Metal tools and rust

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I usually keep 'found' silica gel packs in with shop supplies. Some go in wooden cabinets with detail chemicals and towels, some next to oil filters and oil bottles, a packet of dessicant in just about each drawer of the toolbox, but, in a Craftsman plastic(blow molded I guess) I have a packet in there with the socket set and ratchets and noticed a pit of rust on a socket.

I kind of understand that a packet may not prevent harm from negligence since I probably havent touched some of the sockets since I bought it about five years ago AND it does sit in a detached laundry room (sans the washer/dryer) aka 'my shop''.

I now realize a wipe, buff, drop of oil or whatever from time to time is pretty good for the tools, but I ask Bob if the silica gel dessicant packets pull moisture out of the metal and possibly make them brittle or MORE prone to rust pitting......or anything like this?
 
Don't let that metal dry out or it will crack.
grin2.gif


Those little silica gel packets work only in well-sealed containers/packaging with a small volume of air. Out in the open the silica gel will be saturated with moisture very quickly. You can revive silica gel by drying it out in the oven. You could keep a a few kilos of copper sulfate, which is every hygroscopic, in a bucket in a closet to lower humidity. Since you are probably tempted, don't ingest more than a few grains or risk serious consequences.
 
Unless your cabinets are sealed then the Silica gel will be worthless in a matter of weeks/months depending on the humidity.

Unless you re-generate it then it's a one time thing. In a sealed bag, or container with a seal it'll last longer. I use baby food tins with sealed lids, but I also use silica gel with an indicator built in so I know when to regenerate it.

You have no worries about silica gel damaging your tools however.
 
The issue with sprays goes on.

Sometimes there are crevices that you cannot see into, much less get enough of a 'grip' on to wipe an oil on it.

'Treatments',at least IME are only worthwhile if you can work it in with a suitable cloth. Maybe spraying and forgetting it has some benefits, but kind of like a touchless automatic carwash versus a pro with a dual action polisher.
 
I coated some of my more expensive tools with a D'Oro clear cellulose lacquer for protection. I got it from a guy who made guitars. He's dead. Not from the lacquer, I think.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
The issue with sprays goes on.

Sometimes there are crevices that you cannot see into, much less get enough of a 'grip' on to wipe an oil on it.


I boil some of my tools in oil. Specifically ISO32 hydraulic oil heated to about 110-120C. Any water trapped in any part of the tool boils out and gives way to clean hot oil, then I just leave them in a container to drain until I'm ready to use them next time. Wipe them off and put them back in the drawer/bucket. I do this every couple/three years as a bit of a clean ritual. I seem to have very acidic sweat, so this is one way of keeping the tools vaguely protected.

I don't do it for all my hand tools, but stuff that is valuable or accurate (gauges, measuring tools, some rare lathe tools or cutters and pliers that have moving parts or pivot points). Keeps the moisture away and everything lubricated at the same time.
 
Originally Posted By: Darwin1138
I had great results by spraying my tools with clear enamel, no rust, no maintenance, and no greasy/dirty tools.


It happens if your working the rain or they get wet. I usually soda blast them first then use engine clear on them. Engine clear dries very quickly and seems to last. Best of all its only $6 a can at AA, AZ, etc.
Soda blasting keeps more natural appearance to steel or aluminum parts, glass bead and sand leaves them flat grey looking.

For tools and small stuff a cheap blast gun with the soda in a bucket can be done outside with a smaller compressor, no need for a blast cabinet.
 
Another tech at an auto dealership here on the TX coast uses this laid over his impact sockets and other easily rusting stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Daubert-Cromwell-UW35MPI36x100-Corrosion-Inhibitor/dp/B00ANUNWTI

Before they moved to a new location he was 3 blocks from the gulf. You could clean an impact socket with brake clean, make a trip to the parts counter, and when you came back it already had a rust film on it. He always saw bearings, and hubs wrapped in VCI paper and decided to try it. When he puts his tools up, he has 2 drawers dedicated to black sockets/tools etc. He lays a sheet of the paper over the contents at closing, and changes it out every month or two in the summer, and every 3 months in fall/winter when the humidity isn't making life miserable.

My old standby is Boeshield. That just makes life easier on the coast....at least for my tools.
 
Couple good tips here that I have used for a while.

1. Pledge. Haven't used it on tools but have used it A LOT to wipe down bike frames and components in winter. Huge help and I'd be plenty happy to use it on my tools as well- but beware its super slick.

2. WD40. This is the PERFECT application for WD 40!! It will help clean any grease or grime off while displacing that nice salty sweaty moisture. I've used this on tools in a garage toolbox with great results! Only changed once I found...

3. Fluid Film. I love this for tools. You can wipe/spray/brush/whatever on and leave it for storage or wipe it back off for a light, non-slickery protective layer. Have been extremely effective for me! I actually keep a rag saturated with a non-intentional mixture of aerosol and non-aerosol fluid film above my toolbox. Its used for a LOT of different things from tools to suspension stanchions and even wiping down rubber and electrical fittings. Probably one of my most used "tools!" Let me reemphasize using it on stanchions. My motorcycle sits 99.5% of the time and even with monthly oil wipe downs the steel fork tubes would show minor spots of light surface rust starting; switched to the FF wipe and it helps them stay clean plus I haven't even seen a hint of corrosion. They get wiped down a few times a year plus after riding (way less often than before).

Just remember, even FF will leave a tool slickery if you don't wipe it off. The difference is that even after wiping off it leaves that protective layer.
 
I would say no way on DampRid. It is calcium chloride and will become super saturated in a toolbox environment. The end result will be a highly corrosive liquid salt solution.

Barrier methods (oils) as others have already said are the best way to inhibit corrosion.
 
From my experience, moisture gets trapped between the tool and the drawer liner; causing corrosion to set place on the side of the tool that faces down. You'd think it'd be the other way around, but to my amazement, it's the side that faces against the drawer. I got fed up with it and now just bring the important tools inside the house for the Winter. It's the pliers that are the most vulnerable to moisture.
 
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