Hi all,
I have some large machine parts made out of bare steel which I keep in a ga rage that's prone to condensation. Can anyone recommend a product that will keep 'em rust free? Spray on solutions preferred, since there are some int ernal areas that may be hard to reach.
cheers.
Any of the wax film rust preventatives such as Texguard XT (data sheet from
should work well. I've made a home made version from candle making paraffin wax dissolved in white spirit and a glug of engine oil added but the 25L of Texguard I bought many years ago is superior.
The other/additional approach is a bit of warmth to keep the condensation off. Shove them in cupboard with a pair of 40W lamps connected in series via a stat set to 5 deg or so.
I have some large machine parts made out of bare steel which I keep in a garage that's prone to condensation. Can anyone recommend a product that will keep 'em rust free? Spray on solutions preferred, since there are some internal areas that may be hard to reach.
WD40 or similar.
I have that problem and the best solution I have found is to cover the rust prone surfaces. Planer, table saw and band saw all have 6mm ply covers. Ea sy to remove and replace. Other items such as lathe have unbleached cotton covers thrown over them. In addition I spray Boeshield T9 over the bare sur faces or else coat with wax. Hand tools are also sprayed with Boeshield T9 and kept in drawers. Its a constant battle WD 40 is fairly useless IME. It dries too quickly and tends to leave a grea sy mess.
Oh, so it's good for SOMETHING, then!
Don't think you need anything like that amount of heat and I think a humidistat set at 90% would be a better control. Dew point outside ATM is 16 C with 82% RH and an air temp of 19 C. Things won't have to cool much for condensation to form, if it's clear the ground probably is already below 16 C.
We some times only have part of the house on a "frost stat", experience has shown that setting that below about 12 to 15 C means stuff is "damp".
The only thing WD40 is suitable for is filling WD40 cans.
+1. Although it seems a waste of cans and plastic straws.
It has unusual properties. Spray it on sliding surfaces and it will lubricate them for long enough to convince someone that it is a lubricating oil. Leave it for five minutes and it turns to sticky gunk and glues the surfaces together.
I have that problem and the best solution I have found is to cover the rust prone surfaces. Planer, table saw and band saw all have 6mm ply covers. Easy to remove and replace. Other items such as lathe have unbleached cotton covers thrown over them. In addition I spray Boeshield T9 over the bare surfaces or else coat with wax. Hand tools are also sprayed with Boeshield T9 and kept in drawers. Its a constant battle WD 40 is fairly useless IME. It dries too quickly and tends to leave a greasy mess.
The "greasy mess2 is what stops rusting.
I run a small Server PC (HP Microserver) in the garage, inside an old metal cabinet, as originally used for stationery. I store decent tools in that, and rely on the (fairly small) heat dissipation of the microserver to keep things rust-free. Seems to be working so far...
J^n
Shell Ensis fluid is the most satisfactory corrosion inhibitor.
It works but it is now *extremely* expensive, maybe double what it was decade ago.
Failing that Dinitrol 3125 or 3654
Aerosol
Schutz gun cannister
Castrol Rustilo or Shell Ensis are far cheaper options but are only avaialble in bulk.
garage that's prone to condensation. Can anyone recommend a product that wi ll keep 'em rust free? Spray on solutions preferred, since there are some i nternal areas that may be hard to reach.
I have not tried it but I have heard that diesel is effective.
That was going to be my next question. Are we overlooking simpler and cheaper alternatives, guys? Any defenders of the well-seasoned oily rag here?
Definitely. Can you still get proper cotton waste like you used to carry about in your workshop apron in the 60s at school? A clean bit to wipe down a machine before you used it, and an oily bit afterwards and to oil your ferrous project until the next session.
VPI paper is an alternative, for things that can be wrapped separately.
Candle wax (paraffin wax) dissolved in white spirit and a bit of lubricating oil added is very cheap and works quite well. You alter the viscosity by adding more or less white spirit. When that evaporates you are left with a soft self healing surface layer of wax/oil which gives long term protection and is easily removed when required.
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