Rust on Tools

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suefox51

suefox51

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
237
Location
Satellite Beach, Florida 32937
Good Afternoon!
I live in Florida, right by the ocean - my "shop" is in my garage and things are starting to get rust on them. Before the rust takes over, I would appreciate ways to remove what is there, and protect it in the future. Also, I have some tools that are not showing rust yet - what should I put on them to keep it off?
And a last question - what should I put on the lathe bed to keep things sliding nicely?
Thanks for all the anticipated answers and great ideas!!

Sue
 
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you can wax your big tools with a good paste wax that does not have silicon in it. Once you remove the rust from smaller tools make sure you wipe them down after every use with a lightly oiled rag and you can wrap them it one also. They make several spray products that help but in your case I would think it would get expensive because of how often you would need to reapply.
If you could condition your garage it could help the most by keeping the humidity lower.
Just my thoughts and I hope they help.
 
3 in 1 works for me...just a very light coat unless the tool in question will be setting for a while. Then again not lots of salt spray in NW Ohio..till the snow flies:wink:
 
:umbrella::umbrella: I use a white oil. We used this in the paper mills to keep rust off of things. It is a very thin oil like the oil used on clockworks. May also be called machine oil or light machine oil, used on high speed machines. Should be able to find it at any big box or hardware store. If you have tools in a tool box there is a product called Dydragil or Dyrda which comes in bags of all sizes that can be placed in the tool box to soak up any moisture. When you order metal products, you get those little packages or tubes inside, they are there to absorb moisture. I save mine and add them to my drawers that I keep metal tools in. If you live near a tool store, ask them to save them for you. Jim S
 
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Be careful putting anything on the lathe bed. If you get it too slippery, the tailstock will not lock down tight, and will slip when you try to tighten it against the work. I messed up my midi lathe that way and have to clamp a vise grip plier on the bed behind the tailstock to keep it from creeping.
 
The temperature this morning was 54 degrees and the humidty was 98 percent thats Florida. I do not recommend storing tools in wd 40 at all. If your going to use them frequently wipe down of a light machine oil or 3-1 and put away is ok. You can put them in a rag or in with a rag that has oil on it. Boeshield T-9 for longer times of non use or paste wax on flat surfaces.
 
sbwertz said:
Be careful putting anything on the lathe bed. If you get it too slippery, the tailstock will not lock down tight, and will slip when you try to tighten it against the work. I messed up my midi lathe that way and have to clamp a vise grip plier on the bed behind the tailstock to keep it from creeping.
Click to expand...

Sharon; do you have a brass shim on the back of your tailstock? Usualy has 3 set screws on it. Sometimes on my lathe this slides down a bit or the set screws loosen up a little. Usualy if I turn something very hard or am to lazy to cut the corners off off my turning. You should be able to tighten these to a point where you can't move he tailstock at all. Jim S
 
+1 on Boeshield T-9

Tools | Boeshield T-9®

From the Wood Magazine article on "Rust Busters"… "Except for the section treated with Boeshield T-9®, all sections have completely rusted over"… "There is only one choice for protectant as far as we're concerned: Boeshield T-9®"
Click to expand...

I first learned of T-9 when working in a Medical R&D lab... great stuff. Wax and solvent based. Gets rid of some minor corrosion and the wax coats and prevents new rust.
 
+1 on the T-9. I live in a hot and VERY humid climate. Boeshield is the ONLY thing I've found that actually works.

I'd think twice about storing in WD40. Been there, done that. It seemed to cause as many problems as it solved.

I do also try to keep a coat of Gulf Wax canning wax on the lathe bed. That does seem to slow down the rust a bit.

FWIW, I get magnetic vent covers ($5 -pack of 2 at HD). I cut these to fit the lathe bed and keep the ways covered. Since I use wet Micro Mesh to finish almost every pen I make, I found that preventing the wet slurry from getting on the lathe bed was my VERY BEST defense against rust.

Respectfully submitted.
 
I thought this was interesting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVtszs-NZog.
he starts showing results around the 8 minute mark
Note that he's using WD-40 LTCI not standard WD-40 which is marketed as a "penetrate"

I use light compressor oil lightly applied with a rag, not for any reason except someone gave me a very large amount and I can keep after my tools/machines fairly regularly.
 
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I have been moving out the overflow of my youngest son's several house moves from my Garage/workshop.
You know the "Dad could you put this in the Garage I have no where to put it at the moment?"
As a consequence, of clearing out these items, and taking the opportunity to re-arrange the space, I have not used my lathe for many months.

I have been using Lanotex, a Lanolin Based spray product to lubricate and protect from rust, my lathe, Pedestal drill, Saw Bench, and Band saw, in place of the former WD40 as well as any other item within my reach at the time.
This is an excellent product, the down side is that it smells for a short period like a Sheep Shearing Shed.
I observed yesterday that some items I have, had a very fine almost microscopic layer of saw dust.
You know those extremely fine particles that seem to remain suspended in the air, that your air cleaner should be used to remove.
Well when I dusted this layer off, I noticed that there was slight rust on the portion of the metal that was contacted with this dust.
The "Penny Dropped", it was obvious that this fine dust absorbed moisture from the air, and retained it, causing rust to commence where the dust had settled. As the sides and underside were as new, no dust - no rust.
What I will be doing is for, the lathe, and other critical surfaces, I shall cover these with a "Dust Sheet" to stop the settling dust from making contact with the metal.
Also I will continue with my "Sheep Dip" lanolin spray and investigate the T-9 possibility when needed.
Brian
 
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