Stop Rust in its Tracks – Best Tips to Keep your Tools Corrosion Free
Hello, Folks! Excited to start a new series here at our Blog from today. From this week, you can expect a new post every work on “Taking Care of your Tools.” This blog series aim to provide you with first-hand information on maintaining your tools.
From storing tools to keeping it sparkling new, we’ve got quite a few tricks up our sleeve, which we’ll be sharing with you in the coming weeks. Let’s get started.
Dealing with Rust
Here’s something that all tool owners should know, “Rust is Alive.” Once rust starts forming on your tool, it will keep on corroding it quicker and quicker. Yikes! That’s scary and saddening, ain’t it?!
The best defense against rust is to prevent the stuff forming on your prized tool collection in the first place. Here, in this post, we give you all that you need to know about rust formation in tools – right from preventing it in the first place to removing it, we’ve got you covered!
The Best Tips to Prevent Rust from Forming on your Tools
Rust weakens your tools and corrodes them. It also dirties your work space and can even lead to inaccuracies in your project. The best way to deal with rust is to prevent it. By avoiding rust formation on your tools, you not only increase the quality of your work, but also extend the lifespan of your tools.
Here are a few ways to Prevent Rust Formation
- Store your Tools in a Dry Place
While this may seem obvious, sadly this is not often followed. Enclosed tool storage spaces like basements, garages and sheds have humidity problems. If you have the habit of storing your tools in an exposed storage space like open shelves or pegboards, then you’re exposing the tools to the open air, thereby increasing the chances of rust.
The easiest way to avoid humidity problems is to store the tools in a closed and dry space. Else, you could consider investing in a dehumidifier.
A dehumidifier helps to reduce the dampness in the air, and don’t cost much. Dehumidifiers are worthy investments especially if you have a variety of tools. Most dehumidifiers come with a setting that allows you to set a humidity level. This means the instrument turns on only when the humidity goes beyond the set level, thereby cutting down electricity usage costs.
- Hang your Tools
Even if you store your tools inside a closed space, make sure that they don’t lie flat on the ground. This is because moisture from the ground can seep up the floor, thereby damaging your costly tools. Instead, try hanging them on a wooden board wherever possible.
- Store Tools in the Cases they Come In
Ideally, this is the best way to store your tools. Tools usually come with storage cases, especially power tools. These are special cases that have been designed keeping the tool in mind. These storage cases not only protect your tools from catching rust, but also protect them from all other damages.
- Use Silica Gel Packs
These are specially designed gel packs that absorb moisture from the environment, thereby keeping your tools away from moisture. With no extra moisture in the air, you can bid adieu to rust. Try to purchase a few packs of silica gel and toss them in the storage compartment along with your tools. Rust collectors or anti-rust liners also serve the same purpose.
However, remember that if you live in place prone to extreme humidity, then these moisture inhibitors don’t do much help. While they absorb moisture from the air, they aren’t capable of soaking it up all.
The best way to use these is as an extra layer of protection, once you have placed your tools in the right storage compartments or boxes. Silica gel packs are readily available in all major hardware stores. Or you can even reuse the silica packs that come inside your pill bottles or electronics.
- Choose Vapor Corrosion Inhibitors
These are strips that help in preventing rust. They work by producing a gas, which forms a protective layer on the metallic surfaces of your tools. This gaseous layer prevents the moisture in the air from contacting the metals, thereby preventing rust.
These strips work better when used on tools that are already placed in small enclosed spaces like drawers or boxes.
Tips to Get Rid of Rust
There are times when even after taking the right precautions, rust somehow makes its way on to your tools. Once you spot rust on your tools, you need to take the right steps to eliminate it. If you fail to do so, the rust could end up damaging the entire tool completely.
Here are a few Tips and Solutions to Remove Rust from Tools
Soak your rusted tools in a bath. The bath solution can be anyone of the three cleaners suggested below. Once you have sufficiently soaked the tools, scrub off stubborn rust with Scrotch-Brite the scrubbing pad, you use for washing vessels at home. Don’t use sandpaper as it can damage the surface of the tool.
Here are three natural cleaners to eliminate rust:
- Vinegar
Vinegar is a versatile cleaner and has several uses. Soak your tools in a vinegar bath for a day. Then, rub hard on the tool using an aluminum foil.
- Lemon or Lime Juice
This is another great ingredient and can be used if you don’t like the pungent smell of vinegar. Add some salt to the lemon/lime juice bath for more effective action. The natural citric acids in these fruits act on rust and remove it.
- Baking Soda
This one takes a bit more time compared to the other two cleaners. Make a paste of baking soda and water. Then, dip an old toothbrush into this mixture and scrub until the rust falls off.
Once, you have cleaned your tools and made them rust free, make sure to dry them completely. Once dried, apply a layer of oil on the tools to prevent them from further rusting. Make sure to wipe away the excessive oil before storing your tools.
For Heavy Rust
You can use any one of the commercially available rust cleaners like Naval Jelly, Evapo Rust remover, Rust Free and more.
The Last Word
Taking care of tools requires some time and elbow grease but it’s certainly worth it. By taking proper care of your tools, you keep them as good as new for a long time and extend their lifespan for years to come.
Take a look at our extensive tool gallery and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, if you need help in selecting the right tools for your specific application.
Happy Tooling!
