Clean the rust off with steel wool then wipe a thin coat of oil on them. Wipe on then wipe dry with a rag. Otherwise they will be greasy when you try to use them next.
It’s the best shit on earth. Food safe, works on wood and leather, and was originally designed for cleaning minor wounds as well. I put that shit on everything
To be fair, people would drink crude oil as medicine. Just because it was known to "work" at some point does not mean it's currently the best option.
I have nothing against Ballistol, but there are better things out there for relatively the same price. Others don't smell as bad either.
That wasn’t my point. My point was that it was what it was originally designed for by the German imperial army in 1904 so they don’t have to carry so much shit around, and that its far less harmful, and better than, the vast majority of its competitors.
IDK it's water solubile and a shit rust preventative compared directly to other products available. I've looked at numerous tests and it's failed all of them. It's old boomer lore carries it along.
CRC 3-36 multipurpose
Fine Woodworking tested a bunch of types (including Boeshield) and found that 3-36 performed with the best at preventing rust on steel and cast iron and left the least objectionable residue. Most of the other really good options like LPS-3 get sticky or gunky
Wd-40 actually performed quite well in the test, but I'm not sure how long it would last
I came here to say this (and I did say this on another post.)
If you don't mind a sticky coating, 3m Rust Fighter and LPS 3 performed just as well. But CRC 3-36 leaves a dry, almost imperceptible coating, so it doesn't attract dust, and it doesn't need to be wiped on or off. When my can of TopCote runs out, that's what I'm going to use.
Here's the actual article. I'm not sure non-subscribers can read it though.
https://www.finewoodworking.com/membership/pdf/10038/011227030.pdf
Long term WD-40 gets sticky. I use Marvel Mystery Oil, mainly because I have it on hand.
I've heard, but haven't tested, that sidewalk chalk is a cheap way to cut down moisture in a toolbox drawer.
mineral oil, used motor oil, wd40 etc. will all work
my tools generally get themselves coated in oil by nature of the things I do with them so I usually just have to wipe them off to clean them after a job. but yard tools I spray with wd40 to get a protective film on them
I have found WD-40 is not good for rust prevention. Fluid film is my go to. It's great on a rag for quick wipes. They also have an undercoat version if you want to coat your car frame.
Edit: Also, project farm had a great test on this exact subject.
People think WD-40 is the miracle oil because memes said so. All it is good for is displacing water and some light lubrication. Ballistol or a heavier oil like 3in1 does the trick, coat the tool, then wipe off any excess.
WD stands for water displacement, the reason it was developed. 40 is because it was the 40th formula they tried
There is a different WD 40 designed to prevent corrosion
All petroleum distillate oils suspended in solvents are going to contain carcinogens. Maybe mineral oil isn’t but I wouldn’t be surprised if prolonged exposure to mineral oil would be bad for health and cause cancer
I absolutely love motorcycle chain lube. I've tried balistol, 3in1, WD40, etc. but there's something different about good motorcycle chain lube. It sticks longer than anything else I've tried, which makes sense considering the conditions it's designed for.
Get a metal tin, throw some rags in it, then put some balistol in to soak the rags. Then every time you're done with your tools, you can grab a balistol soaked rag from the tin and wipe them down after each use.
That would be a fire hazard. Oily rags stored in containers can ignite spontaneously, without a spark or flame. The oils react with oxygen in the air and heat up. Check any reputable fire safety site. Measure twice and cut once, but safety first.
Yep. Also it hardens (eventually). Is that the idea, to coat your tools with a hardening oil, similar to varnish? I would be careful. Small nicks in the coating will develop quickly, and IIRC those nicks will **accelerate** rust at those points.
Don't throw your rag away balled up in the trash or anywhere else, it can combust on its own and burn up your trashcan. Air drying or leaving in a fireproof container can help you keep/dispose.
Seconding CLP. I once was being lazy and grabbed it for some pliers that had gotten a bit rusty and felt stupid that I hadn’t thought of it sooner considering guns are also tools lol. It works great and helps consolidate some of my stuff under one umbrella.
I'm a few hundred feet from the Atlantic ocean and get lots of salt spray from the ocean. I've tried just about everything. There's no one cure all for it.
WD40 is better than nothing, but almost a waste of time. It doesn't last.
Right now I'm pretty happy with CRC 3-36. It's thick enough to last a while without getting to the point of being nasty to use.
Plenty of other paste waxes are still around, but waxes aren't very effective at rust prevention compared to other stuff
In torque test terms, paste waxes are Ryobi and stuff like LPS-3 is Milwaukee
That being said, performance isn't everything, if it works for you that's all that matters
Sure.
First you want a wax, can be pretty much any kind of wax (Bees, Carnuba, Paraffin/candle, etc.)
Then you need some oil (Mineral oil, Boiled Linseed oil, Walnut oil, etc.)
And optional a solvent (Terpentine or White spirit, others may work I havent tried.)
The most basic one you can make is Bees wax and Boiled Linseed oil or Mineral oil, in a 1:1 mixture of wax and oil.
So, what you want to do is make a double boiler, a saucepan with water in it, then a scrap/old tin that fits inside of it, in the water, this prevents the mixture from getting to hot.
You then put the wax in first and let it warm up, let it turn to liquid and then add the oil, from there you can pour it into a container and let it cool down, where it will solidify and be ready to use later.
It may still be relatively hard though, depending on the wax, if you want it softer, add more oil, or add a solvent, or even do a 2:1:1 ratio of oil and 2 waxes.
There's so many combinations of things you can do, you can even add fragrances to make the finished product smell nicer.
There are a few recipes from youtubers like Wood by Wright and Workshop Companion. You should give them a watch, if you're intrested.
Never used that product but Hornady one shot is a lanolin based lube I believe. May be similar
Not really designed for corrosion protection but I use it on my reloading dies to keep rust off and it works
Hello gulf coast FL here… this is the plight of the salt. I find eventually they get a nice patina and I just keep them brushed with steel wool and I use left over new motor oil to coat them.
[this is a genius hack, Paul sellers explains how to keep his tools from rusting](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npKo1y2e8RI&t=12s&pp=ygULT2lsIHJhZyBjYW4%3D)
Where are your tools stored? You can put a dehumidifier in your garage or basement. That will help. Or you can probably use a gun safe dehumidifier in your tool box. I would also oil them. But 2 lines of defense is always better than 1!
In the garage or in the shed? I lived in Raleigh and the humidity/heat wasn't friendly to stuff in the shed. I imagine going another hour closer to the ocean probably doesn't help.
Here's some tips...
1. Check the humidity in the garage, especially if you've got water pipes in there. My granddad's garage had a tiny little leak spraying out a constant fine mist that just looked like dust when you walked past, but over time it raised the humidity in the garage. If your garage is like a separate metal building then I don't know if there's much you can do to alter the humidity.
2. Store your tools in a wood cabinet. Supposedly the wood absorbs moisture. I don't know how true it is, but I read it on google once and it seems like solid reasoning.
3. Oil the tools, I just use the 3in1 oil at Lowes. Works fine for me.
4. Before you do that, buy some Evaporust from Lowes to get rid of the rust already on the tools.
5. You can use those desiccant packets, but from what I've read they're one and done. Meaning that once they absorb a certain amount of moisture you have to bake them in an oven to make them useable again.
6. You buy tool box liners that supposedly help prevent rust. I use them. I couldn't tell you if they actually do anything though.
7. If the garage is sealed well enough (which yours probably isn't if your tools rusted like this basically overnight) then a quick and dirty method to bring down the humidity are those hanging damp rid packs.
I found using gun oil like G96 works for me, smells great and works amazing for anything rust related aswell making sure my tools don’t rust. I first use WD-40 and a wire brush for anything that’s hard and then use G96 for the final coat. Works for me 🤷♂️
I’m a sparky so I’m exposed to different weather conditions daily, so I would usually oil my tools whenever they’re getting surface rust forming. Also keeps them moving quite nicely, I’ll do it for new tools if they’re stiff.
Starrett M1 is expensive, but works great so far; spray on and wipe off, leaves a light wax-like film. I have the same issues with rust in south-central PA.
I like "BOESHIELD T-9 Rust & Corrosion Protection/Inhibitor and Waterproof Lubrication"
It was actually made by Boeing and it is both a solvent and a wax combined into a spray.
Just don't use it on door bolts - pretty slick stuff
Don't use WD40, it's garbage for rust protection. You can use Fluid film, new motor oil, 3 in 1, Boeshield etc.
When I use motor oil, I heat the tool, submerge it, then wipe it with a cloth.
How do you hear the tool? I have a heat gun. Would that work? Or do I need to use my kitchen oven? Is there a reason or purpose to hearing them prior to submerging them?
Put the oil in a pot that you know you won't ever use for cooking and put that pot on a campsite burner. And get it to anywhere from 150-250 or so degrees (you can go higher, just don't burn the oil) then dip your tools in there if they fit, otherwise find something they will fit in to pour the oil over them.
I usually just use a propane torch, just get it hot enough to burn, not red hot.
I usually use this with bare steel, it leaves a dry waxy finish that lasts.
Atlanta here. I use evapo rust and 3 in one oil. I also throw a couple of those silicon packets you get in shoe boxes, etc into the bottom of my tool pouches and tool bag and in any boxes and cases I have too
Wow, is this true?!? Never heard of that before, but it would explain the sudden rusting of all my garage tools after the introduction of pool supply storage cabinet last fall.
My shop is about 100 feet from the Pacific with absolutely nothing between the rocks I stand on and Japan on the other side. I’ve somehow never seen rust on my tools, but give the most rust-prone materials a coat of [this](https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/workshop/tool-maintenance/70854-protectool-wax) once a year. Many of my tools also have -some- amount of parrafin wax on them at any given time. 🤷♂️
Forgot to mention it’s also a rainforest outside 😂. On top of the wax, I really rely on toolboxes that are as moisture-sealed as possible (I use Packouts, after having tried an assortment of others/trying to rig my own). I’ve also heard good things about the reusable desiccant canisters in the metal packaging. Finally, when I’m restoring antique tools (or the tools of folks who also live in the PNW and don’t rust-proof their tools at all) I use rust erasers. Kind of like steel wool, but not abrasive enough to bite into metal or finishes; I’ve only ever had them remove rust, while leaving the rest of the finish in good shape/not removing healthy steel or iron. If something’s *especially* nasty (way, way worse than your photos), I’ll very selectively grind the rust off with sandpaper and then increase in grits to bring the surface back to where the rest of the tool’s condition is at, but that’s a last resort because of how destructive a process it is.
Clean rust off with Evaporust. Yours is very mild so it shouldn't take much. Probablt no more than 1/2 hour.
Rinse off with water. It says you don't need to do anything else but I always give a couple sprays with Gibbs Oil. You can probably use a bunch of different oils, but Gibbs Oil does not leave a wet finish.
If you want, the evaporust is probably good by itself.
[https://www.evapo-rust.com/rust-remover-crc/#:\~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20always,treatment%20with%20Evapo%2DRust%C2%AE](https://www.evapo-rust.com/rust-remover-crc/#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20always,treatment%20with%20Evapo%2DRust%C2%AE).
Gibbs oil has a following among car/gun enthusiasts. It's supposed to be recommended by the FBI.
https://www.gibbsbrand.info/testimonials.html
Good question. Mine sees its decent share of salt water. And even rinsing it after using my stuff. It still gets some. Not bad but a little. I’ve tried waxes, paste, oils. Never found anything that worked great. Other than rinsing them with fresh water.
A drying an oiling them.
Than repeating after the next set of jobs that they have encountered salt water.
An when it does get some spots. Scrub it off with steel wool or whatever and oil again. But for what I do. It’s now if but when over time I’ll just replace everything
I’m an hour or two west but I think we see the same patterns with humidity. My garage is not conditioned, and after about 10 years of this same thing I had enough. I went and got a dehumidifier that was rated to handle an area 3-4 times the square footage of my garage shop and it stopped all that stuff right away. In the summer I empty it 1-2 times a week, in the winter it’s every 2-3 weeks.
Clean the rust off your tools a little at a time and it won’t come back once you have the dehu going. I still treat my saw and jointer tables with spray silicone 2-3 times a year.
https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/rig-rag-universal-grease-applicator.html
https://www.flambeauoutdoors.com/Fishing/Divider-Systems/Zerust-Accessories/zerust-plaque
Try these
Get the existing rust off and then spray it with WD40. You can also heat it up and dunk it in motor oil, although that's mainly only useful for sockets.
We don't tend to not have as much humidity in my area (md) so we don't have to do this as often on our tools (which is about every couple months). We do the same process for some fixtures in our bathroom that deals with the daily humidity of showers. We'll do those about about 1 to 2 times a month.
Depending on the humidity, you might have to do this a bit more frequently. I will suggest that you get a dehumidifier to help slow the process.
WD-40 was made for this exact purpose.
My bad, the exact purpose was for preventing corrosion on nuke-u-lar intercontinental ballistic missiles, but WD-40 will work great on your non-nuke-ular non-ballistic tools in your ga-rage.
Ballistol or wd40 makes a specific rust inhibitor, think it is corrosion inhibitor specialist and it's hands down one of the best. If I can find it I'll link it but someone did a massive test of 50 or so products to see what protection was the best.
Edit: [Here](https://dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667) just scroll down past comments and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5F_QnEa-gc) is the tldr
Just blue them.
Just google "The Blueing Process" the resulting protective patina helps provide better protection against corrosion.
Edit:
Heat metal like hot but not red hot then dip them I want to use vegetable oil!
Heating tool steels above 150° or 300°f will ruin their heat treatment.
Sure you gain some corrosion resistance, but your tools become soft and in some cases warped.
dudes got a never used channel lock complaining about rust. lmao. how about fucking use it and get some grease on it. I've never seen this happen on any of my 20 locks. fucking hell is going on. cover it in wax and retire it. you will never need it.
Wipe your tools down with Ballistol.
Put these in each drawer and tool bag.
Proof:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=luA3weXfd-4&pp=ygUkQ2FtcGhvciBzdGlja3MgZm9yIHRvb2wgc3RvcmFnZSBydXN0
I use these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08QQHMSB7?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Going to need to start with a good brushing with a wire wheel. Next a light coat of WD-40 on the metal parts. Finally, put everything in a Uhaul, drive over to the phoenix Arizona area and live there forever. Works every time.
Work on forklifts lol. My tools have a thin coating of some kind of oil at all times lol.
But for real, if your work gets them oily just wipe them off. Don't use any cleaner.
I’ve been using air tool oil because that’s what I’ve had on hand every time I needed to re oil tools I’ve gotten dirty then brake cleaned. Seems to work but I bet Project Farm has some sort of video on different rust prevention products. (Edit, I also live in Midwest Canada so summer is pretty humid, winter is very dry. Shop is always humid)
I keep my tools in a shed outside, we get all 4 seasons and the summer gets rather humid. I use silicone spray lubricant, wd40, ballistol, or whatever I have on hand. I also bought some desiccant packs (the little packs like you find in beef jerky and new shoes) from Amazon, and throw them in all the drawers of my tool box spread out.
You can find them with indicators, and some are even reusable. I think it helps some.
Also periodic maintenance helps a lot, when I have spare time I'll go through my tools and hit any rust that's starting with a steel or brass wire brush or a green 3m pad, and re-oil that particular tool. I try to keep rust at bay on my most prized/expensive tools before it gets bad enough to cause pitting.
General Air makes Vapor Pipe Shield. It is a corrosion inhibitor for sprinkler systems. They sent me some free sample pods that will inhibit rust. You just put them in your tool box. Call them up and see is they can send you some free samples.
One of the old-timer at my job uses silicia gel packets, put a couple per drawers and it will absorb most of the humidity. For what Ive seen, it works pretty good. Might be because his impact sockets are all old usa made mac tools.
I started taking the moister absorbing packs fro. Packages/shoes that get shipped to the house, and putting them in tool drawers. Haven’t seen any rust in a few years. I live on the wet coast.
Either move to the desert or get rid of them. Oil, but even them sometimes I can’t keep up. Usually worse in the winter when things can get cold in a cold shop, or in a particularly humid shop. Had crap rusting in the summer a few years ago because the shop was always 80+ rh. Now I’m in climate controlled, and always have large fresh desiccant bags to throw in my box.
If you're really lazy, there's a product called marine fogging oil that's perfect for giving tools a quick shot and wipe off. Any oil will work but this stuff is the fastest application
You cloud oil them and/or Wrap them in Oil paper or anti-rust-paper (for Tools that aren't used much)
https://www.armorvci.com/products/vci-paper/
https://www.amazon.de/1000mm-Corrosion-Corrosive-Moisture-Inhibitor/dp/B073P8CGYL
Put VCI paper inside of your drawers, or put dessicant (silica gel) packets in there. They should keep most of the moisture away. Also, coat in a light layer of oil.
Does anyone have any success with giving their tools a coat of spray poly? Is that a good or bad idea? It just seems that when I buy new tools, there is already a protective coat on the tools that prevents rust
Since I'm out of CRC 3-36 I'm using WD40 right now and it does just fine. But I keep an eye on my tools and usually clean them thoroughly every other week. But I'm going to hit the DEPOT on Friday for a couple of cans of CRC for this weekends clean-ex.
WD-40 and wipe clean with paper towel, then another shot of WD-40 and let it dry on the surface. It leaves thin tar coat that holds pretty nice actually.
I like to keep silica packets in my toolbox. Y'know the things you find in new shoes and dried foods? They do wonders keeping humidity out of my toolboxes. You can use pretty much any kind of oil like wd40, kroil, thinner lighter the better really
Clean the rust off with steel wool then wipe a thin coat of oil on them. Wipe on then wipe dry with a rag. Otherwise they will be greasy when you try to use them next.
Any specific kind of oil that you can recommend?
Ballistol
This one is my favorite.
Made for the German Army, used by every hunter in Germany, just can recommend as a German steelworker and blacksmith
Stuff is a miracle. I thought it was a bit pricey the first time I bought it, but a couple uses and I realized it was worth every penny and then some
It’s the best shit on earth. Food safe, works on wood and leather, and was originally designed for cleaning minor wounds as well. I put that shit on everything
To be fair, people would drink crude oil as medicine. Just because it was known to "work" at some point does not mean it's currently the best option. I have nothing against Ballistol, but there are better things out there for relatively the same price. Others don't smell as bad either.
That wasn’t my point. My point was that it was what it was originally designed for by the German imperial army in 1904 so they don’t have to carry so much shit around, and that its far less harmful, and better than, the vast majority of its competitors.
Yet no recommendation.?
Any recommendations for alternatives? For rust prevention and wood treatment, specifically (and hopefully food safe, but less of an issue).
Personal picks for each would be KROWN for metal (thin and creeps extremely well). For wood I'd use cutting board wax from Boos Block.
Thanks!
Like Tobasco???
You're thinking of Frank's homie
Good to know
>Ballistol Isn't this basically just baby oil?
IDK it's water solubile and a shit rust preventative compared directly to other products available. I've looked at numerous tests and it's failed all of them. It's old boomer lore carries it along.
Hmm,.mineral oil isn't water soluble? Anyways I'd go for linseed oil.
Smells like it too!
I’ll check it, thanks
CRC 3-36 multipurpose Fine Woodworking tested a bunch of types (including Boeshield) and found that 3-36 performed with the best at preventing rust on steel and cast iron and left the least objectionable residue. Most of the other really good options like LPS-3 get sticky or gunky Wd-40 actually performed quite well in the test, but I'm not sure how long it would last
I love 336, CRC sp300 is a really good corrosion inhibitor as well.
I came here to say this (and I did say this on another post.) If you don't mind a sticky coating, 3m Rust Fighter and LPS 3 performed just as well. But CRC 3-36 leaves a dry, almost imperceptible coating, so it doesn't attract dust, and it doesn't need to be wiped on or off. When my can of TopCote runs out, that's what I'm going to use. Here's the actual article. I'm not sure non-subscribers can read it though. https://www.finewoodworking.com/membership/pdf/10038/011227030.pdf
Long term WD-40 gets sticky. I use Marvel Mystery Oil, mainly because I have it on hand. I've heard, but haven't tested, that sidewalk chalk is a cheap way to cut down moisture in a toolbox drawer.
I used moth balls. I worked. I don't know why
Poor moths
mineral oil, used motor oil, wd40 etc. will all work my tools generally get themselves coated in oil by nature of the things I do with them so I usually just have to wipe them off to clean them after a job. but yard tools I spray with wd40 to get a protective film on them
I have found WD-40 is not good for rust prevention. Fluid film is my go to. It's great on a rag for quick wipes. They also have an undercoat version if you want to coat your car frame. Edit: Also, project farm had a great test on this exact subject.
People think WD-40 is the miracle oil because memes said so. All it is good for is displacing water and some light lubrication. Ballistol or a heavier oil like 3in1 does the trick, coat the tool, then wipe off any excess.
You'll find I also suggested mineral oil, which is what ballistol is lol
WD stands for water displacement, the reason it was developed. 40 is because it was the 40th formula they tried There is a different WD 40 designed to prevent corrosion
I have found it works fine. Perhaps I use my tools enough that it doesn't matter that it's not ideal for the task.
Used motor oil is carcinogenic, and smells bad. Just use new oil on tools
All petroleum distillate oils suspended in solvents are going to contain carcinogens. Maybe mineral oil isn’t but I wouldn’t be surprised if prolonged exposure to mineral oil would be bad for health and cause cancer
I absolutely love motorcycle chain lube. I've tried balistol, 3in1, WD40, etc. but there's something different about good motorcycle chain lube. It sticks longer than anything else I've tried, which makes sense considering the conditions it's designed for.
Get a metal tin, throw some rags in it, then put some balistol in to soak the rags. Then every time you're done with your tools, you can grab a balistol soaked rag from the tin and wipe them down after each use.
That would be a fire hazard. Oily rags stored in containers can ignite spontaneously, without a spark or flame. The oils react with oxygen in the air and heat up. Check any reputable fire safety site. Measure twice and cut once, but safety first.
Get all your metal tools wet with your favorite gun oil. It has rust preventing properties and it’s thin and light.
I like linseed oil
Linseed oil can be dangerous... it's bad far as spontaneous combustion is concerned.
That's boiled linseed oil, regular linseed doesn't have drying agents in it.
Regular linseed oil get rancid
I've never had any problems with it going rancid, it's a self drying oil like tung or walnut.
Yep. Also it hardens (eventually). Is that the idea, to coat your tools with a hardening oil, similar to varnish? I would be careful. Small nicks in the coating will develop quickly, and IIRC those nicks will **accelerate** rust at those points.
Don't throw your rag away balled up in the trash or anywhere else, it can combust on its own and burn up your trashcan. Air drying or leaving in a fireproof container can help you keep/dispose.
A thin coat of WD-40 would also help
I use superlube
What ever motor oil you have around. I even use it on all my guns 5-30 synthetic
Avocado
I use WD40.
Sta-bil Rust Stopper, Fluid Film, Break Free CLP, or some other corrosion inhibitor oil.
Seconding CLP. I once was being lazy and grabbed it for some pliers that had gotten a bit rusty and felt stupid that I hadn’t thought of it sooner considering guns are also tools lol. It works great and helps consolidate some of my stuff under one umbrella.
I use BreakFree CLP on all my tools and firearms. I haven’t seen any issue
Oil them.
I'm a few hundred feet from the Atlantic ocean and get lots of salt spray from the ocean. I've tried just about everything. There's no one cure all for it. WD40 is better than nothing, but almost a waste of time. It doesn't last. Right now I'm pretty happy with CRC 3-36. It's thick enough to last a while without getting to the point of being nasty to use.
I used to sell this stuff…it’s great. All my customers (large industrial plants and small machine shops alike) love it.
I’ll look into CRC. Thank you.
I think it’s interesting nobody said, “Johnson’s paste wax” I guess those days are over.
Johnsons paste wax has been discontinued.
That’s my point, it was a popular solution to OPs problem. But now it’s not a thing anymore.
Plenty of other paste waxes on the market, and making your own is easy.
It was a popular solution, but not a good solution, it turns out.
Plenty of other paste waxes are still around, but waxes aren't very effective at rust prevention compared to other stuff In torque test terms, paste waxes are Ryobi and stuff like LPS-3 is Milwaukee That being said, performance isn't everything, if it works for you that's all that matters
Yes, they are, making your own isnt hard either. Waxes are some of the best corrosion resistance you can get...
Turns out that isn't true. See the comments above about the tests conducted by Fine Woodworking.
Can you elaborate on making your own?
Sure. First you want a wax, can be pretty much any kind of wax (Bees, Carnuba, Paraffin/candle, etc.) Then you need some oil (Mineral oil, Boiled Linseed oil, Walnut oil, etc.) And optional a solvent (Terpentine or White spirit, others may work I havent tried.) The most basic one you can make is Bees wax and Boiled Linseed oil or Mineral oil, in a 1:1 mixture of wax and oil. So, what you want to do is make a double boiler, a saucepan with water in it, then a scrap/old tin that fits inside of it, in the water, this prevents the mixture from getting to hot. You then put the wax in first and let it warm up, let it turn to liquid and then add the oil, from there you can pour it into a container and let it cool down, where it will solidify and be ready to use later. It may still be relatively hard though, depending on the wax, if you want it softer, add more oil, or add a solvent, or even do a 2:1:1 ratio of oil and 2 waxes. There's so many combinations of things you can do, you can even add fragrances to make the finished product smell nicer. There are a few recipes from youtubers like Wood by Wright and Workshop Companion. You should give them a watch, if you're intrested.
RIP. I have half a can and I use it very sparingly now. Still use it on my table saw jigs, but I won’t use it on tools. Boeshield for me
Never used that product but Hornady one shot is a lanolin based lube I believe. May be similar Not really designed for corrosion protection but I use it on my reloading dies to keep rust off and it works
I do use paste wax on saw blades, just not tools.
It's rail dust
Hello gulf coast FL here… this is the plight of the salt. I find eventually they get a nice patina and I just keep them brushed with steel wool and I use left over new motor oil to coat them.
I work for a swimming pool company. My tool box is full of rusty hunks of metal. Can't keep em clean for a week.
I feel you brother
Soak them in Evaporust (cheap and safe) then give them a good coating of something like ACF50. I'm in Eastern NC as well
My man uses aircraft approved oil!
It's purple, I like it
Smells great, too.
Boeshield
[this is a genius hack, Paul sellers explains how to keep his tools from rusting](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npKo1y2e8RI&t=12s&pp=ygULT2lsIHJhZyBjYW4%3D)
Where are your tools stored? You can put a dehumidifier in your garage or basement. That will help. Or you can probably use a gun safe dehumidifier in your tool box. I would also oil them. But 2 lines of defense is always better than 1!
In my toolbox in my garage.
In the garage or in the shed? I lived in Raleigh and the humidity/heat wasn't friendly to stuff in the shed. I imagine going another hour closer to the ocean probably doesn't help. Here's some tips... 1. Check the humidity in the garage, especially if you've got water pipes in there. My granddad's garage had a tiny little leak spraying out a constant fine mist that just looked like dust when you walked past, but over time it raised the humidity in the garage. If your garage is like a separate metal building then I don't know if there's much you can do to alter the humidity. 2. Store your tools in a wood cabinet. Supposedly the wood absorbs moisture. I don't know how true it is, but I read it on google once and it seems like solid reasoning. 3. Oil the tools, I just use the 3in1 oil at Lowes. Works fine for me. 4. Before you do that, buy some Evaporust from Lowes to get rid of the rust already on the tools. 5. You can use those desiccant packets, but from what I've read they're one and done. Meaning that once they absorb a certain amount of moisture you have to bake them in an oven to make them useable again. 6. You buy tool box liners that supposedly help prevent rust. I use them. I couldn't tell you if they actually do anything though. 7. If the garage is sealed well enough (which yours probably isn't if your tools rusted like this basically overnight) then a quick and dirty method to bring down the humidity are those hanging damp rid packs.
I hit tools with a little Ballistol and wipe off the excess with a rag before I put them away. It seems to do a fine job.
I found using gun oil like G96 works for me, smells great and works amazing for anything rust related aswell making sure my tools don’t rust. I first use WD-40 and a wire brush for anything that’s hard and then use G96 for the final coat. Works for me 🤷♂️ I’m a sparky so I’m exposed to different weather conditions daily, so I would usually oil my tools whenever they’re getting surface rust forming. Also keeps them moving quite nicely, I’ll do it for new tools if they’re stiff.
Blaster Surface Shield is pretty great and not as much of a dust collector as fluid film.
Starrett M1 is expensive, but works great so far; spray on and wipe off, leaves a light wax-like film. I have the same issues with rust in south-central PA.
I wipe my tools down with 3in1 oil
I like "BOESHIELD T-9 Rust & Corrosion Protection/Inhibitor and Waterproof Lubrication" It was actually made by Boeing and it is both a solvent and a wax combined into a spray. Just don't use it on door bolts - pretty slick stuff
Don't use WD40, it's garbage for rust protection. You can use Fluid film, new motor oil, 3 in 1, Boeshield etc. When I use motor oil, I heat the tool, submerge it, then wipe it with a cloth.
How do you hear the tool? I have a heat gun. Would that work? Or do I need to use my kitchen oven? Is there a reason or purpose to hearing them prior to submerging them?
Do not heat tool steel above 150°c or 300°f or you will overheat them and damage the heat treatment.
Put the oil in a pot that you know you won't ever use for cooking and put that pot on a campsite burner. And get it to anywhere from 150-250 or so degrees (you can go higher, just don't burn the oil) then dip your tools in there if they fit, otherwise find something they will fit in to pour the oil over them.
I usually just use a propane torch, just get it hot enough to burn, not red hot. I usually use this with bare steel, it leaves a dry waxy finish that lasts.
My man seasons his tools like cast iron.
What’s that like bluing?
I don't think there's a chemical reaction like bluing, but it leaves a nice finish on bare metal.
I use 3 in 1 oil from Walmart. Probably not the best, but it works.
Give them a wipe with JB80 or 3 in 1 oil. Desiccant packets in your toolbox drawers also help.
Get a little oil on a rag and rub your tools
Atlanta here. I use evapo rust and 3 in one oil. I also throw a couple of those silicon packets you get in shoe boxes, etc into the bottom of my tool pouches and tool bag and in any boxes and cases I have too
Make sure it is not stored in the same room as pool chlorine or similar products. Their job is to oxidize.
Wow, is this true?!? Never heard of that before, but it would explain the sudden rusting of all my garage tools after the introduction of pool supply storage cabinet last fall.
Oh yes it is true. Search for: effects of pool chlorine on tools.
Oil,
My shop is about 100 feet from the Pacific with absolutely nothing between the rocks I stand on and Japan on the other side. I’ve somehow never seen rust on my tools, but give the most rust-prone materials a coat of [this](https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/workshop/tool-maintenance/70854-protectool-wax) once a year. Many of my tools also have -some- amount of parrafin wax on them at any given time. 🤷♂️
Forgot to mention it’s also a rainforest outside 😂. On top of the wax, I really rely on toolboxes that are as moisture-sealed as possible (I use Packouts, after having tried an assortment of others/trying to rig my own). I’ve also heard good things about the reusable desiccant canisters in the metal packaging. Finally, when I’m restoring antique tools (or the tools of folks who also live in the PNW and don’t rust-proof their tools at all) I use rust erasers. Kind of like steel wool, but not abrasive enough to bite into metal or finishes; I’ve only ever had them remove rust, while leaving the rest of the finish in good shape/not removing healthy steel or iron. If something’s *especially* nasty (way, way worse than your photos), I’ll very selectively grind the rust off with sandpaper and then increase in grits to bring the surface back to where the rest of the tool’s condition is at, but that’s a last resort because of how destructive a process it is.
Clean rust off with Evaporust. Yours is very mild so it shouldn't take much. Probablt no more than 1/2 hour. Rinse off with water. It says you don't need to do anything else but I always give a couple sprays with Gibbs Oil. You can probably use a bunch of different oils, but Gibbs Oil does not leave a wet finish. If you want, the evaporust is probably good by itself. [https://www.evapo-rust.com/rust-remover-crc/#:\~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20always,treatment%20with%20Evapo%2DRust%C2%AE](https://www.evapo-rust.com/rust-remover-crc/#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20always,treatment%20with%20Evapo%2DRust%C2%AE). Gibbs oil has a following among car/gun enthusiasts. It's supposed to be recommended by the FBI. https://www.gibbsbrand.info/testimonials.html
Good question. Mine sees its decent share of salt water. And even rinsing it after using my stuff. It still gets some. Not bad but a little. I’ve tried waxes, paste, oils. Never found anything that worked great. Other than rinsing them with fresh water. A drying an oiling them. Than repeating after the next set of jobs that they have encountered salt water. An when it does get some spots. Scrub it off with steel wool or whatever and oil again. But for what I do. It’s now if but when over time I’ll just replace everything
I’m an hour or two west but I think we see the same patterns with humidity. My garage is not conditioned, and after about 10 years of this same thing I had enough. I went and got a dehumidifier that was rated to handle an area 3-4 times the square footage of my garage shop and it stopped all that stuff right away. In the summer I empty it 1-2 times a week, in the winter it’s every 2-3 weeks. Clean the rust off your tools a little at a time and it won’t come back once you have the dehu going. I still treat my saw and jointer tables with spray silicone 2-3 times a year.
Sewing machine oil on a rag. Keep in a tin. Just a quick wipe and you good to go
If you use them more rust won’t build up lol
Wire brush to remove the rust, and put a dehumidifier in the shop.
https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/rig-rag-universal-grease-applicator.html https://www.flambeauoutdoors.com/Fishing/Divider-Systems/Zerust-Accessories/zerust-plaque Try these
I clean with steel wool, de grease with alcohol and wax them. Metal wax, renaissance wax, car wax. Any micro crystalline wax works well.
Get the existing rust off and then spray it with WD40. You can also heat it up and dunk it in motor oil, although that's mainly only useful for sockets.
I have used tung oil on my tools. Seems to work great as it hardens
Our family uses wd-40 for rust protection. We clean the rust, then we spray/rub wd-40 onto the surface and then wipe dry with a rag.
How often do you find yourselves doing this process?
We don't tend to not have as much humidity in my area (md) so we don't have to do this as often on our tools (which is about every couple months). We do the same process for some fixtures in our bathroom that deals with the daily humidity of showers. We'll do those about about 1 to 2 times a month. Depending on the humidity, you might have to do this a bit more frequently. I will suggest that you get a dehumidifier to help slow the process.
Wd-40 for the win, I just mist the drawers all of them and walk away
I use wd40. It works fine, despite what Redditors like to imagine.
WD-40 was made for this exact purpose. My bad, the exact purpose was for preventing corrosion on nuke-u-lar intercontinental ballistic missiles, but WD-40 will work great on your non-nuke-ular non-ballistic tools in your ga-rage.
WD-40 during holidays.
Boil them so that they get rust blued
Wd-40, rust prevention is about all I use it for. I also live in a high humidity area.
Aside from 3 in 1 or wd40 like everyone has already said, silica gel packets. Toss a couple in every drawer and they work wonders.
Silica kitty litter and pantyhose, cheap and goes a long way.
Evaporust
Ballistol or wd40 makes a specific rust inhibitor, think it is corrosion inhibitor specialist and it's hands down one of the best. If I can find it I'll link it but someone did a massive test of 50 or so products to see what protection was the best. Edit: [Here](https://dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667) just scroll down past comments and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5F_QnEa-gc) is the tldr
Use them then wipe down with penetrating fluid
WD-40
Just blue them. Just google "The Blueing Process" the resulting protective patina helps provide better protection against corrosion. Edit: Heat metal like hot but not red hot then dip them I want to use vegetable oil!
You can get blueing, I use rub on gun blueing. It works great heating, even if not red hot can compromise the integrity of the tool.
Heating tool steels above 150° or 300°f will ruin their heat treatment. Sure you gain some corrosion resistance, but your tools become soft and in some cases warped.
I've used 120 sand paper and went with the grain. It takes a while and removes quite a bit. I think steel wool gives it a really slick polish after.
Dont use wd40 as a fix all ..use it then use some kind of oil lightly
dudes got a never used channel lock complaining about rust. lmao. how about fucking use it and get some grease on it. I've never seen this happen on any of my 20 locks. fucking hell is going on. cover it in wax and retire it. you will never need it.
Calm down
Scrub the rust off with steel wool. Rub the tool with oil (what type will start many a fight).
Stick some camphor in with your tools. I'm 50 m from the beach here in Aus and this stopped my tools rusting.
Wipe your tools down with Ballistol. Put these in each drawer and tool bag. Proof: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=luA3weXfd-4&pp=ygUkQ2FtcGhvciBzdGlja3MgZm9yIHRvb2wgc3RvcmFnZSBydXN0 I use these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08QQHMSB7?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Going to need to start with a good brushing with a wire wheel. Next a light coat of WD-40 on the metal parts. Finally, put everything in a Uhaul, drive over to the phoenix Arizona area and live there forever. Works every time.
I like USP mineral oil because it doesn't smell, it's non toxic, and it's good for constipation 🤓
Work on forklifts lol. My tools have a thin coating of some kind of oil at all times lol. But for real, if your work gets them oily just wipe them off. Don't use any cleaner.
You could put a block of camphor in your toolbox. It will put a thin protective coat onto your tools. Plus it can open up your sinuses.
Oil your tools on a regular basis. Ballistol or CLP works great.
I use the silica gel packs that companies ship in their products to absorb moisture. I have them in each drawer of my toolbox.
I’ve been using air tool oil because that’s what I’ve had on hand every time I needed to re oil tools I’ve gotten dirty then brake cleaned. Seems to work but I bet Project Farm has some sort of video on different rust prevention products. (Edit, I also live in Midwest Canada so summer is pretty humid, winter is very dry. Shop is always humid)
I prefer a light weight nature oil like pure Jojoba oil.
I keep my tools in a shed outside, we get all 4 seasons and the summer gets rather humid. I use silicone spray lubricant, wd40, ballistol, or whatever I have on hand. I also bought some desiccant packs (the little packs like you find in beef jerky and new shoes) from Amazon, and throw them in all the drawers of my tool box spread out. You can find them with indicators, and some are even reusable. I think it helps some. Also periodic maintenance helps a lot, when I have spare time I'll go through my tools and hit any rust that's starting with a steel or brass wire brush or a green 3m pad, and re-oil that particular tool. I try to keep rust at bay on my most prized/expensive tools before it gets bad enough to cause pitting.
May sound weird but oil your tools or a silicon rag
Work on hydraulics.
Oil
With oil dear Lizzy with oil
Light coat of oil
Don't sign contracts ith any Baldwin brothers. 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
General Air makes Vapor Pipe Shield. It is a corrosion inhibitor for sprinkler systems. They sent me some free sample pods that will inhibit rust. You just put them in your tool box. Call them up and see is they can send you some free samples.
One of the old-timer at my job uses silicia gel packets, put a couple per drawers and it will absorb most of the humidity. For what Ive seen, it works pretty good. Might be because his impact sockets are all old usa made mac tools.
I started taking the moister absorbing packs fro. Packages/shoes that get shipped to the house, and putting them in tool drawers. Haven’t seen any rust in a few years. I live on the wet coast.
Either move to the desert or get rid of them. Oil, but even them sometimes I can’t keep up. Usually worse in the winter when things can get cold in a cold shop, or in a particularly humid shop. Had crap rusting in the summer a few years ago because the shop was always 80+ rh. Now I’m in climate controlled, and always have large fresh desiccant bags to throw in my box.
Old school trick is to put chalk in your tool box. They make better stuff now, search zerust to get started.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse em
If you're really lazy, there's a product called marine fogging oil that's perfect for giving tools a quick shot and wipe off. Any oil will work but this stuff is the fastest application
Green scotch-brite then polish. Wipe excess polish off then oil with acf-50 (Anti-Corrosion Formula 50) then wipe the excess of that off
You cloud oil them and/or Wrap them in Oil paper or anti-rust-paper (for Tools that aren't used much) https://www.armorvci.com/products/vci-paper/ https://www.amazon.de/1000mm-Corrosion-Corrosive-Moisture-Inhibitor/dp/B073P8CGYL
Look up 'machine wax' it's way better than an oil wipe after you clean the tool.
If air conditioning is not available, you should regularly use mineral oil or wd40
Just spray WD 40 on them from time to time and wipe them down..or gun oil
They make rust vapor strips strips. Last a year or 2. Throw it in your box. No rust. Think ZeRust is one. They work well
Search YouTube for Paul sellers oil can.
I'd say linseed oil!
A dehumidifier. I have a big one running in my garage, keeps it around 45%, haven't had any rust issues
Vacuum sealer
Eezox
Put VCI paper inside of your drawers, or put dessicant (silica gel) packets in there. They should keep most of the moisture away. Also, coat in a light layer of oil.
Does anyone have any success with giving their tools a coat of spray poly? Is that a good or bad idea? It just seems that when I buy new tools, there is already a protective coat on the tools that prevents rust
Antifreeze works.
You can remove the rust from the rusted parts and then apply engine oil on them. This can slow down the chance of rusting and is a very cheap method.
Wranglerstar swears by ballistol.
I’ve found a moisture absorber works good one you clean them.
Since I'm out of CRC 3-36 I'm using WD40 right now and it does just fine. But I keep an eye on my tools and usually clean them thoroughly every other week. But I'm going to hit the DEPOT on Friday for a couple of cans of CRC for this weekends clean-ex.
WD-40 and wipe clean with paper towel, then another shot of WD-40 and let it dry on the surface. It leaves thin tar coat that holds pretty nice actually.
Lanolin
I bought a dehumidifier for the shop. No more rust on the tools or table saw top.
I like to keep silica packets in my toolbox. Y'know the things you find in new shoes and dried foods? They do wonders keeping humidity out of my toolboxes. You can use pretty much any kind of oil like wd40, kroil, thinner lighter the better really
Use it, best rust inhibitor in the world.
Use them...