How best to protect toolkit tools from rust?

[mhackney]

Last year I carefully cleaned and treated the tools in my kit with WD40 and a Scotchbright to remove the very little surface rust that a few tools had. I then treated the tools with Gibbs and packed them away. Last week when I was dealing with my flat tire issue I opened the kit to use the lug wrench. A number of the tools had a thin layer of bright orange rust on them even after the treatment above. Not all of the tools had this though, a few of the wrenches and 2 of the screwdrivers were the primary issue. So my question is, what is the best way to treat these to prevent this from happening again? I do have a blast cabinet and can soda or glass bead blast to insure the rust is removed if that's a good idea but then what to use to protect them from future rust?

[john walker's workshop]

VHT satin clear works good.

[mhackney]

Thanks John, is this the stuff: https://amzn.com/B000CPJLGW

[mderienzo]

Red wine vinegar overnight removes rust.

A light coating of Ballistol has been working for me to keep the tools rust free. Wipe down and renew every 6-12 months.

Mark

[yelcab1]

If you care that much about the tools, keep them inside the garage. And buy a small Craftsman set of tools for use in emergencies.

[mhackney]

I didn't think there would be an issue with leaving them in the car. The original toolkits from my 62 roadster and 70 911S were in the car for many more decades and they didn't have any rust on them.

[Bill Verburg]

In the old days a light coat of kerosene did the trick, WD40 might serve as well

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by mhackney

Thanks John, is this the stuff: https://amzn.com/B000CPJLGW

I'm not sure you want to clear coat your toolkit.
I'd go with a light coating of oil or WD40

[mhackney]

I had used Gibbs last year and thought that would provide some protection as it is touted as a corrosion inhibitor. I love it on the magnesium shroud and my fan. But it didn't seem to do much on these tools. I might get a box or bag to keep all my tools together and add some desiccant packs as an extra measure. I do carry other "working tools" but I don't like separating stuff that belongs with the car. That Ballistol looks interesting. I'm a bit of a cleaner/lubricant/polish/wax junky so I probably should have it in my collection.

[billybek]

Crazy thought but how about a food saver and vacuum bag your tools?

[mhackney]

I did a little research on Gibbs vs Ballistol and came across this really cool research: Interesting weapon lubricant test | Breach Bang Clear

I had't heard of many of those products! The test and results are documented here: https://www.shootersforum.com/gun-cleaning/91566-results-gun-care-product-evaluation.html

He tested many many attributes of these materials, many of which are important to Porsches as well as guns! His friction test setup is a poor man's version of expensive instruments but worked really well. This guy is a man after my own heart when it comes to testing and research!


The above was with a salt water spray. He also did tests outdoors with water mist/rain. Here's that test:


Test board #3 is more of a real world air exposure test over a long time.

[sugarwood]

So it came down to FrogLube and WD-40 .

[mhackney]

NOT WD-40 - WD-40 Specialist Rust Release Penetrant Spray This is a completely different product from the standard blue/yellow can WD-40. He tested standard WD-40 and it didn't fare so well.

[mhackney]

I got the WD-40 Specialist Rust Release Penetrant Spray. This morning I gently bead blasted the tools to remove the loose rust. Then I sprayed on the new WD-40. This stuff is not your Dad's WD-40! It doesn't smell like WD-40, it doesn't look like WD-40 and it isn't liquid like WD-40. It is a creamy white viscous material that applies and sticks to the metal. I wiped it off after spraying on and then allowed to "dry" for an hour in the sun. The tools look great and feel like they have a protective film on them. Now for the time trial.

[group911@aol.co]

Maybe figure out where the moisture in your trunk is coming from would be a good start.

[mhackney]

In New England it is called humidity My trunk is dry and the car is garaged. I had a few tools in my tool cabinet that also had some rust that I treated the same way last year. This is typical humidity induced surface rust. The Gibbs did not fare well in the test the gent did so it is not surprising in retrospect.

[group911@aol.co]

So, I'm assuming your "The original toolkits from my 62 roadster and 70 911S were in the car for many more decades and they didn't have any rust on them" were in another country?

Originally Posted by mhackney

In New England it is called humidity My trunk is dry and the car is garaged. I had a few tools in my tool cabinet that also had some rust that I treated the same way last year. This is typical humidity induced surface rust. The Gibbs did not fare well in the test the gent did so it is not surprising in retrospect.

[mhackney]

Why would you assume that when there is a more plausible (and non confrontational) explanation? Both of those kits came to me in very good condition. In fact, the tools looked plated. The 83 kit came to me looking dull with some dark areas that looked like corrosion. The car was in northern CA for 15 years. I left the tools like that until last year when I cleaned them. These tools did not seem to be plated like the earlier tools and perhaps the abrasion from cleaning and an ineffective treatment left them vulnerable to humidity.

[RichardNew]

Be careful with whatever you do.

It seems that you're trying to preserve the tools. Spray painting them is not preservation. Here's the standard definition of preservation.

The essence of preservation is stabilization. Preservation is an effort to decrease the rate of deterioration. It involves maintaining the condition of the car.

Then we have conservation.

Conservation is where objects are cleaned and stabilized to ensure their survival. This must be done without removing the evidence of their past life. Conservation may also mean that you do things to the car in order to make it more acceptable for display or in an attempt to enhance the car’s condition and operation. Again, these things should be done in such a way that no evidence of originality is removed.

I'm sure that by this point you can see that I suffer from OCD. Nonetheless it's sort of important to maintain the original finish.

I sort of agree with yelcab1. Just keep them out of the car and preserve them. Use some craftsman tools in a tool roll for daily use.

Richard Newton