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tools rusting in my toolbox

street131

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
323
Location
West Michigan
Sooooo i have a carry around toolbox that houses many of my drive tools and for some reason, theres always condensation over all the tools in the toolbox. The tools are rusting and the chrome is pealing off on a couple of the tools and it has me concerned. Two of the tools that the chrome is pealing off of is a craftsman ratchet and a craftsman extension and they arent even 2 years old!!! Ive started to put oil on my tools but is their anything i can line my toolbox with to keep the moisture out?
 
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d33pt

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
547
do you carry your tools from extreme cold to extreme heat all the time? that's what causes condensation to build up.
 

alamerang

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Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
476
Location
Deep South Texas
Silica Gel packets. I keep one in every drawer in my tool box and they work great.

silica_gel.jpg
 

woody 73

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Joined
Apr 14, 2009
Messages
11,540
Location
The Great State Up North
This might seem a little crazy well crazy to the people that wipe down their tools all the time ; but I leave as much oil and grease on my tools and I never wipe them down.

The tools seem to resist the rust much better and even though they look rather ugly they won't rust.
 

Shadowdog500

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Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Messages
9,832
Location
Down the shore
+1

I used to work with a guy who worked on salt water boats. He never wiped the grease off his tools when he was done. He said it was the only way to keep them from rusting.

Chris
 

wolpi

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 1, 2009
Messages
83
Location
Germany
Sooooo i have a carry around toolbox that houses many of my drive tools and for some reason, theres always condensation over all the tools in the toolbox. The tools are rusting and the chrome is pealing off on a couple of the tools and it has me concerned. Two of the tools that the chrome is pealing off of is a craftsman ratchet and a craftsman extension and they arent even 2 years old!!! Ive started to put oil on my tools but is their anything i can line my toolbox with to keep the moisture out?

using the tools would work :):beer:
 

lilredex

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 29, 2006
Messages
5,950
Location
Toronto
Two that have worked for me.........moth balls and camphor blocks.

Just snip the corner off the package, they sublime.



(bet you never knew moths had balls..)
 
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crewchief888

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
13,739
Location
NW indiana
This might seem a little crazy well crazy to the people that wipe down their tools all the time ; but I leave as much oil and grease on my tools and I never wipe them down.

The tools seem to resist the rust much better and even though they look rather ugly they won't rust.

when i worked in the shop all the time, i kept everything wiped down and clean.
ive been in a service truck now for 5 years or so, i leave the oil and grease on everything, 'specially in the winter. my truck sometimes never sees a warm building for weeks, but as soon as i pull it inside for a couple hours everything is wet.
i used to use the dessicant packs, and wrap dessicant paper around machinists tools in my box.

:beer:
 

Kevin54

MEMBER EMERITUS
Joined
Jan 12, 2005
Messages
29,341
Location
Urbana, Ohio
Two that have worked for me.........moth balls and camphor blocks.

Just snip the corner off the package, they sublime.



(bet you never knew moths had balls..)

Can you still get camphor blocks?
Every Toolmaker that I know always kept one in the top of the box (me included). I don't think anyone of them ever had plugged sinuses :lol_hitti
 

thk2c

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
201
i just bought some camphor blocks yesterday. you can buy them from any Indian grocery store.
 

lilredex

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Joined
Apr 29, 2006
Messages
5,950
Location
Toronto
Drugstores are my (camphor blocks) source. Sometimes on the shelf and sometimes hidden behind the counter. They haven't been banned yet.........
 

njfl

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
208
Location
Neptune, NJ
do you carry your tools from extreme cold to extreme heat all the time? that's what causes condensation to build up.

X2

Instead of trying to blindly fight the moisture, determine why it is happening first. If you keep the toolbox in an air conditioned house then take it outside on a hot day you are likely to get moisture on the tools within a few seconds of opening the box when the cold tools cause moisture in the air to condense on them. If you are in places like FL or TX this is very likely. To solve the problem just keep the box outside all of the time.
 
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