Rust Protection

I would look into your anti corrosion oil it obviously doesn’t do what it says on the tin. Try hydraulic oil.

Agreed Dave. While describing what works for us also needs an approximate location. Those in the north of Scotland may need more insulation than we do further south. My ceiling 100mm insulation is shortly going to get another 100mm of rock-wool/glass fibre insulation and a further topping of old ply boards insulated with 25mm EPS.

Some on here may be in locations that are quite dry and warm, so don’t need the same degree of insulation. My workshop also has the heating/insulation advantage of actually being inside another structure.

Chris is not so far from you, presumably. Humidity in my workshop is rarely much over 70% and often down around 60% - according to my cheap RH meter.

I think I'm done for because my Lathe and Mill are in a concrete garage with no insulation.

I'm going to clean them up again and apply some rust preventative and I'm going to have to keep on top of them every week. Unfortunately I only use them about every month. Most of my parts are 3d printed.

It looks like the long term solution is to get them out of the garage and into an insulated wooden shed.

Thanks for all the replies.

NDIY, I agree location is an important factor, I am fortunate to live in the South East corner of the country where the climate is vastly different to that of Northern England and Scotland, it’s also the best location for maximum output from P V Solar panels. Eldest daughter lives north of Wigan, we don’t visit her in the winter !!! Dave W

Concrete garages are renowned for "sweating".

May I suggest, if there is enough space, to fix 50 mm battens to the walls and fill the space with glass fibre behind 12 mm ply?

Give the door similar treatment if you possibly can. A metal door is NO insulator.

Paint the ply white and the place will seem much lighter.

If you can apply the same treatment to the ceiling, you will find the place much cosier, and almost devoid of condensation and the rust problems that it causes.

My shop, in East Anglia, is only 10'9" x 6'9" external, 19mm cladding outside, glass fibre between 50 mm frames, walls and ceiling.

The only uninsulated bit is the 3/4" ply floor standing on 8 x 2 bearers protected on three sides, on concrete slabs.

A 2 Kw fan heater rarely runs for more than 15 minutes before the thermostat operates. Then it runs, perhaps for 5 minutes every 30 -40 minutes.

When it is frosty, a 60W tubular heater under the bench produces a bench warm to the touch afetr about 24 hours.

Rust is almost never seen, despite no extra oiling / protection.

Howard.

External garages like concrete ones seldom have a damp proof membrane under the floor, that might be your problem.

It would be worth buying /making some duckboards to keep your feet off the cold concrete floor.

When Toys R Us were in business, they sold rubber mats 1 metre square. Cut in half, provided two metres of matting in front of a lathe or milling machine.

Sit down before you look at the price of mats from industrial suppliers, like Cromwell.

But look around for alternatives from cheaper sources.

Amazon do some Wellmax 60 x 40 cm barrier mats for £11.99 with free delivery on the first order.

Have a look on Google to see what is available.

Howard

Wear clogs and you will have "duckboards" with you wherever you go.

Lanolin does work well. It can be a bit slippy on something you work with every day but good for longterm protection on metal surfaces. Quite cheap also from the bay if you find it in jars for hair care and pleasantly smelling.

Regarding duckboards, farm supplies do what they call cow mats. Dense black foam an 1"+ thick and very durable.

Halfords also had packs of floormatting at a reasonable price. It doesnt like arc welding sparks though!

My bigger machines are in a 30 x 12 brick garage with no dpc and as I have mentioned before on similar threads that they all use hydraulic oil as coolant with no rusting in the last 25 years!!

When I converted my single skin brick garage I had the floor done with mastic ashpalt. Gets it very smooth and waterproof, ten 25mm foam covered with 22mm flooring grade chipboard. Cut holes in it and use solid packers for machine feet. The as others have said build an inside out shed inside with insulation in the walls. Vapour barrier between the inner skin and the insulation. Now as warm as toast and no rust

The white expanded foam isn't fire rated I believe, the pin stuff is, but is more expensive. You ca get rigidised rockwool as well, known as cavity bats

Edited By duncan webster on 25/10/2021 22:44:05

I always had rusting problems until I fitted a pair of 10W self regulating cabinet heaters from RS Components inside the lathe bed. Used to spray the lathe with WD40, and then had to wipe it off before using the lathe. Since fitting the heaters no more rust.

Downside, especially in this day and age, is that the heaters actually take about 38W so there is a constant electric current drain. But what the heck, it works and prevents all the messy cleanup I used to have to do.

The heaters keep the lathe at a temperature slightly above ambient, whatever ambient is, thus preventing condensation. When I bought my mill/drill, I wedged a piece of aluminium, about 200mm x 100mm x 13mm into the machine base, and screwed a 10W self regulating heater onto it. And again, no rusting to date.

Other people have done similar things, eg a small incandescent bulb under the lathe, or some of the self-regulating heating tape, designed, I believe, as a frost prevention device.

Peter G. Shaw

I bought some treated brown paper a few years ago which helped. Then I used slideways oil ,brown paper on top and had virtualy no trouble.

Hand tools I wipe with a rag in a can impregnated with 3in1 oil.

Hi,

An update on this one, I have been trying some different ways to keep the rust at bay. I also have the go ahead for another shed in the garden which will be insulated. The Lathe and Mill have been coated with ACF50, I had some in the garage from a few years ago so lets see how that goes.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

This is the dehumidifier I have. It has loads of options including a humistat and includes a drain tube.

It costs less than more basic ones from places like Screwfix and Toolstation.

www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/cd10l/electriq-cd10l-dehumidifier

Probably one of my best buys!

Neil

+1 for a dehumidifier. I use one in my unheated brickbuilt workshop (concrete floor), and I never see any rust. Cheap to run set to 70% humidity, and even generates a little heat. My wife also appreciates the endless supply of “distilled” water for her steam iron. I bought mine secondhand on eBay 10 years ago - best £30 I ever spent.

My garage is buried in the earth under the house, apart from the doorway, and never gets colder than 11°C despite no insulation. It has a membrane all around between the earth and the blocks and concrete. I have a dehumidifier with external drain and I keep it on 24/7. It ran for about 2 weeks initially while it dried out everything in the garage, but now only runs for a short while after I've opened the door - I keep the door closed as much as possible.

A bucket left with one cm of water in it was bone dry in a couple of days. But do buy a decent quality dehumidifier, not a toy one - mine cost about £250.

Have you tried Machine wax? Rutlands sell a 'Premium machine & tool wax' it and it has no silicon, so will not stain wood. It simply buffs on with a cloth and leaves a smooth dry finish. (I have no connection with Rutlands.)

Chris , You may find theundercoverworkshop on eBay may be able to help with more suitable covers . Also , in the past , people have put a low powered electrical heat source , such as a small light bulb , under their covers to help reduce the problem of condensation.

I have one of THESE in the workshop it just keeps the temperature above freezing reducing the risk of rust forming. This is a low wattage unit and can be set to turn off once a set temperate is set

I think I may now need a second unit as the new workshop is much larger area than the old one.