Rusty Tools

[KimHoJo]

I was carving outside on Monday when it started sprinkling and my Flexcut palm tools got a little wet. I made the mistake of gathering everything up quickly and throwing them in the house without drying everything off. Now I have little rust spots on the blades and am wondering what the best way to fix this is. Any tips from you pros?

A little WD-40 and fine steel wool or a scotchbrite pad will clean them up. Careful not to cut yourself in the process!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I just received some stuff called 'top saver' for tools, table tops etc, works great...have no doubt it would take the spots off.

Like Randy, I'm a fan of WD-40. It was originally developed by a company in San Diego (acutally Chula Vista) that manufactured aircraft parts in WW-II. Being located right on the bay and having to store the parts outside, they needed something to prevent corrosion when storing the parts. The product not only had to protect against the moist salt air, but also had to displace any moisture and salt that was already on the metal. WD-40 is a combination of petroleum and fish oil products plus who knows what. It's got literallly thousands of uses, including use as a fish attractant ( I'm not real sure of it's effectiveness in that application, I prefer garlic flavored pam).

[FK]

The salmon fishermen in the Pacific NW use WD-40 on their lures to mask human scent. They claim it works very well.

I like fine Scotchbright (synthetic steel wool) pads for light rust removal,,,,it will polish the steel as well.

The easiest way to protect the tools for me, is to use a silicon cloth commonly sold for firearms (Walmart or equivalent), I apply after each use and the tools stay rust free.

Regards,
Fred Krow

[mikeg]

Fred,

I like the silicone cloth idea. Have to get one of those my next trip to Wallyworld!

mikeg

Good idea on the store bought gun rags. I try to wipe them down after I finish carving for the day with a rag and WD-40, but like other things I try to remember to do, more often then not I foreget.

I've been planing on building a storage box for my carving tools and throwing in a bunch of those desiccent packs. I've been saving them for years and throw them into my gun locker to protect my guns. Just forget about it when I get out in the shop :P

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I had a piece of bark in my carving box and put a dessicant bag in that part of the tray and it turned the bark white?..Don't know why I am posting this, just kind of interesting! :

[FK]

Many people have problems with rusting tools due to the oils from our hands containing a chemical that causes rust.

Wiping the tools with a silicone cloth or cloth with oil or WD-40 is easy maintenance.

I purchase the silicone gun cloth by Outers,,, take the grey cloth and cut it up into 4 X4 pieces,,,,,I place the small pieces in my tool rolls, on the carving bench and where ever I use the tools. They are not oily or messy to adjoining surfaces. I also carry one in my shirt pocket when traveling or wandering about outdoors.

Regards,
Fred Krow