Tools and Rust

[lukedefilippis]

I have been looking for an old library item for ages and cannot locate it. The original post was: "What is the best way to keep rust off tools in winter?".

Can anyone help me find it?

[Jim McConkey]

The discussion was apparently still in the queue and never made it to the archives. Deb has been working feverishly and is nearly done exporting ALL the old discussions. We hope to have them on-line here in the near future.

[Waddy Thomson]

The answer it to maintain a controlled humidity environment. If you keep your shop between 40 and 50% RH nothing will rust. You can put water on a chisel, set it on the bench and the water will dry up before it can rust. The only rust I've seen in my shop since I controlled things was a chisel that I put down in a way that trapped some moisture under the flat blade. The next day it had a rust spot where the water was trapped.

[Jim McConkey]

Controlling humidity is unfortunately not always an option. There are plenty of us who have to live with saws and other large tools in sheds, garages, and other places where it is near impossible to control humidity or temperature to any great extent.

[Waddy Thomson]

Then I recommend copious amounts of Camellia oil and good Carnuba Wax on flat surfaces.

[Clay Schaeffer]

Someone (Eddie M. ?) suggested using a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine to coat the metal and then allow it to dry overnight. The protective film will keep rust off most of the tool and normal sharpening should keep it off the edge.

[Nicholas Blanton]

A big question is whether it's a tool you don't use much. For long-term storage, there are good spray waxes designed for machine shops, to keep cutting tools from rusting; or you can even spray them with lacquer! In both cases, some solvent cleans them up.

For tools you'd be using regularly, I like microcrystaline wax- sometimes sold as Renaissance Wax- that you can rub on. Regular floor wax is not bad, but the Renaissance Wax lasts longer. I've also used the turps&linseed treatment, too, it will penetrate into cracks and crevices and screw threads better than the wax and probably has as much rust protection. But the linseed treatment creates a surface film that gets soft under heat, so it has also tended to create grungy tools, that stick dust and dirt to them as they get used.

[Steven Smith]

Before I had humidity control I just used minwax paste wax. Mostly for cast iron tables, drill press support and so on. I used a rust preventative spray for internal mechanisms, something I got from Brownells for guns. Worked well for me; I used to wax my tools and put on spray about twice a year. I'm in East Tennessee and other places do get more humid.

[Jason Rodgers]

I bought my bandsaw from a friend who had moved from Michigan and had it in storage for a bit. The table surface had light rusting, which I removed easily with steel wool. A light coat of Turtle Wax has kept rust at bay (and the table slick) for 4-5 years.

[Steve Senseney]

A quick internet search indicates that Turtle wax contains silicones.

I would recommend a non silicone product for your wood working tools.

[Louie Atienza]

I was using Butcher's Wax applied with steel wool on my tools. Not sure of the silicone contect however. Best way to stop rust is to prevent it from coming in the first place, though this is not always easy. Whenever I buy sneakers, or other stuff, I save those silica gel packets that they tell you not to eat, and throw them in the tool drawer or toolbox. Seems to help.

[Jason Rodgers]

A quick internet search indicates that Turtle wax contains silicones.

I would recommend a non silicone product for your wood working tools.

Snap! Perhaps I'll be cleaning that table!

I was using Butcher's Wax applied with steel wool on my tools. Not sure of the silicone contect however. Best way to stop rust is to prevent it from coming in the first place, though this is not always easy. Whenever I buy sneakers, or other stuff, I save those silica gel packets that they tell you not to eat, and throw them in the tool drawer or toolbox. Seems to help.

Me, too! Everything from wallet size to the ones in vitamin jars.

[David Malicky]

A few options I've tried
- Boeshield T-9 is a spray-on wax/lube (developed by Boeing, thus the name). It leaves a paraffin film. It works well, though seems to wear off surfaces faster than I was hoping.
- Turtle wax lasts quite a long time, although once I learned it has silicone, I stopped using it. I can't say I had any trouble with glue or finishes, though.
Nicholas' suggestion of microcrystaline / Renaissance wax sounds very promising -- thanks.

[Michael Lewis]

One big problem that often causes rust is intermittently heated shops . When you come in to work and fire up the heater the air gets warm far quicker than the big heavy cast iron tools, and they condense moisture out of the air just like cold drinks do.

[Darrel Friesen]

It never gets humid enough here to cause any rusting at all. My jointer sits near the door so if I open the door when it's raining, I'll get a few rust spots on the bed from errant raindrops, but easily wiped off. Just lucky I guess <g>.

[Edi Malinaric]

Hi All - I've posted this a couple of times before. I use a 50/50 mixture of linseed oil and turpentine oil to keep the rust from my tools etc for the last 50 years.

Clean the steel, degrease (I use MEK and paper towels), liberally coat with "The Mixture" rubbing it in with your fingers. Leave standing for 5 - 10 minutes and then try and wipe it all off with paper towels. Don't worry you can't actually remove it all. A thin layer seems to stay behind no matter how hard you rub. Now forget about rust. My one set of chisels was treated like this in 1968 or so - never a suggestion of rust - and I live about 300 m from the Atlantic Ocean - RH is around 65 - 75% all year round.

cheers edi

[Randy Roberts]

Edi,

I tried your recipe twice on the table of my bandsaw, and both times had rust within a few months. Granted it's in the garage in the midwest where we have lots of humidity, etc., but I've had far better results from the Boeshield T9.

Are you talking about just on tools, or things like bandsaw tables also? Is there more to it than just mixing the two, applying it and wiping it off?

[Edi Malinaric]

Edi,

I tried your recipe twice on the table of my bandsaw, and both times had rust within a few months. Granted it's in the garage in the midwest where we have lots of humidity, etc., but I've had far better results from the Boeshield T9.

Are you talking about just on tools, or things like bandsaw tables also? Is there more to it than just mixing the two, applying it and wiping it off?

Hi Randy - that's a puzzlement! Nothing special - I mix a 35mm plastic film canister at a time - photography is a hobby and I'm steadily working through thousands of those little canisters. Just eyeball half and half - slap on the lid and shake for a little while.

I did Brian Lisus' table saw and scroll saw tables about 4 years back. The scroll saw and table saw (~ 4' x 4' table) gets rain drops from the leaking roof when it rains. They were both pretty badly "furred" up with surface rust. After a couple of hours of elbow grease with wet&dry to remove the rust - I gave them the treatment - since then no rust. Roof still leaks!

I degrease as a matter of course (a habit from doing fibreglass sailplane repairs) but it's not really necessary. I built a workbench from 3" steel channel (table edging), 3" steel angle (legs) and 3" x 9" Oregon pine rafters (worktop). After completion I just wiped the mixture over the raw dirty steel. When I had covered everything I then started back at the beginning and wiped off the excess mixture (think drying plates after washing then) That was about 30 years ago - no rust. Where I cleaned up the welds with the angle grinder the steel still looks shiny.

Did you use turpentine oil? I buy 250 ml plastic bottles of turpentine oil and linseed oil at an artist's supply store - about once every 20 years! Mineral turpentine doesn't work.

I'm working on my violin fingerboard and did the finish sanding using a folded bit of 1200 wet-and-dry and The Mixture. Brian was very taken with the finish that I ended up with. Tangential look along the f/b and it's like a mirror.

cheers edi

[Randy Roberts]

Edi,
I went looking to double check, and can't find where I put either now. The Linseed oil I know I got at an art supply store, and I think I got the terpentine oil there at the same time, but I wouldn't put it past me to have grabbed terpentine rather than terpentine OIL.
Is there a particular brand or source you could recommend for the terpentine oil? I'd give my eyeteeth for something that worked a tenth as well as the results you seem to be getting.

(edit) It just ocurred to me Edi, are you in the USA? Might it be called something else in the U.S.?

[Edi Malinaric]

Hi Randy - negative on the USA. I'm at the bottom of the African continent - Cape Town. You know - the place that Francis Drake said "...was the fairest cape in the entire circumnavigation around the globe". He got that right.

Just thinking about your previous treatment - Boeshield might be the cause of failure - the silicon could be affecting the linseed/turps film.

Before doing any fibreglas repair on sailplanes I thoroughly wash the repair area (a minimum of 3 times) using Prepsol. (I thinks it's made by Shell Chemicals) It's specially designed to remove all traces of silicon. Only then do I start. (Polishes containing Silicon are favoured by glider pilots because it shed water droplets like crazy - very useful if you get caught in a rain shower while flying.)

Trying to sand the silicon off doesn't work - it just gets smeared elsewhere.

One has to use the turpentine oil because apart from thinning the linseed oil, it acts as a polymerizing agent and helps create long chain molecules (or something like that). This process is irreversible (ever tried to dissolve the skin that forms on top of a opened tin of yacht spar varnish?) I can't imagine that mineral turps would have that effect.

Hope this helps - cheers edi