Rusty shop tools

[Dustin Crawford]

Hey guys, l just inherited some ammo reloading equipment. If you're not familiar it's about a large desk worth of stuff. Decently heavy and about 18" tall. The problem is l have an old drafty uninsulated shop that things tend to rust in no matter what l do a couple months out of the year. These reloading tools have lots of machined bare surfaces that will be a problem.

I am thinking l might make some kind of a 'top' for the wood desk. Maybe out of wood with some foam insulation. It could hinge up or pull off. It's tricky because l don't want to make a warm mouse house. So it's gotta be rodent tight.

Have any of you solved a problem like this?

 

[gmcgeo]

Build a tight cover for your bench, kind of like a chest freezer lid. Use plywood with foam board inside, and trim the edges with metal so mice can’t chew in. Add some weatherstripping and latches so it seals tight.

Inside that space, keep the air dry. The easiest way is to put a small gun-safe heater (Goldenrod) or a desiccant canister under the lid. That keeps humidity from condensing on your tools.

wipe all bare metal with a thin coat of oil, wax, or a rust-preventive spray like Boeshield. Even motor oil on a rag works.

 

[Dustin Crawford]

That's what I'm looking for! That's a great idea about trimming with metal. I didn't think of that. I was also wondering about heat or if I needed it at all it wouldn't be too much. A goldenrod is an awesome idea.