Toolbox corrosion protection

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
3,551
Location
West Michigan
So I recently upgraded my tool chest from multiple boxes and a small chest into one large, almost organized chest. I typically wipe my tools down with either a lightly oiled rag or occasionally a fluid film rag when they are dirty and don't typically have corrosion issues, but with the change I not have many tools inside the chest/drawers/cabinet that typically were sitting on a shelf in their box. As these spaces are enclosed but not sealed I don't think desiccants will offer much benefit but not sure if its really worth the effort to go further with any other options. Not really sure what other options there would be other than that vapor corrosion inhibitor... but I don't know much of anything about that.
 
CRC marine corrosion inhibitor. Spray on, dries to the touch and wont wash off even with a pressure washer. Protects against salt water like sweat or sea air. I use it on tools in the barn and reapply in the fall just to be sure but so far it works well.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
I wipe my tools down with a light coat of oil before putting them away.


Me too.

I use Liquid Wrench spray oil. Or Remoil. A spritz and a wipe.
 
For tools in my large roll around … spray wax … for vice grips and adjustable wrenches … a drop of 3 in 1 …
After the loss of several tools in my boat box … went to several smaller sealed boxes with no handles (source of water ingress). After the re-do … I used Rust Block on them … decent water based product
 
Originally Posted by samven
CRC marine corrosion inhibitor. Spray on, dries to the touch and wont wash off even with a pressure washer. Protects against salt water like sweat or sea air. I use it on tools in the barn and reapply in the fall just to be sure but so far it works well.


I've been dying to try this stuff for my frame, hear it works great. Think I'll order some today.
 
I use dessicants, got a 50 pack of silica gel on ebay and scattered them through.

The tools in my drawers do better than the ones left out.

My unheated, uninsulated garage spends a lot of time near the freezing point-- the concrete floor holds the cold and causes condensation.

I'm too cheap to do any sort of climate control in there.

If a tool gets oily, I wipe it down, but not necessarily wipe it off.
 
Could also put a 60 watt light bulb in the bottom and cover the box with a fabric/vinyl cover.

Condensation due to temperature changes is a driving factor behind corrosion. If your box is in a location where the tools are cold in the AM and temperature/humidity increases, that's a perfect situation for condensed moisture to form on tools. By keeping the metal slightly warmer, condensation won't form.

[Linked Image from matcotools.com]


A favorite product to prevent corrosion: Corrosion technologies "Max Wax". It's wonderful when applied in a very thin coating. It truly is better than the others.


https://www.corrosionx.com/products/maxwax-tough-long-lasting-wax-coating
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by samven
CRC marine corrosion inhibitor. Spray on, dries to the touch and wont wash off even with a pressure washer. Protects against salt water like sweat or sea air. I use it on tools in the barn and reapply in the fall just to be sure but so far it works well.


A while back … we had a thread in all the great products 3M makes (some in big demand now).
CRC is another great brand. Always my go to for throttle bodies and battery terminals
For my boat I use Corrosion-X … but it's too thick and waxy for some things … got to try this CRC product …
Just ordered from Walmart
 
Last edited:
If your going to do big jobs like a frame or keep it on the boat for under the cowling and other bright work you can get it in 4 packs for $30 so it works out to 7.50 a can. Put it on thin and let it dry. If you really need lots of abuse protection or inside box frames I tend to go a bit heavy but not in areas where I will bump into it or handle it. If you use a thin coat it wont attract dirt and it doubles as a lube so a bit of overspray on the suspension or steering linkage wont hurt anything, just keep it away from disk rotors or pads. I spray it on a rag to wipe down my bandsaw table and blade and the table and column on my lathe and mill.
 
For storage BoeShield liquid dries to leave a waxy film and has antirust additives. For extra protection Zerust makes plastic bags impregnated with antirust additives that out gas slowly. The plastic come in ziplock bags, open bags for heat sealing, and in sheets.

BSW
 
For the tool chest itself, remove the drawers and spray the insides with Fluid Film, Boeshield, or the like. Flip it over and spray the bottom, too.

Put Camphor blocks or the CI paper in the drawers.

Refresh as needed and you'll be set.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top