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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:07:16 AM EDT
[#1]
Quoted:
Moved into a new house in May, and having a newborn I haven't been able to make it to the range or have time off to practice my marksmanship skills. Got three hours this am dedicated to go crack the safe and boom. Rust not just a few spots but everywhere! The AK I just got was covered( didn't oil before I put away 3 weeks ago). Guess it will be three hours of fondling lubing and cleaning for me! Guess I need to get a humidifier for the basement.. A humidifier will make it worse. Buy a dehumidifier. 
I bought the so called "energy star" model at Lowe's last year when my old unit died. My electric bill went up almost $75 a month. The fan never shuts off on many models. I bought a Freiderich and it works excellent and my electric bill was within $10 of when I don't have the unit on. I keep all my firearms lubed well because with the humidity in our summers and basements I do not want any rust. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:16:28 AM EDT
[#2]
That sucks toady!
Was there any sign of rust on the mak when you got it, or has it developed since you got it? I feel like I need to go check everything now too. I will say this....I have a warm air furnace with a central air coil on top of it.....it keeps my whole basement dry in the summer when the ac is on, and in the winter when the heat is on. So guys, that have a warm air system...keep your firearms near your furnace  . Sorry guys with boilers
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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:26:54 AM EDT
[#3]
DE humidifier! Haha. I use to have it right next to my central AC/heater and it kept it bone dry. Now we have the AC unit in the attic - a boiler - and a well system that sweats like a pig in the basement. There was no rust prior to putting the AK away but it was in rough shape. Going to take that stock off and try to get the rivet out for the underfolder today!
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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:32:12 AM EDT
[#4]
Or you can "get a humidifier AND a dehumidifier... Put them in the same room and let them fight it out." ~ Steven Wright
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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:38:03 AM EDT
[#5]
Toady I know how you feel. I had my firearms stored for years and didn't really do much with them for a good 10 year period from mid 1990s until 4 or 5 years ago. A few of my guns had some rust luckily very minimal and cleaned off with some oil. If I ever store them long term again I will use those sealed bag and wrap them in oil soaked paper/rags.
Here is the dehumidifier I bought. The pump works great and it keeps my basement dry. My basement is 25 x 50. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:54:32 AM EDT
[#6]
Back in the 90's I was shooting often ISPC etc. In the 00's not so much.
One day after my handguns had been sitting for several years in the safe I pulled them out and noticed a fair amount of rust. I cleaned them up, sprayed them inside and out with Rem Oil, then placed each in its own Hefty freezer bag, and sprayed more oil inside each bag, and they folded up the bag to remove as much air as possible. Then I placed each bagged gun into another freezer bag to reduce the chance of oil leakage into my safe. I did not use the guns for years. Each year I would check them but found nothing. Even though I am now shooting often, when I put away a gun (even if I don't clean it) I spray it with Rem Oil and bag it. When I pull one out to use it I wipe it off and it's like a shiny new gun. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 8:05:57 AM EDT
[#7]
Yea that works group, my wifes uncle uses one of those food vacuum seal machines for his pistols. Literally sucks the air out, so no rust is possible. I'm pretty sure he cuts the size of the plastic to whatever he needs, so I think even a rifle can be done too.
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Posted: 7/20/2014 9:02:33 AM EDT
[#8]
I had the same problems over the past few years in my house. This year I took action buying a moderate size dehumidifier for my basement.
I learned a few things. The dehumidifier works great. No more rusty guns. A much more comfortable basement. My unit doesn't have a pump, so I end up emptying the tank every few days at 60% humidity. The biggest lesson and to my shock was the energy usage. Last month my usage was the highest every in the 5 yrs I've owned my home. My energy bill was 10 dollars higher in may. June's bill was 40 dollars higher then May's bill. I put my dehumidifier on plugin timer setup to run a 12 hr cycle. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 9:07:32 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I had the same problems over the past few years in my house. This year I took action buying a moderate size dehumidifier for my basement. I learned a few things. The dehumidifier works great. No more rusty guns. A much more comfortable basement. My unit doesn't have a pump, so I end up emptying the tank every few days at 60% humidity. The biggest lesson and to my shock was the energy usage. Last month my usage was the highest every in the 5 yrs I've owned my home. My energy bill was 10 dollars higher in may. June's bill was 40 dollars higher then May's big. I put my dehumidifier on plugin timer setup to run a 12 hr cycle. Something to look into if you don't mind an upfront cost that will absolutely solve your issue.... Ductless split system heatpump. The fujitsu models that I install have a dry mode, which simply dehumidifies the area if you don't need to condition the space. They have variable speed motors, and use the same energy as a 100 watt light bulb. I've installed them in basements for the sole reason of dehumidifying. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 9:11:28 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I had the same problems over the past few years in my house. This year I took action buying a moderate size dehumidifier for my basement. I learned a few things. The dehumidifier works great. No more rusty guns. A much more comfortable basement. My unit doesn't have a pump, so I end up emptying the tank every few days at 60% humidity. The biggest lesson and to my shock was the energy usage. Last month my usage was the highest every in the 5 yrs I've owned my home. My energy bill was 10 dollars higher in may. June's bill was 40 dollars higher then May's bill. I put my dehumidifier on plugin timer setup to run a 12 hr cycle. I had a Whirlpool gold unit that worked great and in the most humid parts of the year only added about $10 to my electric bill. Then it died and I bought a unit from Lowe's that had an energy star rating. It added $75 to my bill. The fan never shut off. Some Energy Star. I took it back after 4 months. I think it was a Soleus. I then hunted the internet for a unit that shut the fan off. I found a Friedrich 50 pint. It works great and adds $10 or so to my summer electric bill. It has a pump which is great since I don't have to mount it so high up I can't see the controls. I travel a ton for work so emptying a tank every day or two is not possible and my wife has enough chores to do. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 9:11:49 AM EDT
[#11]
I got a few desiccant packs of various sizes and toss a few of them into each ammon can and the safe. I don't have an electric powered dehumidifier in my safe. So far, so good. No signs of rust. The packs are cheap enough, but you can very easily make them yourself...  |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 10:29:17 AM EDT
[#12]
I have a 12" "golden rod type" deal and one Eva Dry 500. I added a 2nd Eva Dry 500 about 2 weeks ago and I still can't get the humidity down below 45-46% in the safe in. In the winter it drops a little bit more maybe low 40's.
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Posted: 7/20/2014 10:39:54 AM EDT
[#13]
Toady I feel your pain man, I've had it happen in the past too.
I also do not have power in my safe for one of those rods. I use a small bucket of DampRid in the bottom of the safe and it works great. The humidity was so bad down there I got worried and bought a dehumidifier a week ago. Not sure about electrical bill yet, but I turn it on once a day with the timer set for 2-3 hours. Can't imagine the bill will be too bad and it's bone dry. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 11:09:45 AM EDT
[#14]
You also have an excuse to pimp chrome everything
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Posted: 7/20/2014 11:43:58 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You also have an excuse to pimp chrome everything http://media.komonews.com/images/090410_saddams_ak47.jpg Lmao. Gold doesn't tarnish either, go big or go home homey! |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 12:15:40 PM EDT
[#16]
Thats a bummer. Id suggest moving the safe upstairs if it is at all a possibility, gotta protect those investments. Not just for the humidity, but potential flooding hazards, too.
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Posted: 7/20/2014 12:49:10 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Lmao. Gold doesn't tarnish either, go big or go home homey!
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
You also have an excuse to pimp chrome everything
http://media.komonews.com/images/090410_saddams_ak47.jpg Lmao. Gold doesn't tarnish either, go big or go home homey!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1yQB4QHYM0[/youtube] |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 2:24:41 PM EDT
[#18]
This is what I had been using before the dehumidifier. I had one inside the safe and one on top of the safe. I also had damprid's larger bucket close by. It didn't work for me.
Quote HistoryI bought a frigidaire 50pt unit. It's fan would run 24hrs if I hadn't put the unit on a plugin timer. The more humid the day, the more it cycle on. Plus you have keep in mind these are basically portable A/Cs without the blowing cold air. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 5:27:35 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I got a few desiccant packs of various sizes and toss a few of them into each ammon can and the safe. I don't have an electric powered dehumidifier in my safe. So far, so good. No signs of rust. The packs are cheap enough, but you can very easily make them yourself...  http://youtu.be/ly-o7sAsFtI Why go through all that trouble when you can buy a simple "golden bar", made for safes. I bought one 4-5 years ago and never looked back. Safe stays nice and warm and most importantly humid free. The cost about 20$. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 5:49:34 PM EDT
[#20]
Guys need to think about basement floods
When do basements flood? When power goes out and sump pumps cannot work. Dehumidifiers don't do much then. Those bars don't do much in 6" of water either. If you must do basement, get flood alarms at minimum. Generator would be better for the whole family. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 5:52:22 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is what I had been using before the dehumidifier. I had one inside the safe and one on top of the safe. I also had damprid's larger bucket close by. It didn't work for me. Quote HistoryQuoted: This is what I had been using before the dehumidifier. I had one inside the safe and one on top of the safe. I also had damprid's larger bucket close by. It didn't work for me. I use the small bucket one, I think the link I put is a new model? I noticed if left outside the safe and too humid it would get hard on top and stop working (crystals would melt funny). That said inside my safe it was always dry and the bucket would take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to melt and then I'd wash and replace. In no way do I think this is a good solution, but for those with no other easy options, it is a quick trip to Homedepot and $20 for a temporary solution. It has been my temporary solution for 3 years.
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Posted: 7/20/2014 6:00:24 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Why go through all that trouble when you can buy a simple "golden bar", made for safes. I bought one 4-5 years ago and never looked back. Safe stays nice and warm and most importantly humid free. The cost about 20$. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I got a few desiccant packs of various sizes and toss a few of them into each ammon can and the safe. I don't have an electric powered dehumidifier in my safe. So far, so good. No signs of rust. The packs are cheap enough, but you can very easily make them yourself... http://youtu.be/ly-o7sAsFtI Why go through all that trouble when you can buy a simple "golden bar", made for safes. I bought one 4-5 years ago and never looked back. Safe stays nice and warm and most importantly humid free. The cost about 20$. Because Fuck Malloy! 
Actually, because I don't want to run an extension cord over to the safe, since there's no power on that wall and I don't feel like running a wire for a new outlet. The desiccant stuff works good. It's dirt cheap and I have a ton of it for my ammo cans. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 6:03:19 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Guys need to think about basement floods When do basements flood? When power goes out and sump pumps cannot work. Dehumidifiers don't do much then. Those bars don't do much in 6" of water either. If you must do basement, get flood alarms at minimum. Generator would be better for the whole family. I would never buy a house with a "wet" basement. When looking at houses if I saw a sump pump I would just leave. Realtor was getting annoyed because first thing I would go to basement. You can see a lot about a house in the basement. My house was built in 1910. My neighbors across the street are related to the original owners. The neighbors wife is the granddaughter of the original owner. She is now in her 80s and said there never has been an issue with basement flooding on my street. I am not too worried. Ideally I would put everything in living areas of house but it is not really feasible. My garage is detached and I don't feel comfortable having the safe in there. The rest of the house is not big enough for a safe. I am going to put a small safe in my bedroom closet that can hold 2 rifles and a few handguns and magazines. The rest is in the basement. I have a generator large enough for the whole house and a portable water pump just in case. You never know when pipe wil burst or have a flood from the water supply. |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 6:05:48 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would never buy a house with a "wet" basement. When looking at houses if I saw a sump pump I would just leave. Realtor was getting annoyed because first thing I would go to basement. You can see a lot about a house in the basement. My house was built in 1910. My neighbors across the street are related to the original owners. The neighbors wife is the granddaughter of the original owner. She is now in her 80s and said there never has been an issue with basement flooding on my street. I am not too worried. Ideally I would put everything in living areas of house but it is not really feasible. My garage is detached and I don't feel comfortable having the safe in there. The rest of the house is not big enough for a safe. I am going to put a small safe in my bedroom closet that can hold 2 rifles and a few handguns and magazines. The rest is in the basement. I have a generator large enough for the whole house and a portable water pump just in case. You never know when pipe wil burst or have a flood from the water supply. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Guys need to think about basement floods When do basements flood? When power goes out and sump pumps cannot work. Dehumidifiers don't do much then. Those bars don't do much in 6" of water either. If you must do basement, get flood alarms at minimum. Generator would be better for the whole family. I would never buy a house with a "wet" basement. When looking at houses if I saw a sump pump I would just leave. Realtor was getting annoyed because first thing I would go to basement. You can see a lot about a house in the basement. My house was built in 1910. My neighbors across the street are related to the original owners. The neighbors wife is the granddaughter of the original owner. She is now in her 80s and said there never has been an issue with basement flooding on my street. I am not too worried. Ideally I would put everything in living areas of house but it is not really feasible. My garage is detached and I don't feel comfortable having the safe in there. The rest of the house is not big enough for a safe. I am going to put a small safe in my bedroom closet that can hold 2 rifles and a few handguns and magazines. The rest is in the basement. I have a generator large enough for the whole house and a portable water pump just in case. You never know when pipe wil burst or have a flood from the water supply. The lake kind of makes me forget about the sump pump.
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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:20:12 PM EDT
[#25]
And watch out for clp....it evaporates and sucks for long term storage.
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Posted: 7/21/2014 1:47:42 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
And watch out for clp....it evaporates and sucks for long term storage. Funny I use Breakfree for everything. My guns don't rust. Years ago I done a little test to see what is the best for rust prevention. I took nails cleaned them off with degreaser then using gloves, nailed them 1 inch deep into a 2 x4. The nails were in rows. In each row I marked what the goo was. The first two were my control or more exactrly they were not covered with anything. I used tranny fluid, motor oil, kroil, WD40, Breakfree (from the bottle), rem oil and others which I dont recall now. After each pair of nails were gooped up with the special goop & tagged, I threw that nailed filled 2 x 4 onto the grass, during the thunder storm season. It rained the first night. The uncoated nails were rusty overnight, so was the rem oil and motor oil covered nails, only from a thunder storm! The best stuff I found was Breakfree and WD40. They took nearly 2 weeks before the nails were getting dark spots or light rust in spots. I coat my stuff today with Breakfree and I know full well, I can throw any weapon on the grass for a week with no ill effects from the weather. If anyone don't believe me, it's quite easy to test yourselfs. I done this test because I don't trust all the bullshit off the net sometimes. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 4:40:45 AM EDT
[#27]
Clp is fine if you are using it and reapply. But I have watched it disappear on all my stuff over 6 months to years. Try it and you will see. Unless I got a bad batch.
I hosed down an sks last summer with clp. I checked it last week and it was bone dry. No clp left anywhere. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 5:48:16 AM EDT
[#28]
Just use mobil 1 or a light machine oil like 3-in-1.
Frog lube, snake lube, snake oil, slip4000 blah blah blah are just that |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 6:56:51 AM EDT
[#29]
I used Breakfree but have been transitioning over to Weapon Shield clp and their grease.
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Posted: 7/22/2014 5:25:16 AM EDT
[#30]
I have been using Du-lite kwikseal for years and have been happy with it. For extra rust prevention I add a big bag of this
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