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Posted: 2/6/2013 4:40:30 AM EDT
| My reloading equipment is interior to my workshop. Deep E.Tx. has very high humidity. My building in NOT climate controlled. I have been fighting this rust issue for a while on all my other equipment. Any suggestions as to a "complete" solution to avoid rusting in general? I have tried several aerosol type rust inhibitors with a material used for lubrication on travel trailer "slide outs" being the best so far. |
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My $0.02:
I have the same issue, and am always looking for new ideas. I put my dies in ziplock bags, and then into an ammo can. Presses are lubed with Hornady Gun Dry Lube and then I place a 13 gallon trash bag over them. It's kinda ghetto, but it's been working fairly well. The only rust I've seen is on the LnL ap arm where the case feeder mounts. I've used PB blaster to get the surface corrosion off of it. |
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My 2 cents....I use motor oil on everything. Soak a rag with it, wipe it on any bare metal surface then wipe off the excess. It doesn't evaporate like aerosol type stuff does, takes a long time to dry and when it does it leaves behind a nice protective film.
When I notice a particular item rusts faster than others, like dies and case gages, I'll dunk them completely in motor oil, place them in a plastic container with a lid on it. Sometimes I'll fill the container with oil and place the item in it so it's stored in oil. When I need that item a quick spray with brake cleaner gets the oil off. I use it on everything from reloading stuff to power tools, especially on my table saw. It has a bare metal surface that rusts fast. Before using it I'll wipe off the oil real quick with a rag. After use it gets wiped down with oil. Storing something with a plastic bag over it is not a good idea, IMO, because it traps the moist air inside. Use something that covers it but still lets it breathe. I use old pillow cases and large beach towels for big items. Hope that helps ya. |
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I'm not going to really add anything to this thread, but I feel like ranting.
I have a similar problem. Why in the holy hell would manufacturers make stuff out of steel that rusts if you breathe on it? There are coatings available to avoid this! Hell they can make their stuff out of stainless steel and then you won't ever have this problem! I have to constantly work on the rust. My case trimmer, my dies, my press (the press handle like to rust a lot), my powder measure, my beam scale, my case gauges and all sorts of other stuff on the bench. It's almost to the point of taking the press entirely apart and sending it off for a melonite treatment. I wonder if that would mess things up or keep it all rust-free... |
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Quoted:
I'm not going to really add anything to this thread, but I feel like ranting. I have a similar problem. Why in the holy hell would manufacturers make stuff out of steel that rusts if you breathe on it? There are coatings available to avoid this! Hell they can make their stuff out of stainless steel and then you won't ever have this problem! I have to constantly work on the rust. My case trimmer, my dies, my press (the press handle like to rust a lot), my powder measure, my beam scale, my case gauges and all sorts of other stuff on the bench. It's almost to the point of taking the press entirely apart and sending it off for a melonite treatment. I wonder if that would mess things up or keep it all rust-free... Stainless is about 2x the cost of normal steel and harder to work with. Depending on the environment stainless will rust also. If it is cheap stainless it will rust in a matter of days in a humid environment. OP - Can you use a dehumidifier without having hvac for the room and dessicant packs in all your stuff, you can get a few thousand from uline for cheap. I don't know if that would work, i'm from the deserts of northern texas. Just an idea. |
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Dessicant is your best friend in non-climate controlled shops. Put all your small steel parts (die sets, etc) in a METAL container with 5-15 units of dessicant per container.
Another option is to get a dehumidifier and plumb the drain pan/line outside or install a small window a/c unit. One thing you don't want to do is cover anything in plastic; as the room heats up, the plastic will act as a solar still and rain all over your equipment. For large parts, a heavy coat of car paste wax on the bare steel will help as will industrial rust preventives (Boeshield for example). In any case, if you don't control the humidity, you will always have to fight the rust. |
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One method to protect against rust is to use VCI anti-rust paper to wrap your dies and tools. They also have VCI bags. The paper will protect metal from corrosion. Often your dies and tools come to you shipped wrapped in VCI paper. The problem here is to find VCI paper without buying an industrial roll??
http://green-vci.com/what-is-vci/ |
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Here in West Texas, tool steel will rust if you look at it funny.... I was having a heck if a time keeping my gear free of corrosion when I first moved here from Nevada.
Then I found these plastic Stanley toolboxes at Lowes. If you look for them, they have some that are impregnated with the same kind of VCI type material as in those chips.. I think it's called "Rust-Stop" or "Zero-Rust" or something along those lines. Combine that with a heavy duty rubber gasket closure and its great. I got the big one for $29, filled it up with my dies, she'll plates and everything else and have yet to have any rust problems since. I was so impressed I bought two more for magazines. |
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I stay on top of my dies with gun oil or 3in1. If dies show even a tint of rust I treat same as I do gunsmithing tools or the two KRL series Snap On boxes of tools down at the shop. PB Blaster. Have crescent wrenches and specialty engine tools, treated with nothing more than a dip in hot, salt blue tank that are wiped with PB when put away, no rust.
I keep clean, cut to square t-shirts for wiping down equipment and dies with oil. East Texas humidity, working out of garage wouldn't be fun. With a hell-wife, long gone and kids grown, sure is nice to load in my kitchen. Gunpowder is kept in cubbards and there's not a dish or untensil in the house. Grocery store is a quarter block away and I'm on first name basis with the girls at local diner. Just something to think about, while in rust prevention mode. Regards, dc. |
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Quoted:
I stay on top of my dies with gun oil or 3in1. If dies show even a tint of rust I treat same as I do gunsmithing tools or the two KRL series Snap On boxes of tools down at the shop. PB Blaster. Have crescent wrenches and specialty engine tools, treated with nothing more than a dip in hot, salt blue tank that are wiped with PB when put away, no rust. I keep clean, cut to square t-shirts for wiping down equipment and dies with oil. East Texas humidity, working out of garage wouldn't be fun. With a hell-wife, long gone and kids grown, sure is nice to load in my kitchen. Gunpowder is kept in cubbards and there's not a dish or untensil in the house. Grocery store is a quarter block away and I'm on first name basis with the girls at local diner. Just something to think about, while in rust prevention mode. Regards, dc. Chef quality wife has her garden next to my shop. 37 years and holding. I can deal with a little more rust for a little while longer. 
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Quoted:
I stay on top of my dies with gun oil or 3in1. If dies show even a tint of rust I treat same as I do gunsmithing tools or the two KRL series Snap On boxes of tools down at the shop. PB Blaster. Have crescent wrenches and specialty engine tools, treated with nothing more than a dip in hot, salt blue tank that are wiped with PB when put away, no rust. I keep clean, cut to square t-shirts for wiping down equipment and dies with oil. East Texas humidity, working out of garage wouldn't be fun. With a hell-wife, long gone and kids grown, sure is nice to load in my kitchen. Gunpowder is kept in cubbards and there's not a dish or untensil in the house. Grocery store is a quarter block away and I'm on first name basis with the girls at local diner. Just something to think about, while in rust prevention mode. Regards, dc.  Living alone, I know how nice it feels.
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| I use johnsons paste wax for surfaces, corrosion block for dies and things that aren't easy to wax and a fan to keep air moving in my shop. The fan does most of the work, without it the other stuff didn't do so well. I had poor results with 2 dehumidifiers, and I had to empty tanks constantly. Drain tubes turned into bug condos. I replaced the dehumidifiers with a fan, it was dirt cheap, and worked well. Before the fan I was cleaning reloading equipment, cast iron machine tables,and hand tools all the time. After the fan I only clean stuff every 6 -8 months mostly to be sure I don't have rust starting. I live in SW FL so your results may vary, this was my experiance. |
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Quoted:
I use johnsons paste wax for surfaces, corrosion block for dies and things that aren't easy to wax and a fan to keep air moving in my shop. The fan does most of the work, without it the other stuff didn't do so well. I had poor results with 2 dehumidifiers, and I had to empty tanks constantly. Drain tubes turned into bug condos. I replaced the dehumidifiers with a fan, it was dirt cheap, and worked well. Before the fan I was cleaning reloading equipment, cast iron machine tables,and hand tools all the time. After the fan I only clean stuff every 6 -8 months mostly to be sure I don't have rust starting. I live in SW FL so your results may vary, this was my experiance. FANS!!! May be my solution. Part of it anyway. |
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Removing the rust with Naval Jelly will also help prevent future rust. The surface holds oil better. Every time the temperature drops, condensation can form on the metal surfaces. Boeshield T9 is one of the better preservatives that isn't objectionable like Cosmoline. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I stay on top of my dies with gun oil or 3in1. If dies show even a tint of rust I treat same as I do gunsmithing tools or the two KRL series Snap On boxes of tools down at the shop. PB Blaster. Have crescent wrenches and specialty engine tools, treated with nothing more than a dip in hot, salt blue tank that are wiped with PB when put away, no rust. I keep clean, cut to square t-shirts for wiping down equipment and dies with oil. East Texas humidity, working out of garage wouldn't be fun. With a hell-wife, long gone and kids grown, sure is nice to load in my kitchen. Gunpowder is kept in cubbards and there's not a dish or untensil in the house. Grocery store is a quarter block away and I'm on first name basis with the girls at local diner. Just something to think about, while in rust prevention mode. Regards, dc. Living alone, I know how nice it feels.You know, there's far worse things in life than living alone. Loading in the garage would be one of those things on the list. If there were to be a Mrs. Me she'd have to reload her own shotshells and come with an RL900 press. I'd even be considerate enough to make room for her press in the kitchen. 
charcoal |
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