Rusty Tools...

[Timtoolmantaylor]

My MAC ratchet rusted to the bottom of my toolbag after a weekend or two of heavy rain. Is there a good way to keep my too bag dry when i'm on the job? Keeping my jacket dry would be a bonus. I tried the spray on silicone but it wore off quick and smells terrible. Need to keep my tools from getting any worse asap.

 

[seber]

That is the application WD40 was developed for. You would need to spray everything at least once a week though.

 

[AmericanMechanic]

Keep the bag out of the rain, or switch to a waterproof container? It must have been completely and totally soaked to rust like that ("to the bag" in a week)?

 

[Crabman]

Maybe use a dry bag like they sell for boats?

 

[driz]

My MAC ratchet rusted to the bottom of my toolbag after a weekend or two of heavy rain. Is there a good way to keep my too bag dry when i'm on the job? Keeping my jacket dry would be a bonus. I tried the spray on silicone but it wore off quick and smells terrible. Need to keep my tools from getting any worse asap.

Wow , what do you do and where anyways. Sounds rough. You better buy the gallon size WD and get ya an immersion suit [emoji2373], just kidding.
I always found carharts and similar duck canvas like jackets and pants repel water pretty well. Anything cotton or regular denim is a freezing sponge .. sometimes it’s best to double up in layers too or toss a poncho or rain jacket over the regular coat to keep freezing rain sleet at bay. It’s all a toss up mobility vs warm n dry. I’d start lookin at what the other guys , older ones wear . That’s usually a good indicator.
As for tool bag I’d try parking it on a heat vent after work , on a radiator Ect. That should help a lot with the rust. Even parking it in front of a small fan will help dry it out from just air circulation .


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[RKA]

If you can't buy a suitable container to keep it dry, maybe a composite ratchet is a better choice if you're using this in a wet environment?

 

[Legion Prime]

Maybe you should switch to a tool box/tote rather than a bag or at least get one with one of those molded plastic bottoms.
WORKPRO 18" bag with the molded bottom on Amazon.
Milwaukee packout modular system on Amazon. Plus with the handles you could strap a golf umbrella to to keep the rain off.
As for keeping either you or your jacket dry I'd get a hard/rain shell from somewhere. A shell is going to be light weight, size it so you can wear it over your normal jacket and it should have cuff straps for when you're not wearing it over anything. They're lightweight pack up small and are actually waterproof rather than something water resistant which will still get waterlogged over time.
TNF Venture Jacket on Amazon.

 

[ex-x-fire]

Plastic bags.

 

[driz]

Plastic bags.

Ditto you can get those emergency raincoat ponchos in Wallyworld or dollar stores. For those unexpected drenching the yard bag sized garbage work well. I used to watch the rows of them at Red Rocks amphitheater from my tower perch at the federal joint near Denver. They sold for $5 each 1983 and people looked like solar panels. They worked quite well . Instant rain parka
Get ya a wide brimmed hat like a cowboy hat style. Felt and waterproof. Loose fit so you can put it on over a hoodie or thin tuke. That will keep water pouring on your back not down your neck. Keeps sun off your face too with a light one for summer months. Skin cancer ***** and I guess who gets it , tough guys and bald guys. Cover that patch you aren’t admitting to.........myself.[emoji51]



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[georgiadave]

Keep your tools in five gallon buckets with lids?

 

[Macneil]

I have mac precision torque wrenches and every time I bring them underground (hot and humid), they rust. Spray them with WD or the like and they’re not too bad after. Those wrenches are the only thing I have that I bring underground that that’s like that. Very strange and quite annoying as they are not cheap.

I work as a mobile mechanic. Sometimes I’m in our shop, but most times I’m in someone else’s shop, underground or outside. I live in Ontario, Canada where it’s not uncommon for it to be a high of -20C for a couple of days at a time and 1 foot snow falls during a storm. I keep my junk in a tote with wheels that I can drag around and my tools bags are made of a ridiculously strong material of some sorts and short of me dunking it in a puddle, it stays dry.

These are the bags I use. Very popular around here in underground mines. Extremely strong!


http://www.darbymanufacturing.com/-pages/0seats_eng/toolbag100-16.html


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[kctyphoon]

Is there any reason why a plastic or composite tool box is not the obvious answer??

Might be time for some Milwaukee Packout stuff..

What are you doing out in the rain?

 

[thin_concrete]

Better bag, an oil protectorant, and Zerust pods?

 

[Sportsman762]

If the working in the rain is not common then just cover the tool bag with a trash bag when working. However if you work outside much you need to rethink your tool storage strategy. There are plenty of weatherproof tool storage options ranging from basic plastic containers from Walmart to Pelican cases for extreme situations.

After working in the rain I will set all my wet tools on the passenger floorboards for the drive home with the air blowing on them. Then I wipe them down with oil. It has prevented rust pretty well.

 

[PelicanPines]

Check out FluidFilm

 

[Indexmill]

Use sealable (gasketed) plastic totes/tubs for your tools.

Or, buy stainless tools

Or rethink your entire life that got you here with wet rusty tools

 

[Macneil]

Use sealable (gasketed) plastic totes/tubs for your tools.



Or, buy stainless tools



Or rethink your entire life that got you here with wet rusty tools

I often wonder where I went wrong when I got into turning wrenches too lol.


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[metaldad]

georgiadave nailed it. lidded bucket, cheap, affordable, and also serves as a seat

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

I worked outside in Vancouver for many years and used boxes like these. It rains just a little here.

The cover and trays all overlap so it’ll sit in the rain all day and not get water in it.

When the tools got real wet I wiped the worst off and left the trays and lid off and never had much issue with rust.

The younger guys have gone to tool bags and now none of them seem to be able to work in the rain.

 

[Timtoolmantaylor]

I found this on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Repellent-Wea...315002&sr=8-27


It has been working great so far, holding up to my tool bag getting dropped in the mud. With the "winter" weather we have had this season, the forecast is mud, mud and a puddle with more mud in it. Tools are finally dry and its made my life that much better for it. Anyone else have the same luck with it?

 

[Timtoolmantaylor]

I have hard boxes, they are better for sure but.. I don't grab em when I head out on the job. Its like grabbing a cinder block. when I throw the box in my cab, it slides around and goes flying into the dash in a turn.. Carrying a box up scaffolding will just about get you killed and I have had more then one go full toboggan off the roof.