Long Term Storage for Hand Tools

[Steve Boring]

I'm getting ready to move abroad for several years and planning to put some of my hand tools (mainly hand planes and chisels) in storage. The tools will be kept 'climate controlled' but not temperature controlled. I'm a bit worried that I'll return to find rusty tools. My current thought is to
- coat the tools in oil. I've searched the forums and found recommendations for 3 in 1 oil, jojoba oil, and Johnson's wax.
- wrap the tools in Uniwrap (the sheets Lie Nielsen uses to wrap their tools when shipped)
- put the tools in a water tight container. At the moment I'm leaning towards something like a Plano 1719 storage truck. It's not completely sealed, but sounds like it could be pretty good if I added weatherstripping to the lid lip.

Does anyone have experience dealing with similar issues? I think coating the tools with oil/wax will help for a while, but I wonder if it will hold up for 3-4 years. I've considered silica gel packs, but don't think they would last nearly long enough.

Thanks for your input

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Steve and welcome to the Creek.

Not to sure about what you can do. What you shouldn't do is to wrap them in paper like newsprint. A few of my tools were wrapped in old newspaper during a move. The paper seemed to suck moisture out of the air and caused a little rusting. Fortunately this was discovered early before any great damage was done.

If they are being wrapped in a dry environment it might help to wrap them in plastic like that used to wrap pallets.

jtk

[David Publicover]

I’d likely coat them with a heavy grease and store them in a water tight container with a couple silica packs. I’d also wrap them in cloth for protection and ease of handling. Clean them off when you get home. I’d use a water proof wheel bearing grease rather than white lithium as I’ve found lithium grease tends to harden. Another option would be to spray the tools and wraps with a product like Rust Check. I’ve never had to store long term so no direct experience. Best of luck!

[William Fretwell]

Grease will stay put, oil will creep and leave thin spots. An olive barrel and lid, you can get big ones, very thick plastic. Silica gel in big cloth bags like the military use packed in with the tools. You bake them in the oven for hours to drive off the water. Fill the barrel well so little air remains if possible.

[Mike Kreinhop]

What is the difference between "climate controlled" and "temperature controlled"? From my experience, any storage warehouse that advertises climate control implies temperature and humidity. I packed my household goods, which included lots of electric and hand tools, away for a three-year overseas assignment. I didn't do anything special to them at all because the warehouse was climate controlled. The packers bulk wrapped my hand tools in manageable bundles using the same packing material they used for my china, glass, shoes, etc., and then the bundles were put in a single-layer cardboard box and taped. The boxes were then packed in wooden crate.

My tour lasted a bit longer, and I unpacked the tools 22 years later. There was no rust on anything, and the tools looked the same as I remember them the day they were packed.

Check with the warehouse where you will be storing the tools to make sure they will accept oiled items. When I packed up my three chainsaws, I had to drain the fuel and chain oil completely, or as best as I could get it to drain after three days of dripping into a pan. The foreman who was supervising the packing told me to remove the spark plugs, squirt a little oil into the cylinder, pull the starter rope to distribute the oil, and reinsert the spark plug after making sure the piston was at or near the bottom of the stroke. They worked perfectly after all those years.

[Jim Matthews]

https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/

[Brandon Speaks]

Cosmoline will work, I have bought guns that were stored with a coat of the stuff for 70 years and not a spot of rust. Otherwise if you get an airtight container you can fill it with nitrogen and then seal it, I have never done this but read about it for long term storage of metal goods.

[David Carroll]

Another vote for cosmoline! I bought a 125 - 150 year old tool chest filled with original tools. Most were left sharp and in good condition just like the guy used them yesterday. But most everything was coated in a thick coat of cosmoline, for storage, and they were fine. The only rust I found was on small pieces that weren't coated.

DC

[Tom M King]

I keep all my small tools in waterproof toolboxes, with desiccant canisters. The boxes are sold under Stanley, Craftsman, Dewalt, Bostitch, and maybe even some other names. There is never any rust on tools, even if they've been carried in the back of a pickup in the rain.

Lowes, Home Depot, and Tractor Supply sell them. Walmart did when I first started buying them, but not sure now.

I think I have about 130 of them now. They come in two different lengths, and the larger size is also available with wheels, and an extendable handle.

Some of my tools go years between uses, and they're always ready to go, rust free.

Don't force the latches. They are very tight even when loaded correctly, but if you have something sticking up a little too high, don't force it. Make sure the lid closes all the way, and then snap them shut.

I don't remember what all the different names are, but try google for Stanley structural foam toolboxes, and they'll be in what comes up. Stanley has a yellow seal, as do the Dewalt's. Craftsman has red seals, and Bostitch their ugly orange.

[Steve Boring]

What is the difference between "climate controlled" and "temperature controlled"? From my experience, any storage warehouse that advertises climate control implies temperature and humidity.

I'm not exactly sure about the difference between climate and temperature controlled. I've asked a few times and have gotten answers ranging from a warehouse with big fans to temperature and humidity controlled. There was quite a bit of hand waving with all of the answers. I think it's a deal where it depends on the company that ends up with the storage contract. Hopefully I'll know more once I can talk with the company that is doing the storage.

I'm surprised the chain saws survived storage so well. I guess they don't mind it as long as you take care of them properly before storage.

[Steve Boring]

Waterproof toolboxes or plane socks were by first thoughts on how to tackle this. Plano has a Rustrictor storage box that looks pretty good, but I think I'd need several of them and they start to get expensive.

Your shop looks far, far more organized than mine!

[Steve Boring]

Cosmoline will work, I have bought guns that were stored with a coat of the stuff for 70 years and not a spot of rust. Otherwise if you get an airtight container you can fill it with nitrogen and then seal it, I have never done this but read about it for long term storage of metal goods.

Sounds like cosmoline really works. I looked into it a bit and it sounds like it might be difficult to remove, but that's a better problem to have than dealing with rust. Thanks for the suggestion

[Bob Betker]

Whatever containers you decide on, I would chuck in a ZeRust packet or something similar in each one along with a desiccant packet. A little extra precaution wouldn't hurt. Lee Valley sells some Anti-Corrosion emitters as well or you can try The Rust Store, they have a lot of different brands.

BTW. I have used a couple of those climate controlled storage units. In some, they were definitely sealed and they controlled the temperature and humidity; others controlled the climate by using a couple of big fans to keep the air moving and having some heat so things wouldn't freeze but not much other than that and this was one of the name brand storage companies. Do you have an opportunity to check out the place before your stuff is stored? That might help in the decision making process. Good luck.

I just remembered, The Container Store has some pretty decent weather-tight storage containers that I have used in the past. They have worked good. Here is a link: https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/cases-of-storage/clear-weathertight-totes-cases/12d?productId=11007497

[Tom M King]

When I started buying those toolboxes, the small ones (20") were 20 bucks. The larger ones were $25. I think they're up to 30, and 35 now, but you can frequently catch them on sale. I think Home Depot sells the ones on wheels for something like 35. They have little bumps that allow them to be stacked, but I built the cubbies to be able to get to the one we need without having to unstack, and stack.

I've not had one to have any kind of malfunction, but have heard of others having trouble with the latches, but I'm pretty sure that was from overfilling the box, and not getting the tray back in place. Mine are used every day, and I think that picture was taken in 2012 when I had just made the cubby shelves. They've been moved multiple times since then. That was inside a flipping house.

I bought the desiccant cannisters off ebay. No oil, wax, and certainly no cosmoline has been put on any tool in them, and they're ready to go whenever they're called on.

[Robert Hartmann]

I've done two tours overseas, the first 5 yrs and the second 3 yrs. In both cases my tools were stored in a climate controlled storage unit. Both were temperature controlled, but no humidity control. One was in Omaha, NE the other just south of Baltimore. I packed everything myself. For the hand tools I wiped them down with Jojoba oil on the last move, but don't remember what I used the first time. I wrapped them with the standard packing paper. My tablesaw I sprayed a liberal coat of boesheild T-9 on it then covered that with plastic (garbage bag) followed by cardboard (more for padding). Every single tool came out the same as when I put it in. I used a lot of wrapping paper and then boxes were all stacked which probably helped to keep the moisture out.

FYI, if this is a military move you have the option to put stuff in storage yourself. PPM is authorized up to a specific amount, which exceeds anything you need. I did this to ensure my stuff was in climate controlled storage. Otherwise you are at the mercy of the contracted mover. In my case, I paid the storage and then submitted a reimbursement voucher every 6 or 12 months. The only catch is you have to pack and move it, which I always prefer with special items anyway. Too often you end up having stuff "disappear" during the move no matter what precautions you take.

[Steve Boring]

Thank you to everyone for the great suggestions. I think I'm going to wipe everything down with oil, wrap it in Uniwrap, then put it in weather tight boxes. I'll throw some desiccant packs and ZeRust in there too. Hopefully between all of that, the tools will come back in good shape.

In case this is useful to anyone in the future, this is a list of products mentioned in this thread:

Cosmoline rust preventor - https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/
Jojoba oil - https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/tool-care-jojoba-oil-
Uniwrap sheets - https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/tool-care-uniwrap-10-sheet-tube-
ZeRust Plastabs - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ULSW6FS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1YLSW7UF6UU3X&psc=1
Silica Gel Desiccant packets (reset-able) - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B015OTBJFG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A1QSEWB052CHYM&psc=1
Plano Sportsman Trunk (needs weatherstripping to make water tight) - https://www.planomolding.com/sportsman-s-trunk-medium
Container Store Weatherproof Boxes - https://www.containerstore.com/s/sto...uctId=11007497 (https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/cases-of-storage/clear-weathertight-totes-cases/12d?productId=11007497)
Stanley Structural Foam Toolbox - https://www.stanleytools.com/products/tool-storage/tool-boxes/28-in-fatmax-structural-foam-toolbox/028001l

[Jonathan Elliott]

Thanks for summarizing Steve! I'm sure this will be useful to many people in the future. Good luck with everything