Does anyone have a hot tip for treatments or chemicals that prevent rust on uncoated steel? Oils work where they can be used but some surfaces I would prefer to be "dry". My shop is in a insulated unheated pole shed and moisture in the winter tends to be a problem for my table saw and some other tools. It's not excessive but a nuisance all the same. I gave up my parking spot in my garage for my mill/lathe combo because of this. I would bet I am not the only one to deal with this issue.
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Rust protection
- Thread starter ekrteam
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- Nov 19, 2011
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- 966
depending on how big your shed is, a heat lamp will keep most moister out of the air, when im not in my garage in the winter and the furnace is off, i allways have a heat lamp on, no rust problem here and my garage is 24x24 with 8ft ceilings, hope this helps:biggrin:. mac
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British Steel
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Hi, a lot of woodworkers swear by paste wax for bare steel / iron surfaces - it's non-greasy so doesn't mark the wood they're using, and seals the pores in the metal where corrosion starts. There are durable lacquers available too, though I've not tried 'em.
I've found that the trigger seems to be condensation on cold machines as the day warms up, so I have a greenhouse heater (tubular, oil-filled, only 100w) in the lathe base and some metal-cased resistors attached to the bed, both with a timer to warm it up a few degrees just before dawn, in the hope that it'll prevent moisture in the air condensing - it *seems* to be working, so far, but we haven't got to the cold season yet!
Dave H. (the other one)
I've found that the trigger seems to be condensation on cold machines as the day warms up, so I have a greenhouse heater (tubular, oil-filled, only 100w) in the lathe base and some metal-cased resistors attached to the bed, both with a timer to warm it up a few degrees just before dawn, in the hope that it'll prevent moisture in the air condensing - it *seems* to be working, so far, but we haven't got to the cold season yet!
Dave H. (the other one)
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2011
- Messages
- 66
I'll second the heat lamp idea,
works great to keep out unwanted humidity,..
But as I understand the problem is more of temperature fluctuations...
Just like when a cold coke bottle form the fridge starts condensing on the outside of the bottle,
your heavy iron will do the same...
Put in as much insulation as you can afford to keep the fluctuactions to a minimum
goodluck !!
works great to keep out unwanted humidity,..
But as I understand the problem is more of temperature fluctuations...
Just like when a cold coke bottle form the fridge starts condensing on the outside of the bottle,
your heavy iron will do the same...
Put in as much insulation as you can afford to keep the fluctuactions to a minimum
goodluck !!
T
Tom Griffin
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If it's humid enough to rust your equipment you need to run a dehumidifier. I used one before my shop was heated and it worked great. It'll add a bit to your electric bill but think of it as an insurance policy to protect your machinery until you get the place heated.
Tom
Tom
