workshop rust

[David Bothwell 1Participant @davidbothwell1]

I havew a cellar workshop that has starte.d to cause problems with rust (on models and tools) I would welcome any suggestions to rid this problem, thanks in advance

[David Bothwell 1Participant @davidbothwell1]

cellar workshop has rust problem

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

Camphor is a rust inhibitor, so spread old-fashioned mothballs around.

Geoff

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Being in a cellar, moist air, being heavier than dry, will fall there. Can you arrange ventilation with an extractor fan and some ducting? Even if only switched on whilst you are there, it should at least remove the moisture that you produce.

You need an inlet for fresh air of at least equal cross sectional area to that of the duct from the fan to the outside.

Perhaps, obvious, but the terminal for the duct should be weatherproof

If you can heat to bring the temperature above the dew point, this will help, but obviously, at a cost. Depending upon the volume of air, a small tubular heater of say 60 watts, given a day or two, may suffice.

Once you have derusted your machines and models, spray with oil, and then cover.

H T H

Howard

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

A dehumidifier may help but I think moving the air around is also required, I run a dehumidifier in my workshop but find that unprotected steel will still rust in corners with little air movement. A solution will probably involve protective coating and humidity control.

Mike

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I would like others, try and mitigate the causes of rust in the first place, a moist, dank environment with inadequate ventilation will generally precipitate the rust.

I have found for preserving metal lanolin oil is very good, it doesn't dry out.

Michael W

[David Bothwell 1Participant @davidbothwell1]

I must most gratefully thank all the people who answered my query. I have a de humidifier (actually unused in the cellar!) I will take all the other pieces of advice in hand and hopefully solve this nuiscance. I have a model railway engine (an atlantic) which has seized up! I bought a can of penetrating oil at Screwfix since posting, Huge can under a fiver!

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Hi David, I have a garage which is partly buried into a garden which rises up a slope and suffered damp. I found that the damp could be partly prevented by painting the floor and walls with a high grade floor paint and a use of a dehumidifier and a wipe with an oily cloth when I have finished with any tools. I seem to have a rust free garage.

David

[David Bothwell 1Participant @davidbothwell1]

Many thanks david for your input, unfortunately my cellar is unforgiving as far as getting paint on the walls would be quite impossible! It is a very old house with loads of plaster that is "failing", but I do have a de-humidifier, which has laid idle for a few years. I will start with that and other things mentioned above.

[RobboParticipant @robbo]

David,

Mike Poole's suggestion is one I have used successfully. Dehumidifier plus a small fan or two to circulate the air and make sure it all gets "dried".

Or if your cellar has one of those little windows at ground level, some extraction, which would draw air through from the house, might help.

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

I had a problem with one machine a lathe i bought of eBay it would,be dripping with condensation in winter while everthing else in the workshop was dry !

I still have no idea why but it was the only machine that was used with flood coolant , i bought a heap of those moisture absorbant canisters that you can recondition and coverd my machines with a plastic sheet to form a cocoon so the moisture units dryout the air under the sheet and seem to stop condensation .

I still use lanotec on the bare metal and considering that i have seen condensation literally dripping off the chuck onto the bed and it did not rust is good enought for me to continue using it .

A lot of people recommend a dehumidifier but they are good for workshops that are relatively well sealed , my eves are open to the outside world so draughts are,a problem , thats why i use plastic onthe machines .

Ian.

[Eric ArthrellParticipant @ericarthrell78468]

You could try the old trick used to keep caravans dry in storage ,a bucket filled with 50 50 salt and rice mix,works well in my shed.

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Posted by Robbo on 27/07/2017 19:29:22:

Or if your cellar has one of those little windows at ground level, some extraction, which would draw air through from the house, might help.

Sorry for being skeptical but doesn't this risk drawing moisture laden air from the house (cooking steam etc) onto the cold surfaces of the cellar potentially making the damp issue worse there?

I'd be inclined to try to get air movement and a through-draught in the cellar so that the moisture you breathe out can be got rid of ASAP.

Good luck and HTH

Jon

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

A simple office style fan left running can help.

[David Bothwell 1Participant @davidbothwell1]

Once again my thanks to those who have troubled to answer, all replies will be considered

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