High Humidity Workshop – Tool Protection
Go_Bills
| Posted in General Discussion on
We will be retiring in the Bluffton South Carolina area in the near future, obviously a High Humidity location. I currently protect my tools with Boeshield T-9, and Jojoba Oil.
Your advice and comments would be appreciated on other Lubricants and Corrosion Inhibitors that have passed the test of time in your shop. It would also be good to hear about your efforts to protect your tools.
Would a constant running Dehumidifier or AC Unit be a must have in a garage workshop with such high humidity?
Thanks For The Feedback
Replies
I have used past wax. I'm not sure that it is any better than what you mention. I have found that if you can keep the air circulating with a small fan, it helps a great deal. The latter only needed in fall and spring when your tools get cold at night and the temp rises during the day.
What you're doing should work. Keep your tools on a tool cabinet or chest if possible. If you can get A/C in there that will help tremendously, both for the tools and for you.
The no 1 thing is to be vigilant. If you deal with the rust when it's first starting, it won't become a problem.
Welcome to the humidity... and wow it is a tough July this year. Make sure you have a fan or better yet A/C out there for yourself...
Silica gel or other desiccant type packs in drawers where susceptible tools are kept.
Just an example
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/workshop/tool-maintenance/53828-silica-gel-dehumidifiers?item=56Z6101
Any vintage tool you buy that was used in England will likely smell like 3-in-1 oil. I cannot believe that South Carolina would be much different in humidity (or "damp" as they say). Look up Paul Sellers' "Rag-in-a-can" oiler.
I have my shop in a 25 x 50 ft basement with no added moisture proofing on the walls. I run a Frigidaire 50-pt dehumidifier constantly in one corner but no air conditioning. The RH meter on the wall, never gets above about 55% even in the summer. This is low enough that after a few weeks my moisture meter indicates that pressure treated lumber reaches equilibrium when stickered and stored there.
There are other reasons a wood shop benefits from controlled humidity other than just protecting tools. I use a wax coating on my hand tools and on the surfaces of my tablesaw and jointer for protection and as wood-friendly lubrication, but if I grew up in England it would likely be oil.
I also have a dehumidifier in my shop and the fridgidare like was mentioned in another post. I live in California and my understanding is that we pay more for electricity than anywhere else ,pretty much everything else is more expensive as well. So a several year drought meant that I didn't need to run the dehumidifier very often. This past winter however we got all the rain due us for back payment and I ran the dehumidifier 24/7 for some months. Because of the tiered system once you pass base rates that are set unreasonablely low you start paying through the nose . I run a shop so im always over but make another jump and they bend you over completely! Running the dehumidifier i believe was responsible for pushing me into a top tier, it was the only thing different from any other year. My electric bills were really high this past winter . I'm considering a small dedicated off grid solar setup on my shop to just run the dehumidifier, maybe some occasional heat, a couple of lights. I've yet to do the math on that and I don't want my solar set up to become some and yet another maintenance project.
For tools I use paste wax. There was a time I used talc. I read somewhere that talc was used once upon a time to protect machine surfaces. Purchased it from a pool hall that sold billiard supplies. Pure talc is difficult to find and the pool hall disappeared ,so when it ran out I went back to wax. Talc does work. It fills the pores in cast surfaces,they are there even if you can't see them, resists moisture and I think reduces drag better than the wax. It was particularly nice for doing those other surfaces that I tend to forget about, like the post on the drillpress, nooks and cranny machines like a lathe etc. Keeping the tool steel from getting corrosion is relatively easy, boxes,drawers, oils or wax from time to time. I like to keep the humidity low more for the woodworking.
A caution if you do alot of finishing in your shop regarding silicone. Silicone can cause fisheye in your finish and once polluted it is difficult to impossible to get rid of it in your shop and apparently has the ability to migrate. It became so much of a problem for Martin guitars that they even banded their employees from wearing those colored silicone wristbands to work. So Martin Guitars is a silicone free zone!
Thanks for the extra comments on silicone. I contacted CRC about their 3-36 Corrosion Inhibitor and they made a point that it does not contain silicone.
CRC did reply that the 3-36 product would be their best product for the application.
I use it in Houston which is a sauna. Works great. I also put silica packets in each drawer and cabinet.
I recently built a new, free standing shop and had similar concerns about humidity. After contemplating my options, I went with a minisplit for heating and cooling and it does a wonderful job with temp and humidity with relatively low operating costs. One 24 hour span that hit -8F cost me about $2.50 to maintain 50F, so far AC/dehumidification costs are equally low.
I have shop in an uninsulated barn with old siding and open to the rafters. I have a pair of 50 pt dehumidifuers I run when needed. All tools get Boeshield. Handplanes go in plastic storage bins with Bullfrog emitter cups. Routers and similar small power tools go in bins/cases with the cups. Others tools like chisels, files, etc go in cases with Bullfrog emitter strips. I use a Zerust blanket over the tablesaw when not using. This is a "strategy" that has worked for me.
https://www.bull-frog.com/products/
https://www.zerustproducts.com/products/rust-control-for-parts-tools/table-saw-cover/
I, too, live in a high humidity area - a barrier island in Florida and have similar challenges. I utilize Briwax on machine surfaces and have had great success in protecting from salt/humid air utilizing painters drop clothes and HTC covers in conjunction with the wax. I was actually quite amazed that the painters drop cloth gives great protection to my jointer beds as it actually can be tucked tightly to the metal surfaces and offers multiple layers of protection. I hope this is helpful.
Thanks to everyone for the advice
Summer months in New Hampshire sees high humidity. I have my shop in an unheated barn and see condensation on the cement floor. I use Loctite rust inhibitor on my cast iron tables and steel tools. Just a small squirt on a paper towel and wipe down the surface. I then rub it out so there is only a faint covering and it's been working for 3 years now. I do this about 4 times per year and I've not had any rust problems. I don't see any staining on the wood from the rust inhibitor but if it's a concern, you could apply a paste wax on top after the rust inhibitor dries.
I endorse the mini-split idea. I live in the Florida panhandle a 10-minute walk from the Gulf ... plenty o'humidity. I built a free-standing wood shop, used spray foam insulation, and installed a mini-split. No rust issues (knock wood). Yes, the spay foam and mini-split cost $, but I did not notice a change in the electric bill after I built the shop.
I saved up and about 2 and half years ago put in a mini-split in my garage shop. I'm in my third summer working in comfort. I love it. Makes a big difference for my desire to stay in the shop and be in a good mood. Any future shop will have AC. Fortunately, I haven't had to contend with high humidity. If I did, I would engineer it out. I'd talk to an HVAC specialist to find out the best way to do it.
Unless your garage is heated and cooled, if it's in your budget, a small mini-split is your best option. We have one in our house here in humid Tennessee, and run it on dehumidification setting in the summer and heat setting in the winter. You will be able to work in the garage shop much more comfortably with it. My shop is a passive solar, earth bermed building (think walk in basement with no house on top) and stays warm in winter and cool in summer naturally. However, until I bought a dehumidifier a few years ago, humidity was a problem, especially in the summer, when the warm, moist outside air entered the building and was cooled down, raising the relative humidity. Although the dehumidifier puts out some heat (condensing water requires extracting heat from the water vapor to condense it, and that heat has to go somewhere), it is not noticeable in the cool shop. It would be noticeable in a garage. A window air conditioner would cool your garage, and remove some water, but might not extract enough. The mini-split would be the best.
After living 40 years in northeast Florida, 32 of them across the street from the beach, I have some experience with humidity and rust. Bottom line, rust never sleeps. I recently finished cleaning Florida rust off of my cast iron tools in my new shop in the North Carolina mountains. Heated and air conditioned. The one spot I couldn’t remove was from a drop of sweat that ran off of my nose. I could see it almost instantly. My machine tables were always protected with Dri-cote or Boesheild. I know the Bluffton area well. It can be hot, humid and buggy day and night. There will be times when you want to be in the shop but won’t be able to. The mosquitoes, yellow flies and no-seeums will assault you. Those who have recommended air conditioning are right. Mini split, window or portable. Try not to connect to the house a/c. Dust always settles in the living room.
One more for the mini-split. I finally broke down last year after a few year's sweltering trying to work in July and August in northern Ohio. My unit does a nice job in a 24x24 frame shop. It's insulated too. Keep dust off the tools as much as possible, check things over regularly. Moisture loves dust. I also added an ambient air filter at the same time. It's all helped, but there's no substitute for vigilance and keeping things clean IMO.
I live in SC and my shop is unconditioned (1 bay of a two car garage). My coating of choice has been a variation of “Ed’s Red”. A bit unconventional for woodworking but the combination has served me well for all my tools. 1/4 lanolin, 1/4 ATF transmission fluid, 1/4 synthetic motor oil and 1/4 mineral spirits.
1. Only own the tools you need and will use -- no "collections."
2. Use them frequently.
3. Wipe them down with an oily rag when done, 3-in-1 as good as anything.
4. Trying to keep a museum of unused tools rust free is impossible without storing them in a vat of cosmoline.
Haven’t seen anyone recommend the cheapest easiest solution: camphor tablets. They won’t help humans be more comfortable in the shop, but they do help keep rust off tools! In Michigan, we have many humid days, too. I started putting tablets in tool box drawers and cabinets - anywhere where blades, bits and tools are stored. They will clear your sinuses, too! Have to figure out how much to use at once. I also use Boeshield and good old carnuba wax on table saw, Planer and bandsaw.
I live at 750 feet above sea level in the Scottish Borders. Our winter humidity is not often less than 95%; frequently 98%. In summer, its usually between 70 and 95%, but sometimes 60%. My workshop is a well ventilated, medium sized, stand-alone building built of concrete blocks and has a ridge roof about 10ft high with open trusses. All tool-storage shelves etc, are separated from the concrete wall by simple wood lining, varnished with yacht varnish, with about a half-inch gap off the wall. The shop is only heated for a few hours on cold winter days. BUT I do have a 120 Watt tube heater about 3 feet long that sits under the shelves where I keep my planes and my 3 or 4 go-to chisels. This heater is on 24h during 6 winter months and off all summer. Very economical. Check it's safe: fire is worse than rust. There's a small freezer at the end of the shop, but I don't think that makes a lot of difference. Though my boots are often wet, I dry wet ladders, outdoor benches, etc. before they get into the shop and I don't drip on my tools! So, I fight damp at that obvious level.
I've been a woodworker for about 70 years now and pretty much the only thing I've ever seen that produces rust on tools is NEGLECT. Just oil the tools when you get them. There are some rust-inhibiting waxes that I've used occasionally and maybe they help; probably all good, but I doubt they are essential. Main thing is, I wipe tools at the end of the day with an oily rag. Dry them first if they are at all wet - obvious. Don't leave shavings on them. Some hardwoods and certainly treated softwoods will mildly corrode metal. Finger marks too. I use a soft, bench brush to clean planes at the end of the day. When you put tools away, try not to leave finger marks on them, just hold them by the oily rag. I don't get rust on any of my tools. (The one exception is very mild marks on the sole of a Veritas jointer (and not on several other planes of the same make): I put that down to a bad batch of steel, but it's not a problem and hasn't got worse.
I store my planes in oiled plane sacs (or socks!) on open shelves. On the bench, I tend to lay planes down on wooden slabs covered with lightly oiled, absorbent felt. The absorbent felt I use is sold to gardeners as irrigation mat. For oil, other than the occasional WD40 sprays, I now use refined mineral oil (medicinal grade is fine and doesn't have nasty things in it that you'd want to keep off your skin). I keep my main tools with the cutting edges lying on felt or (chisels) in chisel rolls; both rolls and felt are oily and get sprayed with WD40 every 4-6 months. You can lay an oily rag over tools lying on felt in a drawer. Those tools you don't use often, keep them in oily rags, preferably in boxes or drawers and CHECK them maybe every 4 months. I use mainly hand tools and a bandsaw. Keep the saw tables wiped down with that oily rag at the end of the day. Take the tension off bandsaws and put a little safety note over the switch to remind you to re-tension before switching back on! I keep saw blades in a tight-fitting cupboard that I made for this purpose. It's lined with irrigation felt that I spray, along with the blades, with WD40 about once a year.
I use oil stones for most of my honing, but quite often I do use a water grindstone (Tormek), wet diamond stones, and Japanese water stones. It's good to keep the wet side of things at the end of the shop and away from your bench if possible. And of course, essential to thoroughly dry all those wet/damp blades straight away then wipe them with oil.
Take-home message: well used, mildly oiled, clean tools don't rust. Keep the workshop as dry as possible, keep stored tools in an oiled environment and check them every few months.
At our previous home, I dug a basement (yeah, I know I'm crazy) in one corner where there was 9 ft of overhead clearance. I hired a couple of college kids and we dug every Saturday for 2 months. Toward the front and one side, there was a 3 1/2 ft. drop. I built forms and had concrete retaining walls, with rebar, poured. Then a 4" slab. atop the walls were 2x4s and drywall above, no insulation, dropped ceiling.
The remainder of the crawl space, about 2/3, was bare dirt. I covered it with thick plastic. Where the condensate drain from the AC went out, I put a T and short standpipe. A 60 pint portable dehumidifier drained into the AC line. I closed all the foundation vents. I was able to maintain about 55% RH here in NW GA, where the RH is currently 69%, 90F. The dehumidifiers would last about 2 years.
In finishing this basement, I had a built-in dehumidifier installed in the AC system, and it easily holds 50% under any conditions. If memory is correc, it cost about $1200 extra, and well worth it.
Dont forget the floor.Use those 2x2 wood top,foam bottom squares from home depot over plastic sheet.Good for comfort also.