may dry your skin out, but other than that, both are classified as non-carcinogenic by the IARC according to the SDS and suggested not to eat or get in your eyes (what a surprise). 

Long story short, no significant chemical concern for a casual user.


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