How To Prevent My Hand Tools From Rusting

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I have a Greenlee box that holds my seldom-used tools. To prevent them from rusting, I placed a small block of camphor in the box. The camphor slowly sublimates and deposits a corrosion-inhibiting film on everything in the Greenlee.

Downside: it smells remarkably like a urinal cake. Upside: absolutely no corrosion.



SceneryDriver
 
kwired said:
Because auto shop tools seldom leave the nice environment of the shop. They don't go out in the rain or cold, they don't lay on the ground and get mud, sand, masonry dust, drywall dust, or who knows what else splashed, kicked on them or are subjected to submersion in said items. What do they commonly get on them - grease, oil, antifreeze, and other items that actually help protect from oxidation.
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Mine leave the shop, get rained on and get laid or dropped in the dirt. I use some of them for electrical work. All my Snap on tools look brand new and they are around 20 years old. I have some Craftsman wrenches that are twice that old and have no rust on them. The other day I found a part of a motorcycle tool kit. It was dirty, but not rusted and about 40 years old.

I got rain in my toolbox once and didn't notice it for a couple days. When I got back to that tool box (I have several) all the tools, including the Kleins, were rusted with the exception of the ratchet and socket kit I bought at Advance Auto.

Has anyone ever seen a SnapOn hand wrench with rust on it?

I no longer buy Klien anything. I have a pair of Channelok linesmans that cost about 12 bucks and are better than any of the Kliens I own. After about a year, cutting wire with Klien linesmans is almost impossible. Not so with the Channeloks.

I use cheap 5-1 screwdrivers. They don't grow legs like the Kliens do and you can afford to have several sets. The bit quality is lacking, but still good for many, many uses.

I spent many years as an ASE auto tech wrenching on cars before I came into the trade. The first thing I noticed was how crappy electrician's tools were, even the ever so popular Kliens.
 
K8MHZ said:
Mine leave the shop, get rained on and get laid or dropped in the dirt. I use some of them for electrical work. All my Snap on tools look brand new and they are around 20 years old. I have some Craftsman wrenches that are twice that old and have no rust on them. The other day I found a part of a motorcycle tool kit. It was dirty, but not rusted and about 40 years old.

I got rain in my toolbox once and didn't notice it for a couple days. When I got back to that tool box (I have several) all the tools, including the Kleins, were rusted with the exception of the ratchet and socket kit I bought at Advance Auto.

Has anyone ever seen a SnapOn hand wrench with rust on it?

I no longer buy Klien anything. I have a pair of Channelok linesmans that cost about 12 bucks and are better than any of the Kliens I own. After about a year, cutting wire with Klien linesmans is almost impossible. Not so with the Channeloks.

I use cheap 5-1 screwdrivers. They don't grow legs like the Kliens do and you can afford to have several sets. The bit quality is lacking, but still good for many, many uses.

I spent many years as an ASE auto tech wrenching on cars before I came into the trade. The first thing I noticed was how crappy electrician's tools were, even the ever so popular Kliens.
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I don't really ever use linesman pliers. I do use strippers, diagonal cutters, long nose pliers and screwdrivers and knife that would commonly be Klien, or other popular electrician brands. The screwdrivers have similar plating as say Snap on or other popular mechanic wrenches/socket sets and don't ever have any rust on them either. Not sure how practical this plating would be to use on a linesman pliers? I think Snap-on, Craftsman and others likely do have some similar electrician tools - but likely are not plated this way either and are about as subject to rust.

The klien knife I prefer to use doesn't rust - it is a stainless steel blade.

I do have Craftsman socket set that does have rust on some pieces that have chips in the outer plating
 
junkhound said:
SD has lots of flaxseed oil (linseed).

Coat your tools with linseed oil.

Or, even better, coat with linseed oil and bury in a SS pan with bone mean covering the tools.
Leave in the oven for 2 hours at 380F.

Now you have a nice Smith and Wesson type bluing, even nicer than shiny, eh?
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Is that boiled or raw linseed oil??
 
K8MHZ said:
Why bother as long as they are usable?

Some people equate new looking tools with tools that are seldom used.

One thing I always wondered was why top line auto tools never rust, but top line tools for the electrical trade do. It has to be more than just plating.
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Kind of the same thing I was thinking.
 
K8MHZ said:
I no longer buy Klien anything. The first thing I noticed was how crappy electrician's tools were, even the ever so popular Kliens.
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For many years there wasn't a lot of competition, if you wanted tools with insulated grips or handles you had to purchase Klien tools at the supply house. If you didn't have Klien tools you were not a real electrician.

In the mid or late 80s I purchased a set of Ideal nut drivers and was surprised at the quality. I still like Ideal tools, benders, fish tapes, side cutters, screw drivers, nut drivers and wire strippers. But you get more respect if you carry them around in a Klien bag.
 
Knipex

Knipex

Knipex 8" pliers & 9" angled side cutters. Worth every penny. I stopped using kleins years ago... Just got tired of the quality control...
 
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