Proto impact socket rust succeptibility

[JHZR2]

I’ll start with the caveat that I love the feel of the finish of the proto impact sockets. It’s a rougher texture than, say, my SK or other impact sockets.

I tend to treat my tools with a wipe of ballistol when I think of it, but hadn’t done it to these tools.

I had proto impact sockets at my one garage for suspension work on my w126 Mercedes. These garages aren’t sealed, and have partial gravel, partial concrete floors.

Recently we have had constant rain, deluge thunderstorms, and thus high water table. I went into my garage for the first time in 1.5 weeks, and it was nasty in there. Outside was 89, not too humid. Inside was 96+ and very humid. I’d suspect that high water table vaporizes up through the gravel. I’m telling you the background because it sets the stage for what I encountered on a number of proto and similarly finished Mahew tools:

A lot of them showed this surface rust peeking through the finish. It generally wiped away easily, but it is still concerning that it happened at all. It does seem to also correlate with finger oils/being handled. I didn’t take any photos, but anything that was chrome, or anything with a smoother black finish (eg my SK impact sockets) didn’t show any issues. But tough black oxide finish did. I had wiped the Mahew pry bar but it was similar finish and had the same type of rust spots.

Suffice it to say I wasn’t happy and wiped them all down with a bit of woolwax lanolin.

But just providing this warning in case folks have seldom used proto impact sockets. You probably want to wipe them down with something if you haven’t.

 

[Warstud]

That can happen to any metal that's exposed to high humidity . I just recently noticed my bare metal pick set was rusting in the basement so I coated them with FF .

 

[eljefino]

I got a 100 pack of silica gel packets from ebay and chucked a few in every toolbox drawer.

I can't control the humidity... that is, I don't want to pay the utility bill to do so. My concrete pad soaks up the cool from the ground below and often condenses from the humid air above.

Does it help? Maybe.

 

[Astro14]

I have a dehumidifier in my shop. One with a pump to move water outside. Does a good job in an 800 square foot space with 14’ ceilings.

That said, I keep aerosol oil on hand, and spritz my impacts after use. That oxide finish, like parkerizing, will hold oil - or water - so I keep it filled with oil.

 

[Warstud]

I have a dehumidifier in my shop. One with a pump to move water outside. Does a good job in an 800 square foot space with 14’ ceilings.

That said, I keep aerosol oil on hand, and spritz my impacts after use. That oxide finish, like parkerizing, will hold oil - or water - so I keep it filled with oil.

Locked before you say anything inappropriate .

 

[JHZR2]

That can happen to any metal that's exposed to high humidity . I just recently noticed my bare metal pick set was rusting in the basement so I coated them with FF .

Sure it can. But in that shop, I had a lot of chrome sockets, that stay there all the time. I also brought SK impact and Proto impact sockets.

Only the sockets that had this rough finish (the proto), and the mayhew pry bar that had the same finish, exhibited the issue. The other stuff didn’t. Including the chrome sockets I leave there that I’ve never treated with ballistol, lanolin, etc. (Though it’s in my to do list not obviously). So the extra surface area and facets on the surface from the texture are, IMO to blame. In fact? It has everything to do with it because nothing else I’ve left in there for years now has flash or surface rusted despite the exposure. It is extra nasty in there right now because of all the rain and temperatures.

I have a dehumidifier in my shop. One with a pump to move water outside. Does a good job in an 800 square foot space with 14’ ceilings.

That said, I keep aerosol oil on hand, and spritz my impacts after use. That oxide finish, like parkerizing, will hold oil - or water - so I keep it filled with oil.

In a shop with a relatively sealed door, sure. In an old barn type garage with sliding barn doors, and gravel on some of the floor, I’d essentially be dehumidifying the outdoors.

What I need is to install a bathroom vent type fan that exhausts outside, and have it on a thermostat or humidistat.

Spot on with “filling them” with oil. It’s just interesting how other items that were not oiled either fared better. The texture has much to do with it imo.

 

[JHZR2]

I got a 100 pack of silica gel packets from ebay and chucked a few in every toolbox drawer.

I can't control the humidity... that is, I don't want to pay the utility bill to do so. My concrete pad soaks up the cool from the ground below and often condenses from the humid air above.

Does it help? Maybe.

Wouldn’t work here because these garage bays are so unsealed. Think of it as a shed. In my basement at home I use a “rechargeable” desiccant in certain storage containers. They do work.

 

[Warstud]

Sure it can. But in that shop, I had a lot of chrome sockets, that stay there all the time. I also brought SK impact and Proto impact sockets.

Only the sockets that had this rough finish (the proto), and the mayhew pry bar that had the same finish, exhibited the issue. The other stuff didn’t. Including the chrome sockets I leave there that I’ve never treated with ballistol, lanolin, etc. (Though it’s in my to do list not obviously). So the extra surface area and facets on the surface from the texture are, IMO to blame. In fact? It has everything to do with it because nothing else I’ve left in there for years now has flash or surface rusted despite the exposure. It is extra nasty in there right now because of all the rain and temperature

Also my Gearwrenches that are Chrome on the outside didn't rust but the actual Gear that is painted black did .