Replies

1. 
   81treehouse | Apr 13, 2005 06:35am | #1

   I live on a lake and I run a dehumidifier 24/7.

   So far, no rust.

    

   A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
1. 
   xxxjoe | Apr 14, 2005 06:25am | #5

   Thanks 81 and forestgirl for the advice. I have done some of these but I am still trying to find the general remedy for misc. rust. Desicants and silver cloth can provide some relief but it may require a dehumifier. It is hard to think that such a device might outdo Houston's humidty. I did pass a business called Corrosion Supply Inc. today and will call before weeks end. I am hoping to find a topical coating that will arrest as well as reverse rust without affecting finishes as silicone lubricants.

1. 
   BarryO | Apr 15, 2005 10:48pm | #7

   Boeshield T-9.  Only thing I've found that works.

2. 
   EdHarrow | Apr 13, 2005 06:48am | #2

   It is amazing what a bit of wax will do.  My father's ShopSmith, which sits in an unheated room in a barn, is a perfect testament.  The top rails, which he'd waxed with Butcher's wax, look like the day it left the factory.  The bottom rails are quite rusty.  They've not been rewaxed for over 15 years, and they still look good.

   If you can keep moisture off the surface it will make a difference - wax won't work in all cases, of course.  Some swear that keeping tools in a wooden box will make a difference, I'm not convinced.  There are all kinds of magic elixirs out there to help with your problem as well.

3. 
   Jellyrug | Apr 13, 2005 07:14am | #3

   Johnson's paste wax lives in a can on my bench.

   From spade bits, to tenon jigs, to planes, to machine tops.......

1. 
   Patto | Apr 14, 2005 06:42am | #6

   I wiped my plane irons down with wax before moving house because I didn't know how long the tools would be in boxes. The other week I was sharpening one of these planes and noticed that the (diamond) stone was becomming clogged with what I think was the wax. I have mixed a small amount of detergent with the water, which beats and residual oil, but this has little effect on the wax. Effectively I seem to have to use enought water to float the wax off and clean the stone more regularly than usual.

   I still wax the parts subject to regular handling, but dont wax the irons of tools that are in constant use.

4. 
   forestgirl | Apr 13, 2005 06:12pm | #4

   For small items such as router bits, you can keep them in a drawer with dessicant bags, or a light bulb in the cupboard underneath to keep that area warm.  I saw some drawer liner at Lowe's a couple weeks ago that's supposed to have rust-prevention incorporated into the material.  Can't remember the name, sorry.

   You could consider building a single cabinet for all the little stuff that might rust, and climate control the cabinet with a light bult or one of those little round dehumidifiers (about the size of a dinner plate, but maybe 6" high).

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

5. 
   PJohn | Apr 16, 2005 06:46am | #8

   Hi...

   I too cope with the usual range of basement & garage moisture probs.

   Paste wax it is! It'll last several months (less on a heavily used surface), and it takes little time to touch it up. In a fit of get-the-place-right fixup, I wire-brushed and waxed some seldom-used, neglected, and rusting hammerheads, and they're still clear of oxidation after several seasons. Similarly, things in use stay good looking, and are really easy to clean.

   For small tools in drawers or boxes, I toss in a mothball. (It only takes one here and there - e.g., one or two in a multi-drawer chest. Don't go overboard, or you'll drive yourself outta the place! ... It may be funny now, but it wasn't then...) Can't explain why, but a little naphtha (m'balls) seems to help keep moisture at bay. Keeps bugs from stealing tools at night, too.....

   Caution abt wax, for what it's worth:
   Like any contaminant, it can get everywhere if one's not careful about polishing and removing excess - apply sparingly and brush out of corners, buff with a clean rag & toss the rag in the laundry - e.g, outta the shop. Don't need it to be flaking off and showing up as little surprises. I've not experienced a wax-contam problem with finishing over the years, but I avoid overwaxing and clean up meticulously - only takes a few minutes. (I go on a 30-minute preventive waxing toot every 3 or 4 months, so the stand-up/sit-down cautions don't eat time very often.) Keep it away from handles. Clean hands/nails before handling unfinished wood. Eat your vegetables. See ya.

   ---John

1. 
   budreaux | Apr 16, 2005 07:06am | #9

   What's the best thing for things like planer posts?

1. 
   PJohn | Apr 16, 2005 12:42pm | #10

   Howdy...Insofar as I'm concerned, any metal-to-metal bearing/sliding/guiding surface should be kept protected with a coat of light machine oil (not WD40! - lubrication is required), with the obvious exception of areas which might touch the workpiece, such as table saw cutoff guide slots. Dried wax has the potential to even cause guidepost/bearing chatter, and isn't technically classifiable as a lubricant. My preference is for a *very* light coat of oil applied more often so as not to cake sawdust lumps that'll fall on the work. (Application assumes cleaning and removal of accumulated debris each time - a simple wipe.) Refer to owner's manual - if there's a recommendation, I'd follow it.The posts are a special case: beefy for lateral rigidity, but as guides, the bearing surfaces carry relatively little load when in motion. Surfaces must be kept as nearly perfect as possible if you expect to maintain reliable head alignment and steadiness. They need oil (or whatever is your pref) more as a protectant than as load-bearing lubricant. (Don't get me wrong - lubricity is crucial, but a light machine oil will suffice in minimal load application.) If yours go to pot with rust, allow me to suggest that post(s) and guide bushing(s) should be replaced as a fitted pair(s).Frequency depends on use, but I'd repeat at 3-6 month intervals (depending upon location & humidity) if the machine had been idle the whole time, perhaps once every 1-3 weeks if it's busy or if the vertical action offers the slightest hint of sluggishness. Watch it and use your best judgement. You can grease as an alternative, but that's a mess not to my liking, and grease is far less likely to "pull" fully into a tight sliding interface. Might consider something that heavy for surface protection if I knew it would be out of service for a prolonged period, or cosmoline for storage. If the post surfaces are hardchromed and polished, the risk of oxidation is reduced significantly, but not eliminated. Someone else may have a whole different approach - that's just what I do out there in my own wigwam to keep myself entertained....One other thought is that the areas seeing the least use are quite vulnerable . Bushings will tend to refresh and redistribute lubricant (if it's there) as they move, so that the length most frequently traveled is possibly the best protected. Oil on the inactive areas will deteriorate a little from evaporation of light fractions, and may sag a little to produce thin spots. Upshot: close attention to cleaning and recoating areas seeing little use - the whole post deserves attention.
   -------------------------------
   I use paste wax as protectant on saw table guide slots, but I'm not too real awful happy about it because there's no lubrication. The right slot (all but unused) on mine is perceptibly tighter on the guidebar - at least a thousandth, maybe a bit more.It's probably a whole different thread, but here goes anyway...
   My factory guide bar was typically naturally and congenitally only a so-so fit in the slots, and not the same from one to other. Added two rows of punch marks on each side, then worked with file and crocus cloth until it would slide effortlessly but displayed minimal lateral freedom - only a couple of tenths or so at the worst - in the most-used left slot. [There's a very tiny bit of differential width change discernible with temperature change because the metals differ - if the fit weren't so close it would never even be evident.] So far so good. Sides of slot now show a little polish, but there's no gross distortion. I think the minimal slot wear pattern that's emerging as polished lines after 20 years would have been lessened had I actually polished the lumps left from the punch, rather than stopping at fine crocus. Had to lightly re-punch about 4 years ago, but that's a good thing - proves the table's harder than the bar. (So why doesn't he just get a bar with expansion cams? 'Cuz he's gonna replace it, but can't make up his fool mind with what.)Caution: If you double-row punch your bar sides, you're likely to be close enough to the top and bottom surfaces to raise distortions there, too. Check bar underside and file flat if needed. Ditto top if distortions project above table surface. At any rate, there's some proof there suggesting that truly minimal lubrication on a very lightly loaded metal/metal slide interface can in some cases be tolerable.Long ramble - sorry. Hope there was something useful for you in it.---John

   Edited 4/16/2005 5:48 am ET by John

1. 
   budreaux | Apr 16, 2005 03:54pm | #11

   Great advice!  Thanks.  My planer is fairly new but a buddy that kept his in a barn got it out to use and found that the posts had started to rust.  I suspect these may be maintained like a gun, wipe it down with an oil cloth after use.  I'd have to say the worst problem of a shop tht is not climate controlled is the effect it has on wood stock. 

6. 
   DennisS | Apr 17, 2005 06:34am | #12

   Hi Joe -

   I'm a little late into this discussion but I'll throw in another rather offbeat suggestion: moving air.

   Really .... Up here in the Pathetic Northwet, especially in the foothills of the Cascade mountains, we get atmospheric conditions with 100% humidity at times when the air temperature climbs faster than the surface temperature of earthbound objects. Especially in the shop when there's a heavy low overcast and no solar heat gain in an otherwise unheated shop. What this does is produce condensation on everything that's not absorbent such as machine tables! (argghhhh)

   Today we had such a conjuction of temps and humidity. I can always tell because the concrete slab on my back porch starts to "sweat" with actual beads of moisture even though its well covered with a deck and roof. I panicked and ran out to the shop thinking I'd be wiping and spraying everything.

   Not so.

   A few months ago I set up a large centrifugal (squirrel cage) blower in one corner of the shop simply blowing diagonally across it. This is in a 24 x 40 shop space. There was no moisture on any of the surfaces of the machinery. Now, I haven't checked any of the hand tools that are in drawers or cabinets where there's no air movement yet, I may still have a problem there. But for the bulk of the problem, keeping the air moving seems to be doing some good.

   ...........
   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
   Dennis
1. 
   xxxjoe | Apr 19, 2005 07:09am | #13

   If air movement helps to remedy corrosion that would be wonderful. The shop is 24x36 and will eventually have gable louver fans to push quite a bit of air.

2. 
   JohnSprung | Apr 20, 2005 03:48am | #14

   > keeping the air moving seems to be doing some good.

   Yes, that's exactly how frost-free freezers work, they keep the air moving.

    

   -- J.S.