Incandescent Bulb in Tool Cabinet

[Jan Bianchi]

I want to make a cabinet for my handtools (inspiration having been Gary Benson's post on 11/18/07--sorry I don't have the linking down), but my shop is in the basement in Seattle so I share it with moisture. I'm thinking of putting an incandescent bulb in the cabinet to dry out the air to try to keep the tools from rusting. The cabinet will be about 3 feet square and a foot deep. Will that work? Is 40 watts enough? Does anyone think doing this would create a fire hazard? You frequently find lights in china cabinets.

[Tim Sproul]

I would think you'd want to deal with the moisture at the source - the floor and walls of your basement. Do what you can to seal those surfaces and run a duhumidifier. I'm under the assumption that not all moisture sensitive items will fit in your 3x3x1 tool cabinet - power tools, hand tools and wood.

[Jan Bianchi]

Yes, eventually I need to do that, but I can't do it right away. None of my power tools are showing any signs of stress but my Lie-Nielsen planes and chisels are so I thought I'd try to take care of them. Right now I've got them in silicone treated socks but that makes them hard to use.

[Mike Marcade]

How about some WD-40? :)

[Jan Bianchi]

I've tried using camelia oil but it's hard on my ceramic sharpening stones.

[josh bjork]

Yes it will work. You might need to experiment with the bulb size. I would suggest a few small vent holes top and bottom. I would get the planes out of the sacks.

[Sam Layton]

Hi Jan, There is a device used in gun safes to keep the contents dry. It is a small rod that you plug in. They come in different sizes. I can't remember the name. I will try and find out. I think the rod would be safer, that is what it is made for.

Sam

[Tom Veatch]

... I'm thinking of putting an incandescent bulb in the cabinet to dry out the air to try to keep the tools from rusting. The cabinet will be about 3 feet square and a foot deep. Will that work? Is 40 watts enough? Does anyone think doing this would create a fire hazard? You frequently find lights in china cabinets.

That's what we did 43 years ago in the 3rd MarDiv HQ Bn armory to keep unissued rifles free of rust. That was a humid environment and it worked well. As I recall, cabinet height and depth was equivalent to yours. Don't recall the wattage of the bulbs, but there were no fires caused by the light bulbs during the year I ran the armory.

[Jan Bianchi]

Great, I hope you can find out what they're called and where I might get one.

[Sam Layton]

Hi Jan,
I just checked some gun safe sites, and the rod is called a Goldenrod dehumidifier. One site called it an Electronic dehumidifier. On one site the cost was $49.00. The rod looks to be about 1" in dia and 12-14" long. I think that may be a better option than the light blub. A lot safer.

Sam

[Jan Bianchi]

Thanks for the tip. I'll look it up.

[Sam Layton]

I just did a search for goldenrod dehumidifiers and a lot came up. I think that just may be what you are looking for.

Sam

[Jan Bianchi]

Looks like you're right. A 12 inch one dries a space up to 100 cubic feet. I've got a call in to the manufacturer to make sure it's not too much heat for a wood cabinet. Many thanks for putting me on to this.

[Jan Bianchi]

Looks like you're right. A 12 inch one dries up to 100 cubic feet. I've got a call in to the manufacturer to make sure it's not too much heat for a wood cabinet but many thanks for putting me on to this.

[David Epperson]

Hi Jan,
I just checked some gun safe sites, and the rod is called a Goldenrod dehumidifier. One site called it an Electronic dehumidifier. On one site the cost was $49.00. The rod looks to be about 1" in dia and 12-14" long. I think that may be a better option than the light blub. A lot safer.

Sam
These do basicly the same thing. They keep the interior of the cabinet warmer than the exterior air, thus reducing the Relative Humidity. The Goldenrods may have a humidity sensor built into them though. Don't know, don't have one in my gunsafe. A 40w bulb, so long as it is not in direct contact with something flammable, will not pose a hazard. I have heard of even the Goldenrods malfunctioning and catching fire, though not often. If the outlet is suitably fused or routed through a correctly sized breaker, I don't see an issue. In fact if it just a temporary condition before you seal the walls and floor and put in a dehumidifier, you might look at keeping a few packets of silica gel in with your planes. When the silica gel crystals turn pink, just cycle them through the oven at 250°F for a bit till they turn blue again (though I may have the colors backwards. :D). Point being that Silica Gel is easily available,renewable, and you don't have to worry about it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
A Golden Rod, as mentioned is what you want.
A few bags of desiccant or a can of desiccant will help also.
Desiccant can be "recharged" by sticking it in a 250 degree oven for about an hour.

You'll also need to put some seals around the cabinet doors to keep the dry air in and the moist air out.
Small vents in the top and the natural rising of the warm air will evacuate the moist air from inside.


<grin>

Jan Bianchi - many thanks for putting me on to this.
Heck,, with a name like Bianchi, you should know all about these Golden Rod things!!
- For anyone wondering why - Bianchi is one of the top holster makers in the world. The Bianchi Cup is one of THE premier events in shooting.
I just got a kick out of the coincidence.

[Jan Bianchi]

Sorry, but then I don't even know from bicycles.

[Jan Bianchi]

Thanks for this tip too. I'll probably go with the goldenrod over the light.

[Chuck Burns]

I'm in a dry part of Colorado now, but prior to moving here I lived on the California Coast. I had a Goldenrod, about 24" in length, in my gun safe for 30 years and never had any rust or corrosion issues. I did put a foam seal around the door and teflon on the threads of the capscrew in the lifting eye hole in the top of the safe. Put that was as much to keep sawdust out as anything. Most gun folks I know have a Goldenrod in their safe.

As far as a surface treatment for your planes and such you must want to try Corrosion X. I've had great luck with it on tools that live outside. The tests that have been done by firearms enthusiasts show that it works better than anything else. Though that would probably not include things like heavy grease coatings, cosmoline or LPS-3 that render the tool or gun unusable until after extensive cleaning.

[Todd Burch]

A cheap 25w night light inside your tool box will be good enough. If it works here in Southeast Texas, it should work for you there. Mount it in the bottom.

Another option that I use is Camphor blocks. You can get them from your local drug store. Last case I bought was a next-day delivery. My case came in <2" square blocks, about 3/8" thick, individually wrapped. Maybe 24 to a case. They'll last you a LONG time. Unwrap one and throw it in the bottom of your box. It will sublime and coat your tools with a very light coat of oil over time. Since you mentioned ceramic stones, I don't know how they would be affected - might want to ziploc them or relocate them. If you have other tool boxes with metal tools, or drawers, you can put a block in each one. For a small drawer, break a block in half or into quarters.

Finally, I've gotten to where I'll wipe some inexpensive 3-in-1 type oil on my metal before I put it away for storage. I'd rather gamble the potential oil stain in my drawer bottom than rust on my tools.

Todd

[Dave Dionne]

A 25-40 watt light is big enough, I work in lighting and have a couple of 3 foot spheres and a 10' sphere they are coated white on the inside and the coating is humidity sensitve as moisture changes the refelctive properites of the coating to measure light output. Anyways we burn a 40W incandecent inside at all times when not in use, keeps the inside temp at about 25.5 - 26.0 degrees C and very dry.

You figure that the 3' round sphere has a lot of internal space, should wrok great in your cabinet.

Lee Valley also used to sell a dessicant that you could leave in it's own can with the top off or place in a different container and it was silica based, it will turn colors when it has absorbed it's higher end of moisture then you bake it in the oven the color reverts and use it again.

Hope this helps

good luck
Dave

[Bill Neely]

There's another product originally intended for Pianos called a Dampp Chaser.

[James Suzda]

Isn’t the real reason that “machinists cabinets” are made of wood is to protect the fine tools against moisture? I’ve had some of my better tools in a wooden cabinet in my basement which is so moist during the summer that water drips off the cold water pipes. The tools and rulers in the cabinet show NO signs of rust whereas some of the lesser quality stuff hanging around look pretty bad. Another sign of how wood protects metal, I made a little ‘jig’ to hold my pocket hole jig, drill bit and driver. The part of the driver that is sticking out of the wood is quite rusted whereas the part that is buried in the wood is nice and shiny.

[Bob Genovesi]

Jan,

Browning Golden Rod dehumidifier, I use these and they work very well.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/BobbyG53/GoldenRod.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/BobbyG53/GoldenRod02.jpg

Do a search and you'll find the best price.

[Lamirande Marcel]

hi i have a cabinet where i make my wine . I put a bulb 100 and a Econo-Heat-Manual-Control-Thermostat . the heat in the cabinet is set at 24 c just the good temperature for my wine may be that could be good for you

[Bob Oehler]

Another option is to put a open container of rice in the cabnet. I have one in my old safe. It keep the humidity down and just put new rice in every 6 or so months keeps thing dry. I have not tried it with woodworking tools but the safe stays nice and dry. I keep my anitque watches in there, some of wich are more the 200 years old.

Be good and Keep Dry
Bob O.