Preventing Rust

[Simon Barnard 4Participant @simonbarnard4]

Another vote for Camellia Oil – I've used it for a while now, very good

[Simon Barnard 4Participant @simonbarnard4]

Another thought is to run a small (7 watt) light bulb in base of tool box. Keeps stuff warm enough that condensation not an issue.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

You may have noticed that when you buy a hammer these days they are coated in varnish, not only this but it seems to last a very long time without rusting, I have used mine to hammer thousands of nails and tacks into place and it's still going strong with only a smidgeon of rust where repetitive beating has worn away any coating.

I am in the process of using rustoleum spray varnish, designed for all surfaces, to coat any part of a metal body that has non moving/contact pieces. It seems to be working very well with thin coats built up to a strong finish not to mention very shiny.

I will post pictures of the results, I have some extremely rusty things that need coating. My first is the 3 jaw chuck, the jaws are not done for reasons said above, they don't tend to be the culprit anyway and a coating of wax or oil would do just fine.

Like all tools, it's not going to be used on everything. Just large areas that require constant upkeep and just "sits there" so to speak, without having contact on moving parts.

I have 2 machine vices, a faceplate and four jaw to do.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 16/02/2017 14:30:54

[Martin 100Participant @martin100]

Posted by Simon Barnard 4 on 16/02/2017 13:52:49:

Another thought is to run a small (7 watt) light bulb in base of tool box. Keeps stuff warm enough that condensation not an issue.

7W might not sound a lot but run continuously over a year at 13p /kWh that is 61.32kWh or £7.97 in electricity or very nearly one sheet of 25mm thick 2400 x 1200 polystyrene insulation

[Mark EisenParticipant @markeisen61287]

Posted by Paul Lousick on 14/02/2017 08:19:11:

Thanks for the feedback.

What is Camelia oil made from ? I live in Australia and shipment from ARC would be too expensivs. Would like to fine a similar product from a local supplier.

Paul.

I bought some from Carbatec, by memory it was about $30.00 for about 240 mls.

 

[Mark EisenParticipant @markeisen61287]

Posted by Paul Lousick on 14/02/2017 08:19:11:

Thanks for the feedback.

What is Camelia oil made from ? I live in Australia and shipment from ARC would be too expensivs. Would like to fine a similar product from a local supplier.

Paul.

I bought some from Carbatec, by memory it was about $30.00 for about 240 mls.

 

[Mark EisenParticipant @markeisen61287]

Posted by Paul Lousick on 14/02/2017 08:19:11:

Thanks for the feedback.

What is Camelia oil made from ? I live in Australia and shipment from ARC would be too expensivs. Would like to fine a similar product from a local supplier.

Paul.

I bought some from Carbatec, by memory it was about $30.00 for about 240 mls.

 

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

This thread begs the question whether any of these oils actually have a rust inhibiting action – as in containing a reducing agent – or whether they merely act as a barrier to oxygen with or without some other effect such as particularly good coating properties i.e surface tension correct to give an even film without breakup of that film and stable enough not to evaporate or degrade in air.

The family of camelias includes the ornamentals but of course tea is camelia sinensis and that plant would be my guess as the likely source of oil extraction. If memory serves, green leaves are fermented and cooked to give the leaves the taste we expect.

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Vic on 16/02/2017 11:39:16:

As for WD40, I sprayed the table on my old milling machine many years ago to stop it going rusty. A week later I went out into the workshop and it was covered in rust! Not something I will ever repeat. WD40 has its uses but stopping rust doesn't appear to be one of them!

WD40 is pretty useless for pretty much everything in my experience!

It only has around 5% lubricant content, so isn't much use a a lubricant, or a rust preventative.

In another rust proofing thread someone mentioned that it is also hygroscopic – that will spark off a debate!

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Gordon W on 16/02/2017 11:53:42:

I would like to understand why some people have had bad experiences with WD40. I've been using it for many years with good results. The only thing it is not good at is as a release agent, but better than nothing. When the roof blew off my w/shop a couple of winters ago just about the first thing I got was a gallon of WD40, sprayed everything in sight. After a c lean up sprayed inside the drawers and cupboards where measuring instruments etc. kept. Now very little trouble, some staining, some rust here and there but easily wiped off. Lanolin is good, I buy it for cracked skin and found by chance it is a good rust protector. Difficult to find as pure grease, because of the anthrax. Got mine as "heat treated" from the land of the sheep Australia. Any thin oil will work for stuff in use.

Pick a use you use WD40 for, and almost certainly there will be another product that will do the job better.

WD40 – jack of all trades, master of none…….

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by pgk pgk on 17/02/2017 10:15:01:

The family of camelias includes the ornamentals but of course tea is camelia sinensis and that plant would be my guess as the likely source of oil extraction. If memory serves, green leaves are fermented and cooked to give the leaves the taste we expect.

No it's a related plant, see my post on the previous page.

Neil

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

When I started work an old joiner was oiling his tools,he said that to make sure that the oil stayed on the surface I was to use long oil.This he described as any oil that pinched between finger and thumb had a long drip.Because of this information I use chain saw oil.

Frank

[NIALL HORNParticipant @niallhorn50878]

WD40 was designed as a water-displacing fluid not as a lubricant or long-term preservative (see the wikipedia entry) . For long-term protection I have found Finnigan's Waxoil very good; at UK temperatures it usually needs thinning slightly with white spirit for brushing or spraying. Of course, you need a solvent to get it off again!

Niall

[mark smith 20Participant @marksmith20]

camellia oil is extracted from seeds of the tea plant .

Correction: no its not its from Camellia oleifera, also Japonica as Neil suggested previously and also a few others including the tea plant. I would guess that a lot of the commercial grade oils are a mixture of several sources

Edited By mark smith 20 on 17/02/2017 11:33:25

Edited By mark smith 20 on 17/02/2017 11:35:52

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

Surely the water-displacement properties of WD40 are the point ? If there is no water then no rust? I would not expect long-term rust protection without slathering with oil or grease. It's good enough for a year and relatively cheap.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

+1 for Niall's suggestion of diluted clear Waxoyl for all machine tools and stock steel protection. It can be diluted down so that after the white spirit has evaporated it has jut a hint of tackiness like a post-it.

However for woodworking tools and things I touch like handles I use beeswax as it is firm enough to stay in place, does not harm or stain wood as it rubs off in use, is non poisonous when transferred through your hands to your snacks.

I would avoid any vegetable oil as it is by its nature food for bugs and mould.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I think one of the advantages of camellia oil is that, when the tool is actually used, the oil on the blade won't stain the wood. For a museum type collection, a thin clear varnish might be more appropriate.

Rod

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

There's always Renaissance Wax for the museum pieces as well…

**LINK**

Jon

[VicParticipant @vic]

I like Renwax as a product but it's not effective for very damp places.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

For tools that are not going to be used frequently, a lanolin based product is ideal. My tube is waxy at room temperature, but standing in hot water turns it to liquid which is easily spreadable. With all the sheep in Oz and NZ, I would have thought that lanolin ought to be easily obtainable!

In my old shop, after a few days the oil coating the Myford would be almost white, as it emulsified with the moisture in the air. If that happened, it was then wiped off and fresh oil applied, until next needed for use.

Rusting needs water and oxygen, so excluding oxygen and displacing water should prevent rust. So, spray with a water displacer, wipe and coat with a barrier, such as oil or lanolin should do the job.

Howard

[R Johns 1Participant @rjohns1]

Moth balls! I inherited my granddads shipwrights wood tool chest and it has a distinctive smell within it that I could never work out. Now, if this was a wardrobe I would have identified the smell immediately as moth balls. This thread has put two and two together and identified the tool chest aroma.

Elmo

[Edward CrouchParticipant @edwardcrouch25793]

Another thumb for ACF50. Keeps all sorts of things including the old motorbike corrosion free. It isn't cheap, but it DOES work. If it's going to be laid up for a long time, waxoyl or one of Dinitrol's products are also really good.

Has anyone tried screwing a lump of Mg to their lathe!?!? Im not sure if that would work in a non-submersed application. Even my garage ain't that damp…

[Maurice Cox 1Participant @mauricecox1]

On the advice of a correspondent in the M.E. Many years ago, I obtained a tub of anhydrous lanolin from my local chemist, who ordered it in for me. It is very good for putting on tools going into store, but it is a pig to remove. I had to resort to white spirit to get it off.

Maurice.

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Is Duck Oil any good

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

Thanks to everyone for their knowledge about preventing rust on steel.

I have another question.WeI have restored an old switchboard with knife switches made from copper. (It will be connected to a 32 volt generator, driven by one of our portable steam engines). What is the best way from stopping them from tarnishing and to keep their shine. Spraying with a laquer is no good as the switches have to make an electrical contact.

Paul.

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