Storing Machinery In Damp Conditions - Advice Please

Morning All.

I will be moving soon to a new house and will have to store my Boxford lathe, Tom Senior mill and Elliot pillar drill in a rather damp and unheated garage.

Is there a special grease or oil that I could put on the exposed metal parts to keep rust at bay?

Any other tips and advice would be very welcome. Thanks. Nick.

LPS-3

**LINK**

Not cheap (£12 for a 300ml spray can) but very effective.

Robert G8RPI.

Kept a Tom Senior and a Harrison lathe in a damp shipping container for a couple of years, painted them with clean engine oil, then covered with rags/towels soaked in oil and chucked an old tarp sheet over the top worked a treat.

When it was cold, but then started to warm up, condensation would form inside the roof and drip like rain, but it never penetrated the protective layers.

When machinery arrives from far flung places it seems to be covered in horrible yellow grease to protect it from seawater (or not in one case). Try to get some of that?

Not sure whether these are (still) available - been out of UK for rather a long time. Spray them on with a mechanical-type hand sprayer (garden-type, or if like me, you hoard uselful things, you'll have a stack, rescued from the domestic recycling, already...).

Waxoyl - thinned down &/or warmed up a bit.

Morris Ankor Wax - much like Waxoyl.

Deb Chemicals Contect Duck Oil - a light, easily sprayed fluid, which is easier to remove than above.

One of Shell's Ensis oils.

Engine oil's detergent content may allow water to cause rusting (ask me how I know...). Not a good option. OK, for some, it works, but my experience was in a damp garage near Manchester. Seriously damp.

I'm sure I've posted this before, but can't seem to find it using the site's search engine;

One favourite of motorcyclists is ACF-50, or their Corrosion Block, available as either an aerosol or in bulk.

Also one for Landrover owners is in Corroless CCI-400, I think also available from Buzzweld under their own branding as a clear cavity wax.

Available from ebay, though other sources may be cheaper. Keep an eye on Opie Oils as they have regular discount offers.

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 23/10/2018 11:30:17

Is this garage built in/onto the house? Free standing? Construction? If practical, heat the garage or the individual machines, covered in insulation, would be the most effective. Depends on how you value your machines. Greased seems a good addition to the covering and heating. If no damp proof membrane in the floor, stand on a strong plastic sheet(s), or even on polystyrene to prevent conduction to the floor.

Never thought of waxoyl, but good for the ways and table, but perhaps not the rest. White spirits apparently will remove waxoyl (likely with a fair amount of warmth and hard work).

If sealable against draughts, a dehumidifier would certainly help.

Water pump grease would be good for protecting the ways and table.

Are you going to remove the saddle? Best stored separate - easier to treat separate ways and dovetails that way. (even hide the carriage indoors?).

Lathe stood on end would have a smaller footprint for heating.

Make crates for them. Line with plastic and seal effectively (with some moisture absorbent material in each crate).

Thank you everyone for your help and advice which is much appreciated.

I am looking forward to our new home but will miss the cosy workshop - for a while.

Nick.

Short-term protection will be provided by almost any oil or grease, but these can be messy and not completely effective. If using a layer of ordinary oil or grease to protect a machine, it pays to remove water before application with WD-40 so that rust doesn't form underneath. Problem with some automotive products is they are hard to remove.

If storing cherished tools for any length of time in very damp conditions I'd be tempted to use a proper corrosion preventative like Castrol DWX-30 or similar. These are easy to apply, expel water, and leave a protective film that's not difficult to remove later. (Like WD40 on steroids!)

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 23/10/2018 12:56:05

When I had to move house some years ago,my machinery was in storage,in a cold garage for two years. I simply coated everything in whatever grease I could find,together with sheets of anti-rust paper,which I think I got from Chronos,at the time. Much to my surprise,there was very little rust to be seen when I went to collect.

I,m not sure if Chronos still sell that paper,because I have not seen it listed recently,but someone else must sell it. I find it great for use in storage drawers and boxes.

If one does a search on ebay for VCI Paper, there are several vendors. Can't remember which one I used.

Bill

You could try metalguard ultra, its a brush, spray or wipe on coating and apparently it's used by the military for storing items.

One advantage is you don't need to clean it off afterwards.

Neil

Another recommendation for Waxoyle clear diluted with white spirit. You can use it subsequently for all tools and stock storage after derusting. When diluted it dries to a lightly tacky wax that feels like a post-it note.

+1 for ACF-50, used to use on my motorcycle and last winter used it on my mini-lathe sat in the shed in the garden.

Also gave the hand tools a wipe over with it.

I had to store my M250 while I knocked down and rebuilt a workshop.

Just smothered all the bare metal with normal castrol grease from halfords then covered in a sheet. All the tooling was put in tubs and covered in engine oil. It all survived with no harm done at all.

Rich

There is a danger that any moisture will sink unseen to the bottom where the tools are.

Thank you again everyone for your help & advice.

Nick