I’m about to pack it all up and move to Australia for a few years. For a variety of reasons, it’s not practical to take all of my tools with me. What does one need to do to store tools for an extended period of time? Assume that they’ll be in a storage unit or something similar. I’m looking to store:
Things with Cast Iron tops:
bandsaw, tablesaw, jointer, drill press
Other tools:
routers, surface planer, sliding compound miter saw, compressor and nail guns
I plan to take all of my hand tools with me, as well as my workbench if I can.
Do I need to wax everything? Grease it all down? what should I use?
Finally, any special tips for shipping the other tools overseas (container in a freighter)? I’d be shipping the usual assortment of hand planes, saws, chisels, wrenches, etc.
Thanks in advance.
Smitty
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Replies
Smitty,
Humidity and temperature control wil have the biggest effect. If those are stabilized then you'll be in good shape. Is the storage unit environmentally controlled? That would be my choice.
Give everything the ultimate cleaning. Clean the insides and outsides of all the tools well. Wood dust will attract and bring moisture into the tools. Get rid of all dust.
Oil and lubricate all the tools and moving contact points. After a few years your drive belts may be shot anyway so remove and save them. Heavily wax the cast iron surfaces but don't cover with an impermiable material such as plastic. You want free air circulation and not to trap any ambient moisture.
In storage you'll certainly be stacking things. I'd blanket wrap larger tools, keep all tools and boxes off the ground and loosely cover the entire stack with plastic making sure that no plastic touches metal. (I've personally had a sprinkler main break five feet from a storage rental unit. My stuff was treated this way and nearly everything was perfect, while the folks around me had total losses.)
With a container ship, do you have enough for an entire container? If so you can have the company truck the container to your home and you can load it up securely. Probably the biggest cause of damage in container shipping is voids. You want to fill the container with zero voids. Build crates that nestle well within the container without any extra room. If you are shipping a partial shipment you may be able to arrainge the same kind of deal but only partially fill it. I've seen trucking cos. supply partition walls to separate customers goods. This might be possible with a container as well.
Others may have some great ideas and material suggestions as well. I hope this get you started.
Enjoy you time down under. You'll rest easy knowing how well everything is packed away back home!
Best,
Seth
mistake. There is no win
and there is no fail . . . there is only
make."
John Cage
Smitty,
Mix some wax with kerosene to create a slurry that can be painted on the bare steel. Mix it thick. You can also buy a spray called "Mold Saver" from Plastic Process Equipment 1800-321-0562. It costs about $ 3.60 for a 16 oz. can. Part # MSP-16. One can covers 100 square feet. It is also a wax base. I use it to protect polished mold steel for long term storage. They also sell "Molecular Sieve desiccant in bulk. It is the stuff that is in those little packets that are labelled "DO NOT EAT" that are packaged with products that are shipped from over sea. I would use " Type 13X. it comes in a 25Lb container and costs about $110. Part # MS13X4-025. Put it in old socks and drop it into the box. Line the box with a plastic bag and seal well. Save the socks in a sealed plastic bag for the return trip. When you are ready to repack, put the socks in the oven at 300 F for 4 hours to redry before use.
Joe Phillips
Plastics pay the bills, Woodworking keeps me sane!
Smitty, for the cast iron finish surfaces, use cosmoline or heavy grease and cover with plastic wrap.
For things like routers, etc... Blow them out with compressed air then use a hair dryer to remove any residual moisture. Once clean and dry, wrap them tightly in several layers of plastic wrap.
Hand tools with rust free finishes can be wrapped in news paper.
Hand tools, (chisles, planes, etc) - Wipe down with 30W non detergent motor oil and wrap in plastic wrap.
Moisture will be your biggest threat so try to wrap them up on a nice warm day with fairly low humidity if you can.
Steve - in Northern California
I did the same thing for 2 years. I used a climate controlled storage facility and covered but did not coat my cast iron tops. Ended up with rust so that is a lesson learned. I would also remove all belts to assure they retain a uniform shape.
My wife's grandfather packed some metal tools away in the 1940's. I open them a couple of years ago and they were in perfect shape. He had coated them with grease and wrapped them in several layers of wax paper. My father in law had never used them nor open them. There was a set of chisels, some hand planes, and some backsaws. They had been stored in a drawer in a garage since the 1950's.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
PlaneWood
How about storing them in my garage? You wouldn't have to prep anything and I'd personally make sure they wouldn't get lonely. ;)
But seriously, my folks moved back from the Middle East some years ago. Dad used the company's workshop to build box containers out of 2x2's and 1/4 plywood. He made some cardboard stencils and spray painted the shipping addresses on the sides. Said he just couldn't trust them with cardboard boxes.
When he got home, after emptying everything out, he turned the boxes on their sides, fixed them upright with 2x4's, and had shelves for the garage!
Q
Smitty,
What ever you decide to do, remember that salty air will rust anything in a matter of hours. Any tool that you ship, pack it with the desiccant or it won't make it. Shafts and armatures will rust in your power tools.
Joe Phillips
Plastics pay the bills, Woodworking keeps me sane!