Advice for Rust free tools in workshops

[Woodandstuff]

Currently I have a water proof work shops which will be insulated when i get power. I am in argyll and the relative humidity is currently sitting around 90 % . Does any one have any advice how to store my hand tools with out heating. For often used tools i am not as worried as i they will be used regularly and oil down at the end of each day but am worried about storing more specialised tools which i use less which tend to get tucked away and forgotten about until needed.



Any advice regards how to heat my work shop to lower the relative humidity when i have power and insulation would be appreciated.

 

[--Tom--]

One option would be to have a tool chest just for those lesser used tools that you want to be rust free and add a small heater to it e.g.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/enclosure-heaters/0605582
That example is 20w and so would use 1/2 kw a day so about 14p ish depending on tariff - run for 150 days a year would £21 a year

Otherwise a protective wax - like renaissance wax - but that relies on being able to get a coat on all the surfaces.

 

[RobNichols]

My garage isn't water tight, and rust has been a problem in the past. However, I recently been able to keep rust at bay by:

• Waxing parts as part of my regular tool maintenance. Something like Axminster Workshop Tool and Machine Wax, though I think any microcrystalline wax will do.
• Using rust inhibiting strips in my tool boxes: Inhibitor Protection Gun Shield, 20g Plugs, Rifle Plugs, Pro Chips, Super Plug | eBay

 

[Bingy man]

Another option is acf 50 , I use it on anything that I store in my 2 unheated store cupboards. Excellent stuff ..

 

[wally7]

wd 40 still works o/k regularly, less used tools go on e bay and ask

 

[Woodandstuff]

Thanks, I think its a question of being ultra conservative and any tools and need to set up a schedule and follow good practice and wax and oil. the inhibitor may be worth a shot and can buy a few a see what happens. will check out the heater

 

[Sideways]

A lot of my stuff lives in 1st generation dewalt toughboxes. Nearly a dozen of them altogether. They are airtight and I have 100g bags of silica gel in all of them.
Silica gel can be recharged by putting in the microwave for 1min 30 on full then 20 mins on defrost. It's amusing to see how much steam comes out of a bag when you do this.

Small bits and pieces go in airtight "tupperware" type boxes.

A dessicant dehumidifier is another godsend in an unheated small workshop. Running it for a couple of hours each evening to dry the air as the temperature drops is producing quite a bit of water.

Machinery tables need metalguard and waxed.
I like white lithium grease spray or heavy oil for things like the columns of drills, power feed arms and radial arm saw columns. Something that won't evaporate but isn't too sticky.

Half of the year, everything is fine and I don't need to think about damp, but late autumn through early spring is different. We have a damp climate and you need to manage that moment when you open the workshop door and warm 90%+ humid air from a rainy morning rolls in and condenses on metal that's been chilling down all night. I had a day last spring when it looked like it had rained inside my workshop ! I turned the dehumidifier on, shut the door and left.

 

[Citracal]

ACF50 worked really well for me. Can also wrap in newspaper.

 

[Cabinetman]

ACF50, I have never used it, so help pls, if you were to spray a hand plane with it what would the process be before you could start to use the plane? Does it get all over your hands as well?
Ian

 

[Bingy man]

ACF50, I have never used it, so help pls, if you were to spray a hand plane with it what would the process be before you could start to use the plane? Does it get all over your hands as well?
Ian

I’ve not used it on a hand plane but on my saw blades and any cast iron surfaces , I guess with smaller tools it’s a case of applying via spray bottle or spray onto a cloth and apply to tool , simply wipe down tool before use , if your concerned with transferring it to a work piece then a wipe down with a suitable solvent would work . Anything is better than rusty tools imho of course . It’s quite expensive but all the reviews I read were positive . It comes in aerosol can or a bottle with a spray atomiser ..

 

[Cabinetman]

Interesting thanks, wondering if after wiping it, it is still protected. I shall have to experiment with it.

 

[Sachakins]

Leave a few plastic tubs half filled with dishwasher salt around the workshop.
They absorb a lot of moisture, reducing the humidity. Once the salt goes hard after absorbing a lot of moisture it goes solid, break it up and leave somewhere warm for a day, it's ready to use again.

I use this trick over winter to stop mold building up in caravan, never had a problem with mold or rust when I do.

 

[DiyAddict]

+1 for dessicant dehumidifier, running permanently on low. I have one in my small machine shop and don't in principle need any extra protection for the tools and machines themselves. A word of warning though - if the dehumidifier ever stops, even in relatively dry weather, you'll get an instant flash-rust over every metal surface. This happened to me when the dehumidifier's drain outlet blocked once. It wasn't hard to remove the rust, but it took a good couple of days. The tools I kept in wooden cabinets had minimal damage, and since then I keep some extra dessicant bags in various locations. Good insulation is the best choice, but it's not always possible. I have the ceilings treated with spray-on foam insulation, but this isn't suitable for all materials (eg. Slates).

 

[pgrbff]

I use a felder product applied with a piece of old T shirt.
https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/...nts-sc125527/metallglanz-metal-shine-sp125531

 

[neil_k]

I've used ACF50 on motorbikes - fantastic stuff. (daily commutes into central london, rain or shine - now in the past )
A little goes a very long way and it "creeps"- put a dab on a microfibre cloth and go from there.
Not sure I'd use it on often used tools, say the sole of bench planes, as cleaning it off before working could be a devil of a job. It stays permanently sticky and picks up dust really well - EG: After winter the bike would be coated in a dirty, slightly tacky residue, still spotless when cleaned off though!
For those often used tools and contact surfaces I'd probably go for a wax or wd40 as above.

I considered this product, Scottoiler FS365 - claimed to dry out. Simply never got round to trying it.

 

[imageel]

Interesting thread, and I would agree that desiccant dehumidifiers are the way to go if you suffer from high humidity.
In my 4x5m workshop the wall/roof construction is outside -> in
cedar shingles ->breathable membrane -> 18mm ply -> 80mm studs infilled with foil backed Celotex ->15mm air-gap -> vapour barrier, 6mm ply.
The floor is suspended, 'exceeding building standards' and insulated between the joists sitting on 16 concrete piers with 18mm mdf plus ~25mm pine T&G floor boards to finish.
The inside is pretty much airtight - when I vented my chip extractor ~380l/sec, through an external vent I have to remember to set a window ajar to let air in - even trying to open one of the double doors whilst the extractor was on was difficult because of the vacuum generated inside.
The principle reason for that construction was to control noise - having suffered from abusive neighbours at my previous property, and needless to say in the 12y it's been in use I've not had one complaint!
The other upside is that I have absolutely no issues with anything rusting, be it cast iron table tops, hand tools or even a 1x2m metalworking table with a tack welded 1/4inch steel top - all completely bare steel and no rust.
So if you pay attention to both moisture ingress and egress into the building structure then other preventative measures aren't IMHO necessary.
I also have some pretty heavy machines - 600kg metal lathe and I've no idea how heavy but more than the lathe, cast iron spindle moulder and have no problems with the suspended floor sagging albeit they are pigs to move around on my own and there is the odd creak whilst doing so!