Steel tools in an oak chest

[DS]

Considering the interaction between steel and oak, the way it blackens the wood, is there any concern about long term storage of steel and iron tools in an oak tool chest? Since it's affecting the wood, I assume it's affecting the metal in some way as well. I'm concerned about the tools really, not the wood.

I'm going to start a new standing tool chest project, and have some great looking white oak to do it in. If however, there's an issue with the oak/steel interaction, I can go with another wood.

Any thoughts?

[John Grossbohlin]

If moisture was present it could be a problem but sans moisture it shouldn't be... or the precision tools in my father's approx. 55 year old Gerstner tool box would be mess by now.

gel and other things can be used to control moisture.

John

[J T]

Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 1:56am (EST+5) [e-mail] (DS) doth sayeth: Any thoughts?

My old man kept his machinest tools in an oak tool chest, probably for around 30+ years, with no problem. These were precision tools. The drawers were ined with felt. I don't know if the felt was impregnated with anything or not. I'd say ask on a metalworking newsgroup.

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President - Bumper Sticker I do not have a problem with a woman president - except for Hillary.

[The Davenport's]

No need to go to rec.crafts.metalworking...I've been using a Gerstner box for 20+ years and my father used one for 40 years before that...the felt that they put in the drawers is just felt with some glue on the back. Same thing with Kennedy chests. Machinist chests, anyway...mechanics chests are lined with rubber drawer liner stuff...kinda like router pads.

And if you have to ask what the difference is between a machinist chest and a mechanics chest, you wouldn't understand. :>

Mike

[Lew Hodgett]

Line the drawers with "moleskin" (Colored felt with peel and stick adhesive on one side), and you should be good to go.

Lew

[DS]

high humidity is always an issue living on the gulf coast. One thing that has always worked well for me in that regard is Bullfrog rust preventative.

[mac davis]

stiffer nipples? (damn, did I say that out loud?)

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Bonehenge (B A R R Y)]

That would look classy, too!

[Andy Dingley]

Yes, but use liners to avoid contact and you'll be fine. There's no risk of "vapours", it would need contact.

Mine use lime (basswood / linden) for any "racking" of tools, or closed-cell polyethylene foam where it's a sheet.

Be wary of wool felt, as it's full of sulphur. Be wary of felts and porous fabrics in general, if humidity is a problem for you.

[Andy Dingley]

Moleskin isn't a felt, it's a woven cotton with a raised nap on one side. Feels like felt, but the fibres are different and it's woven rather than felted (stuck together into an amorphous mat). Moleskin is more like corduroy, except that real moleskin is harder to find.

[DS]

Humidity is a big problem along the gulf coast. Perhaps some type of closed cell foam liner would work well.

[Frank Boettcher]

A story relating to that comment.

Engineer in charge of packaging determines that money could be saved by eliminating the sheet of vapor paper that is protecting the ground surface on the top of a Unisaw. Instead of the vapor paper, a less expensive sheet of mikelman coated corrugated (a sheet of corrugated with a wax type moisture barrier on one side) would serve the purpose. So we tried it on a sample pack. Table top coated with a rust inhibitor/light grease mixture, then the sheet of coated corrugated, then the regular box top, so two layers of corrugated and a rust inhibiting compound.

For shipment to the distribution center and storage they were stacked two high, so we tested the pack in that manner. The wooden runners on the mounting pallet were on the tabletop protected as described above. Within a week there were two black stripes of corrosion on the ground table where the runners were. The moisture/tannic acids went through the corrugated and the rust inhibitor.

We went back to vapor paper.

Frank