controlling rust in the shed shop

[Silvan]

The only room I've got to play with is a 10x12 shed whose doors don't seal very well. Except for my bicycle, I've ejected everything that isn't shop-related, though I still tell the kids to "take this to the shed" about half the time. :)

My spanking new (March-ish) drill press is starting to rust already. The upper bit of the column is getting a light speckling, there are a few dots on the chuck, and the moving bit of the, um, quill? is getting quite disturbingly rusty.

I oiled everything down and used 0000 steel wool to buff out the rust, but it's an on-going battle. Everything in my shop that isn't in the tool cabinet wants to rust. Not fast rust, but I keep an old metal toolbox full of clean motor oil and dunk/buff most of my tools periodically to stay on top of things. (The cabinet isn't big enough to hold everything.)

So how do I put my drill press in a cabinet? Would a tarp help, or make things worse? A wool blanket? Build a plywood box for the thing? :)

I seem to recall that this problem stems from moisture condensing out of the air onto the cool metal surfaces....

[Charlie Self]

Silvan asks:

You're forgetting one step. Remove the oil, coat with non-silicone paste wax, and buff it out. Do this at least twice if you've really got rust problems. Then keep fairly good track of use, and when the wax starts to wear off, re-coat.

Or you can try TopCote or Boeshield T-9. Both are more expensive than paste wax, but you really don't need all that much unless you've got dozens updon dozens of cast iron tools.

HTC makes a cover specifically targeted at tools. I've found mine to work exceptionally well.

Charlie Self

Facts are stupid things. Ronald Reagan

[George]

Could be he's forgetting his eighth grade Earth Science. When the tools are cooler than the dewpoint, condensation forms. In order for this to happen, there must be a source of warmer, saturated air. Dollars to dogturds it comes from the ground underneath the shed. If you don't have one, get a good vapor barrier.

Next is to attempt to minimize temperature differences by: Circulation. If the air is kept in motion, it'll warm the tools faster. Vents on the roof, maybe a fan might help. Insulation. If the tools are contained in quiet air, they won't cool as readily. Of course, if this air gets really moist, it makes things worse.

Just some stupid facts.

[WCD]

I remember someone recommending old bed sheets to cover your big metal power tools in unheated garages. I have a few of these on my TS and joiner and they seem to do the job, although I'm not sure exactly why. My TS also has a coat of paste wax on it.

[Bob Gramza]

: >My spanking new (March-ish) drill press is starting to rust already. The : >upper bit of the column is getting a light speckling, there are a few dots : >on the chuck, and the moving bit of the, um, quill? is getting quite : >disturbingly rusty. : >

: >I oiled everything down and used 0000 steel wool to buff out the rust, but : >it's an on-going battle. Everything in my shop that isn't in the tool : >cabinet wants to rust. Not fast rust, but I keep an old metal toolbox full : >of clean motor oil and dunk/buff most of my tools periodically to stay on : >top of things. (The cabinet isn't big enough to hold everything.) : >

: >So how do I put my drill press in a cabinet? Would a tarp help, or make : >things worse? A wool blanket? Build a plywood box for the thing? :) : >

: >I seem to recall that this problem stems from moisture condensing out of the : >air onto the cool metal surfaces. : : You're forgetting one step. Remove the oil, coat with non-silicone paste wax, : and buff it out. Do this at least twice if you've really got rust problems. : Then keep fairly good track of use, and when the wax starts to wear off, : re-coat. : : Or you can try TopCote or Boeshield T-9. Both are more expensive than paste : wax, but you really don't need all that much unless you've got dozens updon : dozens of cast iron tools. : : HTC makes a cover specifically targeted at tools. I've found mine to work : exceptionally well. : : Charlie Self : : Facts are stupid things. : Ronald Reagan : : : : : : Charlie I am glad you mentioned the HTC covers. I was looking at them and couldn't decide if they were worth it or not.

[Silvan]

I hated 8th grade earth science. Bad teacher. He was both creepy and boring. I loved just about every other science class, but 8th grade earth science is a black hole. I barely remember a thing about it.

I remember more from Dr. Mah's Biology 101 class, and that one was almost as bad. "Ze subatomicaw pawticaw have sothing not doing wif ze hyedwofiwic tawel of ze mowecuwes."

Good idea. Also completely impossible. They built this stupid thing straight on the ground. Eventually termites will finish it off, and then I'll be able to justify buying a newer, bigger shed... um.... workshop.

No permanent power either. I'm looking to remedy that RSN though.

Insulation might help. The air inside stays at pretty much the same relative humidity as the air outside though, and it has rained or snowed or sleeted almost every day this year.

[Silvan]

I didn't mention it, but I do use wax. I keep a can of Johnson's and apply it with steel wool. It wears off fast on anything that gets handled though, like the drill press chuck, or its table.

I should look into something like that.

[Chris Merrill]

you can get solar-powered attic vent fans...

************************************ Chris Merrill [e-mail] (remove the ZZZ to contact me) ************************************

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I used to use wax. One day the weather changed and the warm, damp air moved into the garage. I could actually see the rust forming on the table saw top over about 15 minutes. I dried it, waxed it, and it was better.

I switched to Top Cote and have not had a problem since. Best price for it was Lee Valley. Ed [e-mail]

[Silvan]

That's a good idea. For a space this small, one should do it.

[Silvan]

well hole underneath. Steel is still in good shape.

I could put it on top of the floor, under all the tools maybe. No access to the bottom of this thing.

[McQualude]

Silvan spaketh...

I have a tool shed about the same size and it was always like a sauna. I finally installed two small soffit vents ($1.50 each at the borg) vents on either end of the gable, near the roof. The temperature stays 20 degrees cooler and the humidity level is much lower.

The building is trapping moisture from the ground. Put down the vapor barrier first, just 6 mil plastic on the ground is better than nothing, put bricks or sand over it. Add the vents to allow any built up moisture to escape. Good luck

[Barry Lennox]

I get pretty good (and cheap) protection with Dexron ATF. Just slobber it on with a rag. For some reason, I find it's several times more effective than oil. Worth a try.

Barry lennox

[Silvan]

Yes, of course it would. That was a stupid idea. :)

Don't have any friends, and there really isn't any access to the bottom of this thing. I'd have to excavate a lot of dirt. The people who built it were seriously brain damaged. One side of it is a foot below ground. I already cut the rotten wood off the bottom of that side and replaced it with bricks and expanding foam, but the 4x4s that the thing sits on are half buried, and probably half gone.

Even if I had some friends, it would probably disintegrate if picked it up.

Gonna need a new shed soon.

[Lance Spaulding]

work great and were pretty cheap (~$7 each at Harbor Freight).

Lance

[McQualude]

George spaketh...

Didn't he say the floor was dirt?

[Dave W]

Silvan wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Camphor blocks. Most effective on tools in drawers/cabinets. But I suppose you could use plastic sheeting/bags around the areas with a block inside where other rust inhibitors dont last. Cheap to try...

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Talk to him. It may be in his best interest to have your shop in there. Insurance rates for a vacant building can be higher than one occupied. Having some activity in the building can be a deterrent to vandalism.

Our company bought a 180,000 ft building. We let a few people use a portion of it for that reason. Ed [e-mail]

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Back in the days before stainless steel pistols were common, I used to keep a blued .45 auto in my car under the seat. Even though the car was dry, rust used to form on the heelstrap of my pistol unless I cleaned and reoiled it every few days. That is, until I discovered Rig Grease.

Rig Grease is applied with a sheepskin pad *very* sparingly, and it leaves a nice shine on metal. Once I started using it, I could leave my pistol under the seat for many weeks before I needed to wipe it down again. Rust became a thing of the past. Wonderful stuff.

Here it is 20 years later and I'm still using my original container of Rig Grease. A little goes a long way...

To order a Rig Rag:

order Rig Universal Grease: see no reason why it wouldn't work on a drill press.

[Silvan]

Hey, yeah! I knew about that, but had forgotten.

Cheap indeed. Worth a shot. Thanks for jogging my memory!