Keeping tools rust free?

[ELC]

30 years of carrying quality tools. I make my living with them and cheap tools are a waste of time for me. Store in a dry area, rinse and dry if salt water exposed, spray with Boeshield T-9. I like the idea of a wax based bicycle chain lube mentioned above. Might give it a try as I have used it on my bikes!

[jknight611]

ACF 50 is my go to stuff. Slightly oily initially but dries. Works great!

[Bill_Giles]

If you are really concerned I would wrap them in an oily rag and put them in a waterproof container. However, having been a boat owner sailing around cold, wet and windy Britain we have never had rusty tools kept in the same condition as at home ie just an ordinary tool box.

I think that it was more of a problem in the old days when we had leaky decks and no spray hoods.

[sv Stella Maris]

CorrosionX

CorrosionX

CorrosionX

CorrosionX

&

CorrosionX

Learn the full line and use the correct product. But they have you covered for most all of your needs aboard or ashore.

[johnmort]

Put your tools in a airtight vented case, I have been doing that for the last 8 years no more rusty tools and clean dry hands

[Kassiopeia]

In Germany (Heaven of Tools) we have and use BALLISTOL!


See: ballistol.de


You can use it for early everything incl. wound treatment!!!!


Try it and you will be surprised...

[gonesail]

Lear Chemical Corrosion Block. other then that keep them away from salt water

[4eyes]

If you need to remove rust:
https://www.metalrescue.com/products/metal-rescue/

I have used Ballistol to good effect and am intrigued by Boesheild. I have used Boelube for threading and it is the best, hands down.
First I am going to try the chain lube. I inherited some rusty tools from my FIL and need to try to salvage them.

[skenn_ie]

Spray wax : I use TecTyl for electrics. I have no idea if it is available where you are. If I could afford then, I would get at least a set of bronze combination spanners. Unlil then, I will use disposable ones.

[edlepera]

I asked Jamie on the you tube channel “Follow the boat” He says A little WD-40

[mdenize]

Hi I live on an island within 20m of the sea, boats are our only way of getting off the island, everything rusts, even chrome, galv, and 316. The only thing I have found that slows it down but keeps the tools at hand and rust free is to have a rag in the workshop that I impregnate with vasaline petroleum jelly and crc 556. I give each tool a wipe each time I use it. This keeps the rust at bay even from unprotected steel. It is so good to have tools 100% operational when you need them.

It does not seem greasy to the touch as vasaline is but does not wipe off during use unlike 556. I can even take my tools out to service my mooring and use them for an hour underwater servicing the chain with no ill effect. I just run them under fresh water when I get out, the mix repels the water, I dry them in the sun and wipe them down again and hang them up, so good.

There is another wonder product that totally removes rust from the tools I leave out side but I can't remember the name of it. The combination of that plus the rag is better at restoring rusty tools than any proprietary mix I have come across

[Tillikum]

It's little understood apparently, but metals are porous and absorb moisture. Before trying to paint any metal, especially a ferrous metal, I heat it up to about 200 degrees to drive off any moisture. This allows the paint or preservative to penetrate into those pores that the moisture was previously filling, and helps to prevent it getting back in. One good method is wax: heat up the metal object to dry temps and rub wax in. For ferrous tools you really want to preserve, get them glass beaded and parkerized/phospated, then paint or wax over that. The parkerizing is thin, but durable crystalline coating that holds paint, oil or wax etc. Your friendly local gunsmith or engine rebuilder might be able to do the parkerizing. This is the coating/prep used on most military small arms after all. Powder coating is another option, but will chip if struck hard enough, and once the moisture gets under anywhere, the usual process begins...

[betwys1]

Originally Posted by SKMT

Any recommended product to spray on tools to keep them from rusting? Wondering if there's anything that works yet won't get my hands all greasy everytime i use the tool.

There are two spray-on products that represent the gold-standard in rust protection: Boeshield T-9, and Corrosion-X. Either is incomparably superior to WD40.
There is one liquid that is the gold standard for REMOVING rust: Evaporust which is effective when rusty items are steeped in the stuff overnight.
It has two distinct advantages: it gets dirty yes, but retains effectiveness, and it does NOT erode bare metal like the usual cockamamie home-brews like vinegar, salt & vinegar (!), nitric acid.

In some situations that Evaporust could be used, the museum curator's electrolytic method is also good where rust is principally an exterior defect:
prepare a bath of fresh water and washing soda - the proportion is not critical.
Immerse an electrode: a piece of iron, or stainless, or lead wired to the POSITIVE terminal of a 12 V battery or old style battery charger. Connect the specimen to the NEGATIVE terminal of the battery or charger. Leave to evolve rusty water overnight. This method works well if there is a reasonable path from electrode to specimen. It does not fix interior surfaces, like Evaporust will. It does NOT corrode bare metal. Sad to say, it cannot replace iron that has rusted away completely, but it does consume rust. Wipe off and spray against rust when dry.

It is always sensible to store steel in zip lock bags or hermetic seal plastic boxes, A zip lock package can hold a small piece of VCI vapor phase corrosion inhibitor) in paper or plastic - or if you are really really lucky you may find zip lock containers MADE of polythene with VCI incorporated.
The world gold standard in VCI is material created by Cortec an American from Serbia. Some people may choose a silica gel sachet as a dessicant, which can be periodically heated to redry it.

Brian W

[Toaster]

A trick taught to me by an old machinist is to drop a block of camphor in your tool box. My understanding is that camphor vaporizes slowly at room temperature, and coats everything with a microscopically thin layer that inhibits rust. No greasy feeling.

This works great for me, here in the tropics where rust and corrosion are really fast.

You used to be able to get it from pharmacies, but now they only carry the liquid form, not the blocks. It's easy to find online, it's used in Indian religious ceremonies, and it's cheap.

And I love the smell of camphor in the morning.....

[Icarus]

Common sense says
Store tools in a dry place and occationally wipe spanner et with WD40.
Power tools get wrapped in a plastic bag and inspected now and then.