Replies

1. 
   tinkerer2 | Apr 03, 2007 04:53am | #1

   I see this is your first post so welcome to the club.  You might post more often.  People love to answer questions.  Last night I put in an original post for the first time.  So where in Nebraska are you.  I come from extreme western Nebr., which is quite dry - very dry at times.  My wife lived near North Platte for a couple Years.  Hard to imagine mid Nebr. being all that humid.  Now living in West Virginia - over thirty eight years, and yes we get humidity. We live down in a valley where it is foggy most summer mornings but burns off after the sun gets hot.  You always have to wear overshoes when you walk in the grass in the morning.  I have a dehumidifier that I use when the temperatures warm up in the summer time.  It sends out a steady stream of water and I haven't noticed an appreciable amount of rust.  I have begun to wax the tools some but haven't been very faithful.  You might try a using a dehumidifier when the air conditioner is off.  It takes very little heat to take the RH down.  Some folks put small tools in a cabinet that has a small light bulb to warm it up a bit.  Others use a desicant and dry it out in the microwave once in a while.  Best of luck.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/2/2007 10:17 pm ET by tinkerer2

2. 
   jimmiejp | Apr 03, 2007 08:03pm | #2

   RUST RUST RUST

   Glad I could respond to this knot and offer my limited experience. I'm situated in northern Ontario and I assure you we suffer very high humidity as well as below zero temperatures in the winter.

   As I only visit my shop on occasion I hunted extensively to protect my equipment when the shop is not temperature controlled. For my jointer, table saw, band saw and drill press I purchase covers by HTC (mobile base people). I previously spent hours with varsol and 600 sand paper cleaning up this equipment. Now, once or twice a year I clean the tables with varsol and re wax each. NO MORE RUST.

   For my hand tools (in cabinet) I use Silica Gel from "http://www.leevalley.com. It comes in a number of forms and does the job very well!

   Best of Luck!....JimmieJp

1. 
   JerryPacMan | Apr 03, 2007 11:12pm | #3

   I also highly recommend the HTC machine covers.  Try to keep them flat on the surface your are protecting. 

   Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .

2. 
   alias | Apr 05, 2007 12:31am | #8

   tidy cats crystal cat litter, is a silica gel is also 10.00 a gallon and works when balled up in old nylon last for weeks/ months. makes a great alternative to the small dose you get for porportionately bigger $$..." I'm working on it"

1. 
   jimmiejp | Apr 05, 2007 01:50am | #9

   thanks my friend.........I'll try anything!!..JimmieJP

3. 
   SgianDubh | Apr 04, 2007 12:57am | #4

   Here's an old trick that's worked for me for a long time, about twenty five years now.

   Somewhere in a back bottom corner of your cabinet(s) install a light bulb holder, wire and a plug. For rare bulb changes fit one of the long life energy saving bulbs and leave it running permanently. I find a 7 watt bulb of this type works well in a tool cabinet about 4' X 30" X 14" deep. I used to use 25 watt incandescent bulbs, but they blow too frequently and the low energy bulbs really do last a long time-- years. The 7 watt low energy bulbs are close to equivalent to a 25 watt incandescent bulb.

   You'd need to adjust the bulb size (wattage) a bit for the size of the cabinet. They work on the basis of heating the tools and air in the cabinet. This lowers RH inside the cabinet compared to the air in the workshop. Colder moisture carrying air that enters the cabinets when doors are opened won't condense on the tools reducing the likelihood of rust developing. Slainte.

   Richard Jones Furniture

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Apr 04, 2007 04:35am | #5

   Slainte,

   To paraphrase a California expression, Right There!

   I use the same technique, along with several packets of scattered of silica gel that come with electronic parts, throughout the cabinet, just in case of a power failure which is not uncommon in these parts.

   Doesn;t cost much either.

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

2. 
   RonT | Apr 04, 2007 03:28pm | #6

   I concur 100%. It is the cheapest and most affective way to control humidity.

   The same approach is used to control hummidity in welding rod cabinets where moisture can be a killer.

4. 
   Castlewerks | Apr 04, 2007 05:24pm | #7

   For large drawers in my bench where I store chisels, planes, etc... I use these gel canisters.

   http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=7789

   The nice thing about them is that there is an indicator that changes color when they are saturated, and you can then just bake them in an oven to reactivate them.

   Cheers,

   Michael