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While waiting for lacquer to cure, I started the job of sharpening all my chisels and planes. A couple of the planes are ones I haven't used for a couple years, and I noticed that there are a few spots of rust on some of the castings and on a couple chisel shafts. Crap! Keeping the humidity in the shop rooms around 40% is not kind to metal tools. I am also concerned about preventing this on my power tool tables.

What do you guys do to a) remove rust from hand tools and b) condition the surfaces to prevent it?

Thanks!

WD-40. Rust's nemisis. Anything made of steel that I know will be sitting for any length o time gets a light coat before being put away. Yes you have to Wipe it down real good before you use it again, but WD-40 is much easier to remove than cancer (rust)

Hi Beth - Lee Valley has several products that might help you with the rust problem. http://www.leevalley.com/en/home/Search.aspx?action=n I have several large silica bags ( from automotive parts packaging ) in storage cupboards that does the trick for me.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Beth I use camellia oil from jap woodworker and lie- nelson was selling jojoba oil at their wood show 10 days ago here in KC. My machinest does not recommend wd-40 he says it leaves a nasty varnish coating on metal. I would use it to hone blades on an oilstone or as a cleaner for certain things but not as a moisture preventive.

Beth: Humidity is not always the culprit. Some folks can't handle steel tools without causing rust to develop. Not sure if there is a cure and not sure that is your problem. I have never had a problem with RH at 40% and even quite a bit higher.

Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Pure Camellia oil here, significantly cheaper though Ebay than tool suppliers.
I use an old dumpy 100cc plastic bottle with rolled up felt in the top as an applicator.
For removal, Shield rust remover, don't know if it's available Stateside http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Shield_Technology_Restore_Rust_Remover_Gel_250ml.html

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

if you don't mind futzing around, you can gently warm the tool and rub paraffin wax on it. it works

I use Johnson paste wax. wipe on, wipe off.

Many machinists use this brown paper that is infused with camphor.... the fumes keep things from rusting.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I use it on a used table saw after cleaning the table. So far, it has held up.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Same here.. Been doing it for 20 year. Material skates across to table top, and it won't affect a future finish.

M

Things generally don't rust due to RH when the RH is ~45%; so it is probably other chemistry (sweat, other stuff on your hands, etc.) WD40 is supposed to be one of the best and came out well in some tests (which I'm sorry, I can't reference for you) but the WD stands for water displacement.

My workshop is never more than 3m from salt water (depending on the tide) so corrosion can be a problem. Mostly, its due to body chemistry on hand tools (that's just the way it is - with the use mine get, they just get that old tool polished grey-brown look). Cast iron tables can be more problematic. In my environment, WD 40 doesn't work. Neither do most other plain waxes - I've tried lots. This stuff is the best of the deal.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Best thing about the Johnson's paste wax recommendation is that I already have that in my shop! I didn't use it before this because I was afraid any residue that got on the wood might prevent glue adhesion. Awesome that it can be used that way.

The Lee Valley link was good....found description of Evapo-Rust which looks like it might be just the thing for removing the existing rust. Safe, non-toxic, and I found it at my local O'Reilly's automotive for a good price.

I know that my current problem is not due to my body chemistry (no, not because I'm a girl and don't sweat though that is, of course, true), because the places that are rusted are not areas of the tool that I touch, so I am assuming my problem is the shop humidity.

Thanks for weighing in, everyone! Great advise, as always

Nothing ever rusts in my shop at between 40 - 45%, so it must be some other issue. I've even left a blade sitting there wet, and it dried before it rusted. However, I don't have Trev's problem with salt air, which can be a big problem.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

In the basement where all my stuff is stored, there was heavy rain accompanied by a lengthy power outage. The backup sump worked overtime all night trying to keep up with the deluge, and the battery basically overheated and boiled over. In the morning, the house was filled with an extremely strong odor which made me feak out, because it smelled like natural gas (theHVAC tech I summoned agreed and was even hesitant to come inside)...
I finally figured out that the overworked battery had belched out hydrogen sulfide, which is quite corrosive. In the month following I started to see corrosion on most uncoated steels; a couple things were trashed, such as an unfinished steel amp chassis...a lot of my chisels suffered too but only because it took me many months to put 2+2 together
?...just food for thought

Well, there are better reasons!

Silverglide is actually Silber Gleit, made in Germany, so you might be able to find some closer than Australia, Filippo. It seems to be aluminium fines in a paraffin wax. A visit to a local art shop will find you the aluminium fines (silver colouring) and you'll likely find the Vaseline not very far from home. I'm sure between you and Todd you'll be able to brew something up, if you're not getting the performance you need from other products.

The purists don't like it, but nitro lacquer works quite well. Just about any Stanley "unpainted" tool I've seen over the last 35 years comes with a nitro coating. So I've emptied my spray gun on a few bits of kit with parts that I don't touch and I don't want to rust. Works pretty well.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Paste wax here, too. The sharp edges are the most difficult for me to protect. Flat surfaces such as the table saw table are no problem whatsoever.

never thought about laquer/shellac.....but i'd think it would potentially gum up a stone or wheel really badly, if you forgot to strip it first, or if an unknowing person got a hold of it. hard to see it. along those lines i suppose almost anything coming out of a rattle can would suffice if you were desperate

I like WD-40 too. I put my chisels and planes away after use so that helps too. I use paste wax for the drill press table and some other machinery beds. We get high humidity here in Philly but I found if I wipe things down frequently that will help prevent the rust. By the way a lot of rust problems can actually be caused by the acids in your skin oils and sweat from your hands and body. I have acidic sweat. WD-40 sprayed on a rag used to wipe things down helps keep things clean

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

Boeshield T-9 has been working well for me. I’m in Florida and my garage kept tools are exposed to high humidity. I once bought a hock blade and put it in the plane and left it without treating it. Two days later ….Rusted.


http://www.amazon.com/Boeshield-G2870-T-9-oz-Aerosol/dp/B0000DD1DV/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363099204&sr=8-3&keywords=boeshield+t-9

I spray a heavy coat on the item I’m treating and wipe it with a paper towel. I then wipe everything else that is in easy reach down with what is reaming on the paper towel. A little goes a long way. I still have the same can I bought almost 10 years ago. I leave it over night then come and wipe down again the next day. It works for me.

When I rebuilt my drill press I coated everything in paraffin. Some items are good and some still rusted. I need to clean those up and use the Boeshileld on them.

I wax my table saw and other cast iron surfaces every now and then, not to prevent rust, but because it provides such a nice, smooth feel and makes the tool safer(requires less effort to push work through the blade).

I agree with others that humidity isn't the issue, so there must be something else at play, here. Nothing rusts in my shop, which is never below 42% RH.

Beth, I agree with Tom and Waddy that humidity shouldn't be the problem. You and I both live in AZ, so similar environments. I keep my shop anywhere in the range of 35-50% and, in 15 years, have never had a tool get any rust on it. For the earlier years when I wasn't building guitars, so the humidity was not controlled, it would get way up there during monsoon season. Must be a "dry humidity" here in AZ I have only 1 rusted tool. A brand new plane blade that I never used. It came with some kind of grease or oil on it, and it must have reacted to a nonslip lining I had in the bottom of the drawer. The rust actually showed the pattern of the nonslip stuff. I would look for another cause. 40% should not cause rust. Wendy

There may be something to that liner theory. I do use drawer liners on the shelves where the tools are kept. Weird thing is that the jointer plane was in a Lee Valley sock (always) and there is a light amount of rust covering the entire sole. The other tools with rust have small, random spots of it.

Wendy, where in AZ do you live?

East valley of Phoenix..Apache Junction. Right at the foot of Superstition Mountain.

As a tool maker we had very expensive tools . Some purchased many made so we had to take good care of them. We used a product called camphor
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALCANFOR-REFINE ... 27d00d604d

this help to absorb excess moisture and keep tools from rusting in the tool box. Sorry but WD 40 won't stop rust , it is a water displacement oil. Wax may help but controlling humidity and wiping tools down is one of the best ways to keep them pristine . If you do want to use an oil use a light oil or mineral oil.
Rusting can be from a PH imbalance , body chemistry , or not having the proper liner in your tool box. Cardboard and paper may not be the best thing to use.
I don't use any oil just camphor and don't have a rusting issue . Desiccant bead packs will also help. You will know them as they are often shipped in tool cartons and will say DO NOT EAT.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it