Plane storage / rust on bottom question
alanplanesaw
| Posted in General Discussion on
I set some planes in a wooden drawer with a plywood bottom. A few of them developed some rust on bottom. Thankfully nothing damaging but it made me realize I need to put something down on the plywood , or set the plane on something other than the plywood so it won’t rust.
What should I cover the bottom of the drawer with so my planes don’t rust.
Alan – planesaw
Edited 4/6/2007 11:26 pm ET by Planesaw
Replies
Grease proof paper will fix it. Or you could change the drawer bottom and use a ply that does not have urea formaldehyde type glue- I think that is the culprit. My spare 14'' radial saw blade was rusting/corroding until I removed the ply washer that was keeping it in place in the cupboard.....
Philip,
Where would I find such grease proof paper? Is there a brand name?
Thanks,
Alan - planesaw
Alan- the type of paper cooks use for baking.Maybe it is called waxed paper in other places.Here it is found at the supermarket.Philip Marcou
Philip,
Thank you. Yes, "wax paper" would be a common name up here. I like the suggestion.
Thanks,
Alan - planesaw
The paper he is referring to is parchment paper. It is paper impregnated with silicone. You can find it at most Supermarkets or cooking specialty stores. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
CT,
Philip suggested wax paper which I am familiar with. Since my wife does not allow me in the grocery store :-) I am not familiar with parchment paper. I'll check it out.
I notice you work with a nonprofit. I do also. Volunteers of America. What sort of organization are you with?
Thanks for your suggestion,
Alan - planesaw
I'm a United Methodist pastor. http://www.aumc.org is our web address. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
Lie-Nielsen (and others I suppose) sells the rust inhibiting paper that their new planes come wrapped in. I don't know if the parchment paper will do the same thing. I live in a VERY humid environment on the Texas Gulf Coast, and I have not had a significant problem with rust on my hand tools. I do have to be very diligent about keeping my cast iron surfaces on my machines waxed. My planes stay in a cabinet in the garage, and it's not a heated or (unfortunately) cooled space. You can also wipe them down with camellia oil, or a light machine oil or WD-40 would also work. Have a great weekend. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
Tom,
Glad to "meet" you. I have an older cousin, Ed Matthews, who is a retired Methodist pastor, may have even been a bishop. As I recall he was pastor of what I'll call the main Methodist church in Little Rock. Was also with Hendrix College at one time I think.
In my work in Pennsylvania, we contract with UMCOR to provide services for Hurricane Katrina evacuees in western Pennsylvania.
Back to woodworking. I wax my planes, and may simply not have done a good job on the bottom of the couple that developed a bit of rust on the bottom, or I do need to get them off the plywood. I assume the plywood is slightly moist in humid conditions.
Regardless, I am going to put something down over the ply and make sure I do a better job waxing them.
Thanks,
Alan - planesaw
AlanGreat to "meet" you as well. My planes all stay in a cabinet that is laminate, and I really don't know if that helps/hurts or doesn't matter. I do know that a thin film of wax or oil will prevent rust from forming. Plane socks that are impregnated with silicone are supposed to be good as well, and don't impart enough silicone to the plane to rub off on the wood and thereby interfere with the finish. That may be why parchment paper works, if it does. Makes sense, though. Whichever you choose, good luck with it.
UMCOR is a great ministry of the church. The UMCOR Sager-Brown Center in Baldwin, LA is a tremendous facility. They ship out goods all over the world from there. They were spared in Katrina, and were host to many folks for a while. Take care and have a great Easter. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
My wife bought a shower mat - rubber with bumps on it and holes between the bumps. (Lots of air circulation.) It was the wrong size for the shower so I cut to fit the the shelves where I store my planes. Might be cheaper than specialized products.Frosty
I store my plane on a rubberized sheet that you can get at Wal-Mart. It will be with the shelf liner in the houseware area. It is almost identical to the non-slip mats that are sold through Woodcraft and Rockler, except the cost is much lower. It also comes in several colors if you are into that mode. Not only is it an open weave look, but the rubber like properties allows you to set your plane down on the sole without fear of damaging your edge. Hope this helps. Tommy
Edited 4/7/2007 11:43 am ET by TEXAS70
Tommy,
Are you talking about the sort with with lots of holes in it? If so, I know what you are talking about. If not, please describe.
Alan - planesaw
Yes. That is what I am referring to in my post. It is made by Duck Co and is called Easy Liner. I buy mine at Wal-Mart.
You may have had good luck with the rubberized drawer liner but in general they are risky to use.
I have found that many of the liners and thicker foams contain chemicals that leach out and will cause rapid rusting of iron and steel. I have even had this problem with matting that was meant to be used in tool drawers. There is no way to tell whether or not a rubber or plastic liner will cause trouble.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
John, Bob, forestgirl,
Thanks for your ideas. I know the rubberized mats, but have been reluctant to use them based on some experience. Bought some new-old stock chisels that were wrapped with bubble wrap. Had to use paint thinner to get the pattern off the chisel blades. No damage, just extra work.
And the desicants (sp?) -- I have been saving some as I got them in packaging. But, I didn't know to put them in the microwave to rejuvenate them.
Thanks,
Alan - planesaw
Alan, John, forestgirl, ALL
Whoa.
I'm seeing posts on the inet that rejuvenation of the silica packets is done with a 240° oven. I may be wrong about the microwave. I'll try to get the definitive answer and will post.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/9/2007 1:50 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
I keep a lot of my small hand tools in a roll-around mechanics tool box. It's all steel and has lots of drawer space with a liner in each drawer.
All of my planes go in one of the drawers - on their sides. I learned that from my grandfather. He never sat a plane down on it's iron and he didn't want to retract it after each use.
Dave,
Good alternative. Thanks.
Alan - planesaw
My planes are stored out in the open on pegboard straight arms that are covered with tygon(plastic) tubing. Plenty of air circulation that way.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Alan,
I keep mine in a cabinet hung up on the wall behind the bench. There is a section of soon to be drawers/shelves underneath, the top most drawer has 2 25 watt bulbs & fixtures mounted inside. Holes are drilled in the top and through all the shelves in the plane cabinet above to let warm air circulate throughout.
Keep the planes Butcher waxed and have had no problems with rust. The woodshop isn't heated all the time so it experiences some pretty wild temp. swings.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/8/2007 7:39 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Edited 4/8/2007 7:41 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Bob,
I like the light bulb idea. Have heard of it, but just haven't thought of doing it myself. My planes are in large drawers made for them in an 8 drawer tool cabinet. Four drawers on the left and four on the right. I could do a bulb at the back of each of the two sections. That, plus putting down something over the plywood and my problem should be solved.
Thanks,
Alan - planesaw
Also keep those little silica packets scattered about, on the shelves.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
Where can you buy those?
Alan - planesaw
Alan,
I collected mine when in the computer business. Used to work for Wang, Cabletron etc. and we'd get thousands of them in shipments of parts. OH, and you can rejuvenate them in the micro for a few seconds.
I've never seen them in a retail outlet, but as I live in a very small town........... Maybe Home Depot - but don't ask the clerks for dessicants!
Google silica packets or dessicants. You'll get a slew of hits, mabe find someone local to you.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/9/2007 11:29 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
I've not tried them yet, but Lowe's carries a line (Kobalt?) of tools trays that have anti-rust liners in them. I think you can buy the liners separately. Might want to check them out.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Alan,
I have lived in high humidity locations and have had no problems with rust on my plane soles. I have used Minwax paste wax on them all and no rust.
Greg
GW,
Your wording was key to the situation. I, too, use Minwax on my planes.
BUT, apparently I missed the soles of a couple of them. I would not have thought it to be much of a problem since they were sitting on the plywood bottoms of drawers.
So, I am going to do two things. 1. Make sure I wax them a bit more frequently, hitting the soles first. 2. Put some sort of a liner down.
Pennsylvania is not exactly a high humidity area compared to coastal areas. But my shop is not specifically heated or cooled.
Good to know the paste wax works.
Alan - planesaw
Alan,
An idea that might work for you is to use a small board to lift the planes off the shelf surface -- kind of like a sticker for wood stacks. I use a 1" X 1" X (required length for the shelf) for mine, which both keeps the iron off the surface and allows air circulation. Might help some, in addition to the wax and other measures.
.<!----><!----><!---->
Tschüß!<!----><!---->
<!----><!---->James<!----><!---->
<!----> <!---->
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that...."
-- A.C. Clarke
pzgren,
Wow, great minds think a like. That was actually my first thought, which would also deal with not having to retract the cutter, but I wanted to check out my options for a liner of some sort.
Thank you kind sir,
Alan - planesaw
Alan,
Two things come to mind.
1. Line the drawer botoms with waxed paper.
2. Lay the planes on their sides.
That's after waxing all bright steel.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Alan,
I store my planes on their sides in a drawer that is fitted with a high density foam. I cut the outline of the plane out of the foam to keep them from sliding around and a quick look I know if some of them are not where they should be.
Greg
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled