(it's gone a bit quiet on this thread recently...)
I wish my workshop was attached to the house, but it isn't. So, about this time of year usually, I start muttering darkly and decide the planes etc. really have to come indoors because of the damp.
But there's a big problem: cold plane + warm house = condensation + rapid rust formation.
I've got two techniques to avoid this happening:
1. Out in the workshop wrap up the planes in a plastic bag each, and remove as much air as practical before tying it up fairly tight. It doesn't need to be a hermetic seal, just not an open bag. When they come indoors, condensation forms on the outside of the bag and not on the metal surfaces (there isn't enough air inside to be a problem). Once they've warmed up to ambient temp, they can come out again.
2. This I prefer, as it's quicker and doesn't need much thought/planning: bring the planes in as-is, and *immediately* (seconds count here!) put them on top of a hot radiator. After half an hour or so they can be moved to wherever you want to store them. This works because the air above the radiator is very dry indeed, and the planes can heat up without condensation forming on them.
The first one works better for awkwardly shaped things that won't balance on a radiator, as long as you get as much air out of the bag as possible.
There's nothing worse than seeing a rust spot from a drip on a mirror-finish plane sole you spent hours flattening. Hopefully you won't. If you put tinsel round them, the Domestic Controller might be fooled into thinking they're decorative and let them stay put on top of a radiator(s) for the winter. Well, it works until 12th night, anyway!
E.
