Rust Warning!!!

[Tarhead]

Temperature in my shop this morning is 60. The temp outside is 66 with a dewpoint of 64. Cast iron and steel inside the shop is colder than the dewpoint and can develop condensation and rust in this situation. May want to apply an extra coat of whatever special sauce you use to prevent rust this morning and get the shop warm if you're in the Piedmont or eastern part of the state. Don't open the doors to the outside while the tools are below dewpoint.

 

[TracyP]

Thanks Mark, that is very valuable information.

 

[Sealeveler]

Thanks,Down East I have to deal with moisture all the time.I fixed up a metal cabinet with a lightbulb for my power and hand tools.Tony

 

[Glennbear]

Thank you for the timely tip. Because of the recent weather changes I have been running the electric heat in my shop on a low setting but the heater is a real power hog. Your tip got me to thinking about a portable dehumidifier I no longer use in the house. I recall when I used it in the house besides drying the air it also threw off a fair amount of heat. I am going to try running it in the shop to eliminate the rust hazard and hopefully cut down the heater run time when I am not actually out there, I think that might be a less costly way to do things :wsmile:

 

[JimmyC]

I've been using a portable dehumidifier for abut two years now, but it fills up so quickly, so now I have a hose going into a slop sink.

 

[Howard Acheson]

Excellent point a very timely. Any time your shop is at a low temperature for a period of time, your tools acquire the same temperature. When you turn on heat, the air will heat up faster than the heavy pieces of metal or cast iron. This creates a small local environment within a close distance from the colder surface. This environment is moisture laden and you will end up with water condensation on the metal. This is the reason that tooling rusts.

The solution is to keep the heat on all the time or to do something to cause the tooling to heat up faster. Some use a blanket over the tool with a 60-100 watt bulb lit. I find that just using one of the cheap Walmart "Throw Blankets" that cost a few bucks works very well. Just be sure that the blanket is in contact with the surface.

On a related note, be very careful with open flame heaters in a shop. Combustion of dust is only a very remote possibility. More dangerous is carbon monoxide poisoning. My recommendation is to only use an external vented device and to mount a CO detector in your shop.