Rustless Tool Storage ?

[SvenG]

There is nothing as useful as a good tool in good condition when maintenance is needed.

Our tools (that we will bring with us) include a walking foot sewing machine, hand planers, chisels, a small router, etc., all subject to rust which could make them unusable.

The first question is obviously how to reduce the inventory so they will fit on-board. Let's assume we conquer that painful point in time.

How do you keep the salty air from rendering them useless ?

My thought is to use desiccant in vacuum packed bags between uses. The desiccant being refreshed by oven heating between tool usage. Add some light oil before storage. The Sailrite walking foot sewing machine won't fit in a vacuum bag, so what do we do with it, just desiccant in a plastic bag ?

What would make my plan better ? Wiping down with baby-wipes before storage, spraying with WD40 or ... ?

Thanks,



-Sven

[Stillraining]

Boeshield T-9 would be lots better..it leaves a very thin coating like a cosmoline would but not so bad.

By the way I checked out your website ...impressive stuff!

[maxingout]

We have controlled corrosion using WD40 on some items and Boeshield T9 on other items. On electrical items, I tend to use the Boeshield, and on tools in general, I use WD40. I am happy with the results using both.

[David M]

Spray them and store them in a Pelican Case.

[Canibul]

WD 40 is more of a solvent, or water dispersal concoction. Their marketing is a bit of a hype, in my opinion. It rearranges grease, as a solvent would. It doesnt add much. After testing a variety of rust preventive and treatment here over the past five years, I find I use very little WD 40 any more. It doesn't do really much to protect metal from rusting.

'Corrosion X' seems to work a whole lot better from what I have seen. I have heard the Boeshield is good, too.

[puffin-billy]

I use bike lube, purchased from Mountain Bike Shops. Its a great grade, is organic, and tough as old boots.

[Kefaa]

Bike lube is a new one for me. You may also want to look here:http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ols-28945.html for a similar thread.

Having said that, I don't want to kill this thread as new ideas (like Bike Lube) can come up.

[klem]

I make sure that all of the tools have a very thin layer of heavy grease on them (it is usually unintentionally applied). Certain things like sewing needles I actually store in an old mink oil tin.

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by klem

Certain things like sewing needles I actually store in an old mink oil tin.

Squeezing oil out of my superior half's mink sounds like a losing proposition but the general idea sounds great !


-Sven

[Zephyr's Aura]

I use CorrosionX It works great and won't hurt electronics or electric motors. It has a slightly oily feel but wipes off easily when needed. Cleans the grease off the tools pretty good too. I use a plastic tool box with a gasket for my hand tools that I use regularly. The tools I use once and a while I vacuum bag.

Tim

[Fishman_Tx]

Mineral oil. No smell, non-toxic, no staining.

[barnakiel]

First, keep your stuff in tight containers that do not allow moisture in (and keep these containers in a dry place in the boat). Second, spray what can be sprayed.

Some stuff likes to get rusty no matter what, esp. if made from tool steel (e.g. parts of the sewing machine).

b.

[hellosailor]

Pack 'em in Cosmoline.<G>

Wax, spray wax, grease, BoeShield...there are many products sold and used to apply a coating (thick or thin, durable or unobstrusive) to prevent corrosion. Look for a gunsmithing supply (Midway USA, Brownell's, etc.) and you can find rust-block tabs, made by 3M and others, that look like a beeswax postage stamp, more or less. You toss a few in among the tools, and they sublimate a coating onto everything and block rust. When they sublimate away, you replace them.
Or you can use mothballs IF the toolbox, etc. is fairly well sealed. Mothballs work the same way, that's why the navies use very large blocks to literally "mothball" ships. The problem is, para mothballs are somewhat unhealthy to breath and most folks don't like the smell, so you only want to use them in something like a tightly closed toolbox. But for that purpose--they're great.

[knottybuoyz]

Here's another thread where we discussed various options....

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...s-28945-3.html