Dakota No5 Rusting issue. Strange!

[Dissolve]

Hello,

First off, i really apologize if this is too similar to older posts regarding rusting planes but I couldn't really find much realted to this specific problem.

I store my dakota no 5 in the original wooden box and wipe it down before use.
Today when I picked it up the sole had a large thick rust patch on it, which worried me slightly. I used an abrasive block thing from axminster designed to remove rust from metal.. It worked fine but now I'm left with this horrible scaley worn patch on the sole :/

Heres a photo of what I mean.. Is this normal? what can I do to prevent this? I bought two lie nielson socks to store my planes in.. What would prevent rusting or at least prevent it from happening this badly?

Will this surface be good enough to use or should I lap it to remove the strange scaley area?

Bit annoyed this has happened, not sure why/how it's happened but I want to remedy this situation and prevent it happening again.

 

[stoatyboy]

How annoying

how long did you store it for and where (damp garage?)

I have a block plane made by 'faithful' (yeah I know - but I didn't when I bought it) anyway that's got it's own natty little wooden box which I stored it in in my garage over winter after spraying with wd40 with silica gel bags in it and the sole went well rusty - much worse in fact than my record 5.5 which was just out on the side with liberon lubricating wax all over it

so perhaps wooden boxes arn't very good for storage or Dakota cast iron likes to rust

I'd lap the sole till it's gone and store it under my pillow next time - or failing that cover it in something waxy

but there's loads of other (probably better) advice which you've probably seen as you've searched - basically it's a lesson learned about how fast stuff can rust - and better learned on that than on a LN or similar I suppose

good luck

 

[DTR]

There's a few interesting posts regarding rusting tools in this thread.

 

[Dissolve]

It was under a bed in a bedroom :l but anyways. what do people use to prevent rusting planes? Aside from wiping it down and storing it in a lie nielson sock.. what else would people recommend?

 

[Dangermouse]

If your plane is going to be left unused for a long time I would recommend, putting it a plastic bag and using one of those food sealing machines that pump the air out of the bag and then heat seal it. First put in some moisture absorbing crystals and a little WD40. Rust has to have oxygen and H2O to form. So if you can remove as much as possible from the environment of the the plane then there should be no rust.

 

[Blister]

I store all my planes in the house

put some wax on the soles and that's about it

I would not advise WD40 as you are introducing wet . I know its supposed to free up rusted bolts etc but do not think it is marketed as a long term storage solution

A good coat of wax and air circulation is all mine get and no rust has showed up :wink:

 

[Dissolve]

Great, any kind of wax? Bees wax do the trick?

 

[Blister]

Great, any kind of wax? Bees wax do the trick?

I normally use candle wax

Make sure you retract the blade then lay the candle on its side and run it up and down along the sole till you get a good coat :wink:

 

[Mike Wingate]

I use wide flat "Tea Light" candles of this.

 

[Blister]

Don't forget to do the cheeks / sides as well :wink:

 

[Blister]

I use wide flat "Tea Light" candles of this.

Thanks a good idea 8)

 

[Jamesc]

I would not advise WD40 as you are introducing wet . I know its supposed to free up rusted bolts etc but do not think it is marketed as a long term storage solution

I'll second this, WD40 is useless in my experience at preventing rust, there was a detailed discussion on an engineering forum (I can't remember where) a while back. The conclusion was that WD40 actully encourages rust, something to do with its Water Displacement (WD) properties.

Have a look at VCI emitters such as http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Protection-Grease-Adhesives/Corrosion-Protection (no connection) or the VCI paper (that funny brown paper all tools used to come wrapped in) the emitters work great for me.

Also 9fingers of this parish had a solution which if I recall involved a small heat source in an enclosed space, something like a very low wattage bulb in a tool cabinet to keep your precious tools above the dew point.

James

 

[Alf]

Regarding wax, you're better off with a paste wax for rust prevention, as it'll get in all the nooks and crannies. Renaissance Wax is the fancy choice, but any neutral wax will do the job.

 

[Harbo]

I keep all my tools in my shop which is my attached garage - no longer used to house vehicles.
The garage is not insulated and quite draughty but I do not bring wet objects into it.
I keep my tools in chest of drawers which during the cold months I have a low wattage tubular heater placed underneath.
My planes and chisels are sprayed with camellia oil and I check them weekly during winter. My saws I coat with Bison furniture wax and my cast iron with Liberon Lubricating wax.
So far no rust.

Rod

 

[Sawyer]

I've had this problem on occasions, but only when tools have been out of use for some time. Perhaps there's a moral there - serves me right for not working enough! I could suggest that good tools need a home in a nice warm living room. The china collection is immune to rust, so can be put in the garage while your Cliftons & Lie-Nielsons take its place (they look nicer anyway). My wife has been less than convinced by this argument however, so other solutions have needed to be found.

Seriously though, Briwax is good for this and a great saw/plane lubricant to boot. After that, air circulation, warmth (if possible) and vigilence. It's also good policy to wipe handprints off steel when you put into storage. Skin secretions and sweat are good rust promoters, especially in warm weather.

I've read elsewhere that some makes of tool may be more rust prone due to the type of metal. Something to do with the amount of cromium in the steel, I think; but I'll leave that question to the metallurgists.

By the way, it occurred to me just the other day, that if using a waterstone to hone plane irons, be sure to dry it very thoroughly - you don't want to trap moisture under the cap iron, &c. or else - you can guess the rest....

Perhaps I'll revert to an oilstone for my planes. That also leaves you with oily hands, which is good for your tools, if not for curly maple.

 

[Handrubbed]

It wasn't clear to me if you had your plane in the sock during the period in which it rusted. I have experienced several episodes of rusting planes while they were encased in those socks. They are a sort of wick, afterall. That eroded area on the sole of your plane that you show in your photo tells me that there was pooled water there; not just some condensation. I'm afraid that lapping alone will not erase that scar. Your plane should be surface ground since you have to precisely remove at least a thou of metal from the entire plane bottom. Lapping a #5 sole by hand would be an arduous task and most likely would result in a sole that was out of flat along its length, even if the scar is abraded away. Your alternative to surface grinding ( by a machinist) would be doing nothing. Hand lapping would be a poor third.

You should investigate where water would have originated and dripped onto your planes. Perhaps a spill on the floor above or a leaking bit of plumbing?

 

[Sawyer]

Personally, I wouldn't bother too much about the scar. With similar problems, I've just rubbed the area smooth with wire wool (no risk of abrading an hollow in the sole) and waxed.

What matters is flatness, which shouldn't be affected by the patch. Unsightly though it is, I don't think that mark will make the slightest difference to the plane's performance. By the time it has done a lot of work and got that well-used look, it will hardly show anyway.

It's still annoying though.

 

[o_LuCaS_o]

Hi!

Handrubbed mentioned a possibility of a leak from the plumbing. I had a similar problem with rust patches a few times and the cause was more trivial. As far as I'm aware of the nature of the problem, it was nothing else than a droplet or few of my own sweat! It may seem funny, but I, at least, sometimes get pouring when planning and if one's not careful then and lets the perspiration dry on a tool...then your sentenced to rust patches

Take care and beware of your own sweat
Lukasz.

 

[jimi43]

The only plane I have had rust is a No.7 which was purchased in its original fancy pine box with sliding lid and then it only rusted on the sole where it touched the pine and at the tip of the toe where it touched the pine box at the front.

Clearly the wood was the reason it rusted...probably moisture content or absorption of water from the atmosphere.

I would never ever store planes in a wooden box after seeing this.

I am a huge fan of Renaissance Wax too...and Camelia Oil...or any one of the products that Matthew sells at Workshop Heaven for the express purpose of preventing rust.

After all the threads on the UKW about rusting planes...this winter...I am storing all my raw steel tools inside...the ones I value anyway! I am building a shelving unit in the spare room in readiness.

Jim

 

[Peter Sefton]

I am not sure that heat necessarily means dry, it’s all about relative humidity in the air I will stop now as I am going into unknown territory.

I do know that storing tools in leather can increase the risk of rust! And one of my old Record block planes pick up a bit of rust from my hands recently.

Any way just spotted some Zerust Corrosion Inhibiting Storage Bags from Rutland’s on special offer. No idea if they work but worth a try!


http://www.rutlands.co.uk/workshop-&-po ... orage-bags

Also some great offers and an extra 10% off for father’s day, blessum