Storing HSS cutters

PHPaul

PHPaul

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I just picked up an Atlas 3995 12x24 lathe, details here.

atlas3.jpg

Included was this cabinet full of various sizes and styles of cutters and blanks - HSS and brazed carbide. I just finished sorting it out and a handful off the HSS stuff is badly rusted. Probably reclaimable (advice sought on that...) but given the size of the stash, not really an issue.

I plan to store the sorted cutters in the same cabinet after I've cleaned it thoroughly. It will be kept in a heated shop that never gets below 50° which should help prevent further rust issues, but I'm wondering about something to put in the bottom of the drawers. My first though was oiled paper, but apparently that's a misnomer - no oil involved.

Second thought is some cosmoline-impregnated paper. Questions:

Good Idea?

Likely to degrade the plastic drawers?

Is such a product available in small quantities?

If so, sources?

If not, alternatives?

Would rather not use desiccant packets due to the space they take up.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.
 
benmychree said:
Over thinking it? i have no problems with tool bits rusting in my unheated shop in plastic or metal drawers.
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Probably. I do that...:D

Curious why they rusted in the first place. Guy I got this stuff from has an unheated shop that he warms up with a construction-size propane heater when he wants to work out there. Puts a lot of moisture in the air, probably the culprit. I have a hot air furnace so much dryer.
 
The alloy content of HSS makes it pretty rust resistant.
My uninformed guess would be that they were exposed to acid vapors, most likely hydrochloric.
 
MrWhoopee said:
The alloy content of HSS makes it pretty rust resistant.
My uninformed guess would be that they were exposed to acid vapors, most likely hydrochloric.
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Or maybe pool chemicals. HCl is highly corrosive and escapes through the typical plastic bottles. Rusted out a lot of stuff in my garage until I realized that. Culprit was the hydrochloric acid, otherwise known as muriatic acid, concrete etchant, etc.
 
WobblyHand said:
Or maybe pool chemicals. HCl is highly corrosive and escapes through the typical plastic bottles. Rusted out a lot of stuff in my garage until I realized that. Culprit was the hydrochloric acid, otherwise known as muriatic acid, concrete etchant, etc.
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That's why I guessed HCl. It's just about the only commonly available concentrated acid.
 
A word about desiccant packages./ They are only desiccants until they become saturated with water. Then they become a constant humidity package. They are virtually useless for long term storage in unsealed containers. I use a desiccant for keeping things dry but in a sealed glass container.
 
That looks like a healthy stash to start off with. VCI tabs or camphor blocks work, you just gotta drop in fresh ones now and again. Camphor has an odor that is a personal preference, but I kinda like it. Like VCI, it leaves a fumigant coating on your tools that keeps rust away long after the block evaporates. Propane heater in the shop heats the air but takes a long time to heat big iron heatsinks, and while the air is warm and moist water will condense on the cooler metal stuff. A light coat of oil works great, especially if it has a bit of lanolin in it which is an antioxidant and can reverse rust after the fact.

PXL_20230906_203632693 (1).jpg
 
pontiac428 said:
Propane heater in the shop heats the air but takes a long time to heat big iron heatsinks, and while the air is warm and moist water will condense on the cooler metal stuff.
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As @PHPaul noted, Propane (and other direct-fired) heaters produce water vapor, adding the the moisture in the air that will condense on cool surfaces, particularly after the heat is turned off. Indirect heaters are vented so the water vapor goes up the flue with the other gases.
 
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