My tools are rusting in the barn

[civguy]

I keep my tools in the barn in open wooden boxes, but I am starting to notice rust on them. I guess there is too much moisture in there. I am thinking about putting a wooden lid on the boxes and adding charcoal or something to absorb moisture. What do other people do?

 

[bpence]

Is your barn closed most of the time? Do you have a cement or dirt floor? I know a dirt floor allows a lot more moisture to sit in the air.

I usually keep my tools in enclosed tool boxes. Most of the time there's an oily rag of some sort around and I wipe stuff down when I put the tools away. I've never needed charcoal or other moisture absorbers in my tools boxes. Just keeping stuff clean and in closed tool boxes seems to do the trick.



Bob Pence

 

[civguy]

Yes, it stays closed almost all the time, but there is an 18X30 inch opening at each gable for ventilation. Dirt Floor.
Thanks for the tip. I will cover stuff and wipe down with oily rags.

 

[RJohnson]

One of the best methods that I have seen to keep tools rust free is to keep a five gallon bucket of sand that has had used motor oil poured in it. After you clean the mud and dirt off your tools just push them in the sand a couple of times and the oil keeps them from rusting and the sand cleans off any dirt that is tough to get off.

 

[Bird]

civguy, all the suggestions already made are good, but if there's any truly complete and effective way to prevent rust, I haven't found it. My shop building is uninsulated metal skin, wood frame, concrete floor, but it has a ridge vent and the eaves are vented all the way around, so I have the same problem you have. If they get too rusty, I used the wire wheel on the bench grinder and/or the glass bead blaster cabinet to remove the rust. When I finish with a tool, I usually wipe it off with an oily rag (and if I don't use it again for awhile, then it's coated with dust instead of rust). Naturally, the problem is worse if the humidity is high. My brother, being a tool distributor, has a big truck with the back end insulated, air-conditioned, etc., but when he parks it at night in the winter, he leaves an electric heater going in the back because if he doesn't, all the tools back there get cold, then when he starts up in the morning, condensation will form on all that steel and iron.

Bird

 

[Thomas]

The best cure I found so far from keeping my tools from rusting WD40,for I spray a mist on the tools and than lightly wipe them off.

If anybody found a better cure please do tell. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[scruffy]

Thinking back in time, I can never remember tools rusting in the barn, course 'The Barn' had a hay loft, and was generally filled with hay. Even along the Oregon coast, with all the rain, the hay still absorbed the moisture, and tools stayed nice without the rust.

 

[RobertN]

Try looking at a good Gun oil.

Some of the Gun oils are made not only as a lubricator, but also as a rust inhibitor. They have additives just for that function.

Regular motor oil, wd40, ect will help for a while, but not long term.

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[PBMAX]

I will probably be stating the obvious here (don't we have a chem engineer out here), but here is my LMO/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I like the gun oil solution haven't considered that.But I prefer a silicon spray.For several resons. 1 It repells moisture were as wd40 was desinged to do the same but tends to lose its ability to displace water more quickly than silicon sprays.(WD40 was invented for the military,supposedly don't qote me,to break lose things that would get rusty sitting around in wet environments and as a light lubricant).2 silicon lubs are usually non flamable and less harmfull to the wifes critters.3 it can also be used in some cases were you need electricty.Say in the old distributor that gets damp when it rains(used to keep a can in the old BAHA for rainy days.Darn distributor was always filling with water). The only real draw back is like all the others it to must be reaplied now and then.

I like the oil in the sand and have considerd doing that but would rather use silicon lub if I could find some that is thin enough to keep from just making the sand more like sandy jelly that just wet sand.

Corse you can't use silicon spray and a lighter to kill wasps either!!! Come on now I know there is at least one more fire bug out here...

P.S. if you find one that works wonders please share it with us before u market it and become the next Bill Gates.(richest man on the planet)/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.

Lil' Paul
Proud new owner of TC21D
Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[ragu]

I live in a rainforest in the Pacific NW and my tools are getting very rusty in my shop. I thought firing up the woodstove from time to time would help but not so. Someone suggested that the issue is not heat but air circulation. So perhaps running a fan? Has anyone tried this?