Posted: 2/20/2005 7:56:11 PM EDT
|
I was just wondering if anyone has thought of making a vacuum chamber gun cabinet? I recently went to a friends house who showed me several guns he had in a gun cabinet. almost all were starting to rust on the barrels some. I was just trying to think of the best way to eliminate moisture from a cabinet, and thought of moisture absorbing crystals and vacuum. Just wondering what people think about this. |
|
Stay away from the crystals!!!!! Damp rid will cause more problems than it will solve. Very bad stuff in an enclosed cabinet or safe. Save it for the clothes closet. Use the silica gel cannisters or get a dehumidifying rod appropriate for your safe or cabinet size. The rod will be much easier than trying any vaccum cabinet ideas. |
|
It’s my understanding that 28 inches of vacuum will leave zero moisture. Get a vacuum pump, pressure differential switch to start the pump if vacuum leaks, and plumb it in to your new strong chamber/cabinet. With 28 inches of vacuum your chamber would need to be strong enough to withstand atmospheric pressure from collapsing it. Someone on the board who is smarter than me please jump in and tell what it is. I only remember its about 14lbs and change per square inch and all this pressure trying to collapse your chamber may add up to a ton or more depending of course on the size. My 2cents |
|
Vacuum is a good idea, but kinda impractical. A standard gun safe of 14 gauge steel would probably implode under 28" of vacuum , especially if accidentally bumped and dented a bit. You would have to vent the vauum each time you wanted to get a gun out, drawing moisture into the cabinet and literally quenching the warm metal inside, causing rust. Re-application of the vacuum would remove the moisture, but the rust would still be there and doing its insidious work. Better idea is to use dessicant and a good old fashioned incandescant light bulb- 25 watts is sufficient. In addition to drying out the safe, you get the added benefit of light when you're searching through your guns. |
.
|
I've started using VCI inhibitors from Bullfrog (bought here). I use the shield. It's purportedly good for up to 400 cu ft, but I use it in a safe that's only about 35 cu ft. It seems to work well, even with the high humidity. I don't have any rust on my guns and have had this stuff about a year - I switched from desiccant because it needed recharging about every week. |
I wish I could. Unfortunately from a practical standpoint I can't put the safe in the house. Next house will have a HVAC outbuilding wired into an alarm. |