# HELP... moving shop, how to protect tools?



## followyourheart (Feb 3, 2010)

Hi
I have sold my house and beautiful shop and will have to build a new one, hopefully in the spring.
I need information about how to store my shop tools, which will be in storage (not heated!) I have a full shop with table saw, routers, planer, jointer, drill press, etc. and really am worried about rust.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, 
Julie


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

If it's just over the winter I think I would just worry about the cast iron surfaces on your stationary tools. Putting a light grease on them and covering that with a wax paper would be more-or-less the way new tools are shipped, but with such a short time, I think just a good paste waxing would enough. If you can, consider renting a POD for the storage. That keeps them in your control. The last time we moved (about 5 years ago) m tools sat in an unheated garage over the winter since the building that would be my shop wasn't finished on the inside. It took most of the following summer to get that done before my tools could be moved in, and they were still fine, and I didn't even wax them. That was even with our car being stored in the same garage, in and out all wet with snow melt and everything.


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## followyourheart (Feb 3, 2010)

Thanks Fred. Would I put the paste wax on thick? And just the beds of machines, nothing inside?


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

That's what I would do, this is the Johnson's Paste Wax, not car wax. (other names: Trewax, Bri- wax, sold with floor care products). It does go on a lot like car wax, be a good coat on, let it sit to a haze, then buff off. this is a good regular routine for your tools anyway, make the wood slide more smoothly. But the inner workings of the tools should be fine.


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## levan (Mar 30, 2010)

Here's a discussion on the rust subject.
I have used this Hood penetrol both on the tops and inside of any machine. that has any bare metal. 
By putting it in a spray bottle,you can coat areas that may not be accessible to wax. 
I also use Johnson's paste wax right over the penetrol on the tops and places that can be easily accessed. 
My tools set in a unheated garage and it seems to have ended the rust problem. I do try to keep my hand tools and routers in the house.
Best wishes
Lynn

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/17930


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## followyourheart (Feb 3, 2010)

Fred, Yes I do use Johnson's paste wax to coat my tools anyway. I thought I might need something more. (I'm a worrier!0
Lynn, I will check that link, thanks. Where do you get Hood Penetrol? I have never heard of it.

Thanks!


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

If it's going to be in an area that will have moister, like a storage shed or one of those bins at a secured storage bulding, I'd hit the cast iron surfaces with cosmolene. It sucks to take off, but it will work.

I experienced what you are about to about 15 years ago and tried wax and some other things even redoing it every now and then. My short term turned into a year and a half. Two winters took a real toll on my tools. I would never to it again. If push come to shove, I'd sell em and buy new when you can. Small power tools won't be bother much, but can surface rust. I'd hit those with boehield or regular wd40 sprays.

For my big cast tools cosmoline

http://www.cosmolinedirect.com/


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

You can find Penetrol in the paint department of most home stores I'm in Maryland and my shop is in my garage which isn't heated and we get a fair bit more humidity than up your way. All I do is keep everything waxed and very rarely see any rust hazing, unless the garage door was wet and one of the kids opened and it drips unto the TS which I left uncovered,,,, iwas mad but mostly at myself for leaving the cover off, but as long as there is no water spraying onto the tools and you wax them, I wouldn't worry


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I think Fred has the right idea. If they will be in an aluminum or steel type storage unit, I'd definitely do what Fred suggested. Steel storage buildings are the worst for things accumulating rust. Good luck with the move. Congrats on your new place.


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## Vintagetoni (Jan 10, 2011)

Seven years ago I moved my tools from northern Illinois to Wisconsin & stored them in an unheated shed over the winter. I waxed the tables & loosely hung a tarp over them for protection. When I pulled them out late in the following summer, I learned some things I wish I'd thought of sooner. ANY speck of sawdust anywhere on steel or iron attracted humidity & caused rust. It wasn't only the tables. The plastic tarp may have caused more condensation. I should have used canvas, if anything. In the cleanup, I read this site & tried everything. The best product I experienced for cleaning rust as well as preventing is a product from the aircraft industry called Corrosion X. You can't have your airplane parts rusting, you know! The other thing I have done (because I deal with humidity where I live year round & don't have shop air conditioning) is to order magnetic sign material & cut it to fit all my tables, even those on various belt or disk sanders, tool rests on grinders, etc. I clean & wax then apply the magnetic material & it's the best protection I've had…. for the table, at least. One of the things that rusted fairly badly for me was the drum that holds the knives on my jointer. Of the three gibs, bolts on one are still soaking in corrosion x since I tried to change the knives in June. Several of the adjusting mechanisms also rusted on my edge & drum sanders, jointer, etc. The cosmoline & wax paper is a good idea, but I'd be certain to rid everything of sawdust & I personally would touch everything with Corrosion X. It's a staple for me now. Good luck in your move & rebuild!


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## Bill7255 (Feb 23, 2012)

Julie
When I moved my shop I used the Johnson wax and the I used the WD-40 Specialist 10-oz Specialist White Lithium Grease. It is inexpensive and worked well. It needs to be put on a day or so before. You can get this at most any hardware store. Shrink wrap is your best friend. I shrink wrapped all the power cords and anything that could open. Make sure you remove all loose parts such as inserts. I moved a little over a year ago and built a house and a workshop.


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

Julie, in addition to the rust issue, I would also consider just protecting the tools.
Harbor Freight offers very inexpensive furniture covers - like under $5 - that are great to wrap your big tools in.
I use them at shows to protect my wood projects and they are great.
Just another thought… good luck on your move.
Ellen


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

I went to buy a workbench from a guy who stored all of his tools in a barn until he could build his dream shop. He coated all the tops with what I guess was cosmoline (brown) and they had been stored for years and looked new. You could buy a gallon of WD40 and a spray bottle and hit the rest if you want, avoiding motors and pulleys.


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## followyourheart (Feb 3, 2010)

I'm a little worried after reading some of these replies!

Here is my workshop, I finally posted this… a bit late:
http://lumberjocks.com/followyourheart/blog/42720


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

It's not hard to see why you wouldn't want to leave it, that is really nice. Love that setting as well. But you shouldn't fret, your tools will be fine. I still like my approach, but to honest you just have to pick and idea you like from the ones presented; they will all work.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Use this:

G96 Gun Treatment

For cleaning, you spray it on and let it sit a minute and then wipe it off. 
For protecting, you spray it on and walk away.

I spray my "rustables" around thanksgiving as my shop sees very little use in the winter and it's not heated. 
If I need to actually use stuff out there, I have to fire up a heater and while the shop is warming, I wipe down a tool, put some paste wax on it, use it, and when I'm done I give it a shot of G96, let it sit a minute or 2 and then wipe it off. Then I spray on another light coat and walk away and turn out the lights (until spring!)

NO silicone in it.

For long term storage, you can buy some flannel by the yard, spray the flannel with G96 (after spraying a coating on the tool) and then lay the flannel on the flat surfaces or wrap a plane in the G96-sprayed flannel. I have NEVER had anything rust using this stuff.

ALSO… I've seen it clean gun powder and lead residue off of a barrel that was left behind by other "premium" cleaners like rem-oil or hoppes 9. Not that I'd expect you to see any gun powder residue on a jointer, but hey…. you never know 

OH! And it is NOT expensive at all, and a little goes a long way.

I do hand planes, jointer, drill press table, band saw table (table saw is granite so…. no need there, but I do clean INSIDE the table saw and spray it on gears and racks and shafts in there.) and I am still on the same can I bought 2 or 3 years ago.


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## buildingmonkey (Mar 1, 2014)

I have noticed on my cast iron machines,the painted part never rusts. So with that thought in mind,having gotten tired of cleaning rust and putting wax and boeshield on my ci tops, I brushed on a thin coat of spar urathane. No rust since. although it is wearing off the planer. You could just coat your bare metal tops, and then when you take them out of storage, you won't have to clean off the grease.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Now, that's one smart monkey! The urethane would also be thin enough not to cause tolerance issues when using the tools.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

thinking along those lines…. I wonder if shellac would work. It would come off easy enough later with alcohol.

I think the G96 is easier though


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

Another product to consider is the Inox line MX3 Short term presivation and MX4 longer term presivation.
You may wish to consider avoiding any product containing silicone, i.e WD40.

If the reference bonesbr549 and dhazelton made regarding Cosmoline is the brown protective grease type material found inder the wax paper on machines when they they are unpacked, I would vote for that long term.
Otherwise there is always the Locksmith solution!!


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## MarcioWilges (Nov 6, 2014)

I had my tools up in storage before as well and I did not really think much when I had them in there over the winter. I thought having them covered in layers of cloth placed inside moving boxes would help give them enough heat to prevent rusting, but oh boy was I greatly mistaken! I would definitely try out the waxing method recommended here when the season comes next. Prevention is definitely better than cure, and when it concerns tools, the costs are definitely too great to bear.


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