Long Term Preservation of Tools

[WingoParticipant @wingo]

Due to my son in laws unfortunate death I am looking to preserve some of the woodworking tools he had for his son. As he is currently 2 years old it will be some time before he may be interested. Some of the tools have a certain amount of rust and will need cleaning first.

What would the forum members suggest as the best method of long term preservation?

Current garage location is not very dry so layers of protect will be required.

Michael

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

Tygris green guard and cling film. 😉

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Clear Waxoyle, diluted with white spirit, maybe only 25% spirit as it is going to be long term. Can be brushed on easily and allowed to dry outside because of the fumes.

Another possibility is soft wax that is used in the 7-day candles burned in front of saints’ statues in your local church. There is always a bit left in the bottom of the plastic tube they burn in. This is better than regular candle wax which being more brittle may chip off.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Rocol moisture guard spray..   It isn’t cheap but it works and we used it to treat Rolls Royce engine spares for long-time storage. spray and put in a plastic bag and then box it to prevent other damage not forgeting to lable contents inside.

David

[Mark EasingwoodParticipant @markeasingwood33578]

Arc Euro Trade, and other, sell a military spec product called, “Metal Guard” I think, which is just brushed onto metal before storage. Old school method was to wipe over with Linseed oil, good for the un-varnished wooden parts.

A relatively air tight plastic box, is a good idea, as they should help to stop sudden temperature swings, and should keep woody woodworm out of any wooden handles! Avoid any cardboard boxes, as they seem to attract any moisture, then any metal in contact with them soon rusts, and pits the suface.

Mark.

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Per our understanding, MetalGuard is generally good for about two years after application, provided the metal surface is not touched by bare hands (rusty fingers) after treatment. In museums, VCI inhibitors (vapour phase inhibitors) are used in display cabinets. For long term storage protection, you may wish to consider VCI impregnated paper or similar and wrap the tools in them. After handling any VCI based product do wash your hands thoroughly.

Ketan at ARC

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

Personally I would stay well clear of any type of paper or card for long term storage. I have seen countless tools ruined from even waxed paper!! As Mark above says, card and paper seem to attract moisture.

VCI is ok to leave in a drawer or box WITH your tools but don’t wrap them in it. If your tools condensate, paper will hold the moisture against the untreated metal. Tygris or Rocol green guard and either cling film or a plastic box is the way to go.

I’ve just moved home and I’ve had some of my stuff in storage for nearly 10 years. Some of which was in a shipping container, which are well known for condensating inside. Everything treated with green guard and boxed in plastic survived rust free!

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

Another good, but not low cost, product is LPS 3 heavy duty rust inhibitor. Good for non-ferrous too. They say it is good for 2 years but in practice it’s much longer. It’s available as liquid or aerosol. After application leave for a day or too to let the solvent flash off then place the item in a plastic bag. Available from lots of suppliers.
For containers I use Really Useful Boxes. Thse are HDPE and much thicker than the cheaper ones. No or minimal plasticisers so they don’t get brittle with age. Well worth the extra cost. Most Homebase stores carry them which save postage costs.

A lot of what I store is electronic equipment with plastic and rubber parts. A particular problem with these is mould growth. Often this is from skin oils (you can see finger prints) rather than the plasitic but the acids the mould produces causes corrosion.
I now wipe all leads and plastic surfaces of used acquisitions with antibacterial wet wipes containing Benzalkonium Chloride and let them dry natually.

[JAParticipant @ja]

The vapour in VCI paper attacks brass. Not badly but after about a year the brass is green. The green can be polished off and there is no damage.

After getting fed up with this I phoned the company that made the paper (their phone number was printed on the paper) and had a pleasant chat with their advice centre. They pointed out the paper was unsuitable for use with copper alloys (I had bought a few sheets at a show) and recommended the use of their plastic protection bags. I bought a box of bags which have been very useful.

It sould be remembered that wood corrodes metals, some woods more than others.

Follow David George’s advice and label everything. I also put the date on labels.

JA

 

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Most precision tools were usually in wooden boxes, it all depends on the variety of wood, Oak is particularly bad as it gives off tannic acid but is ok if sealed. I use cellulose sanding sealer on my boxes that are made of oak and so far tools are ok!

[Chris MateParticipant @chrismate31303]

I have tried a few things, but end up doing the following:
I use 62 oil and put in plastic bags(M-Tapers etc) it seems to work good, you quickly get used to work with it this way.. Larger stuff oil & plastic containers various sizes, Mill Lathe covered with motircycle cover, keep dust out. Its easier to clean off oil before use than to see a part/tool scored by rust/dirt.
Used 62 hidrolic oil easily available for me. Some of the smaller stuff in plastic bags can add up to be expensive.
The larger the equipment some other methods as explained.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Don’t cover a lathe or large item with plastic. It condenses and traps water which drips down on the tool even if oiled. Use a breathable fabric, preferably cotton or wool not synthetic. I wonder how a builder’s fabric like Tyvek or gardener’s anti frost fleece would work though both are man made fibre.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

I currently use an old shower curtain as a lathe cover – the woven type, not the solid plastic sheet – and haven’t had any problems as yet. Although I’m lucky in that the garage is farly condensation free. Prior to that, in a damper building, I used a cotton sheet as Bazyle suggests, which worked well.

For storage of smaller tools, I wipe them over with clean oil – Browning Legia gun oil from a failed aerosol – and rub off excess with fingers, or for little-used stuff, a smear of Vaseline and a cling-film wrap.

Rob

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

I give my tools a wipe over with 100% pure lanolin.

Benefits of Lanolin for Rust Protection

DAX Super Lanolin

 

Phil

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

After application of potions, pack dry, ideally with some hygroscopic capsules, sealing in bags inside sealed boxes, inside more sealed boxes, plus wadding to protect against bumps and bashes.     The military go 3-deep or 4-deep, but that’s overkill for tools stored in a dry UK workshop.

Note the emphasis on sealing:  as the temperature cycles naturally day/night, summer/winter over several years, even a tiny hole will admit damp air that dumps water inside the package.  Most materials are full of holes compared to the size of a water molecule, about 280 picometres.  Also avoid materials like wood and paper unless known to be acid-free, or anything else that might fume inside the package.

Fairly easy to protect tools for several months, much harder to keep them good for 20 years or longer, especially in a damp, poorly insulated building.   The military often store their elaborately packaged stuff in air-conditioned warehouses, expense no object!

What a sad job to have to do.  Puts my troubles into perspective.

Dave

[WingoParticipant @wingo]

Thanks for everyone’s replies and suggestions.

Just need to set to and do it now.

Michael

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