Cold shop..rusty tools

[Jeffrey Bergstrom]

Does anyone have any ideas to keep my equipment from rusting when I turn the heat on after having it off for a few days ? I can't justify keeping the furnace on when I am gone doing installs for several days at a time. I tried turning down the thermostat to 45 degrees and that didn't seem to help much with my gas bill. I thought about buying a few electric blankets and covering up my equipment and topping the electric blankets off with some shipping blankets. Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks

PS I am in Minnesota and it is currently -8 degrees

[Walt Caza]

Hi Jeffrey,
I started a thread a while back about the same topic.
I mentioned the way I have solved it.
I too am unwilling to pay for shop heat when I am not there.
I have not figured out how to post a link to that thread,
but if you search for it, the title was my No-rust regimen .
Good luck with all that,
stay warm and be well,
Walt

ps ...anyone wanna give me a clue as to how to post a thread link ?!?
:)

[Jeffrey Bergstrom]

Thanks for your help. I found the thread and I'll give it a try....:)

[Mike Cutler]

Walt.

Is this the thread that you want to link to. Good Info, by the way.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=71406

PS.
I PM'd you with an outline of linking to a previous post.

[Timothy McDonough]

I read some previous posts about storing hand tools in wooden tool boxes and drawers to eliminate rusting. This has worked for me in my basement with very little heat in Boston, MA. Also, I cover the table saw with a plywood cover and use it as work table when not using the saw. This has helped the table saw top from rusting also.
Regards,
Tim

[Mike Cutler]

I have a layer of towels that have been liberally sprayed with WD-40, a layer of cardboard, then a layer of plywood covering the table tops of all the machines. All the machines are kept waxed with a Hard Marine Paste wax. The jointer gives me the most trouble. The Tablesaws can go the winter with no problems

Handtools are kept in their original boxes, when in the shop,and brought into the house when I'm done.

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi Jeffery, I've also read on the Old Woodworking Machines forum (OWWM.org) that moving air prevents rust. So a fan left on, even in cold weather, is part of the solution.

I keep my shop fan on here in high humidity Houston 24/7.

Best regards, Tom

[Eric Haycraft]

Hello fellow Minnesotan.
You didn't say what type of heater you had, but I can probably safely assume that it is a ventless gas or propane model. If you switch to a vented model, that should take care of your problem. The ventless ones create a lot of water in the combustion process..that raises the moisture content in the air and thus raises the dew point..the cool tools will then have water condense on the coldest parts which happen to be the nice metal parts.
If that is not possible, coating all of your tools with t9 should do the trick. If you can't heat with a vented heater, you are better off not heating anything..just bundle yourself up when you are out there. An electric space heater won't raise the moisture content, so that is an option if you have a small shop.

[David G Baker]

I have a metal lathe and have ordered some tooling shipped to me several times. The tooling comes wrapped is a paper that is a rust preventer. I save the paper and cover my steel hand tools that are prone to rusting with this paper and none of the tools have rusted. I have never researched the paper but it should be available. I also use large moisture absorbing packets filled with silica gel. A good source of silica gel is from a flower drying place. It is sold in bulk.
I use WD40 for cleaning things but never use it for rust prevention. It has caused problems for me in the past.

[Steven Wilson]

I find the problem is when I bring a tool up through 50F, then I get condensation problems and then rust. So, I either use the tools in the cold (typically the lathe) or warm them up and then apply a thick coating of Boeshield (without wiping) when I'm done. Also, keep tool covers on it helps a lot.

[Justin Grow]

Hello fellow Minnesotan.
You didn't say what type of heater you had, but I can probably safely assume that it is a ventless gas or propane model. If you switch to a vented model, that should take care of your problem. The ventless ones create a lot of water in the combustion process..that raises the moisture content in the air and thus raises the dew point..the cool tools will then have water condense on the coldest parts which happen to be the nice metal parts.
If that is not possible, coating all of your tools with t9 should do the trick. If you can't heat with a vented heater, you are better off not heating anything..just bundle yourself up when you are out there. An electric space heater won't raise the moisture content, so that is an option if you have a small shop.

I agree. Though my woodshop is in the basement so fairly warm, I do quite a lot of auto repair in my detached garage. last winter it got very cold. Not wanting to deal with a rust problem from a non vented heater, I went with a ceiling mounted 220v electric heater. After insulating the garage and installing the heater, I can get the temp up to about 50 rather quickly, and dont have a condensation problem.

[Eric Haycraft]

What you are thinking of is called VCI paper. I have a cover for my TS made of the stuff. I acquired it through my mother, but I am sure you could get it online in rolls or sheets.