New subject: how to keep tools in humid enviroment free of rust?

Quoted text begins.RE: "I was thinking of using some kind of tool oil..."
End of quote.

Hi Dulce,

Living in Atlanta is not quite as humid as Miami, but it is a problem for
me -- especially as the studio very small with no heat or air
conditioning.

Though oils can certainly be used during the rough carving stages, but
they are messy. And splatters of non-drying lubricating oils can stain
your stone if they are used near the piece during the finishing or
polishing stages.

For files and rasps you don't want to use any oil at all -- they will
make the teeth clog up. Use a file card and/or a fine stiff-bristled
brush (brass or plastic bristles - not steel which will dull the cutting
edges) to keep the teeth clean. If anything, keep some talcum powder
handy to keep the files 'lubricated' for smooth cutting, though I don't
think it will help much with the rust. A canvas tool roll with
individual pockets, or a box with dividers will keep the moisture off and
also prevent the tools from hitting each other and dulling the teeth. If
you can find it, blocks of camphor are sold and used for absorbing
moisture in a closed container (moisture that otherwise would rust the
tools). Other products are also made for doing this: check with a fine
woodworking tool supply company -- woodworkers are generally more picky
about protecting their tools than stonecarvers. The little packages of
desiccant that often come in retail packages of food or electronics which
are labeled "Do Not Eat" can also be saved and used in small containers
to absorb moisture, or the chemical (silica-gel) can be purchased in bulk
at hobby shops for drying flowers - but then you need to package it in
something porous so it will allow the moisture to be absorbed.

For doing the whole room you can buy products in pint or quart-sized
containers (sometimes in a cloth bag) that work the same way, but are
less-expensive than the silica-gel -- ask at your local hardware store
(the big box like Home Depot will carry them, but the chance of getting
an employee who knows what you're talking about is unlikely). The
products are marketed primarily for use in closets and basements. After
a month or two in the spring (perhaps only weeks in Miami!), the
saturated chemical (granulated so it can be poured out of container) can
be put in a warm oven on a cookie tray (preferably a jelly-roll pan with
sides) and dried out for re-use.

I have little hope of reducing the humidity in all of my neighborhood,
and since I generally leave my studio doors open for ventilation when I
am working, I don't bother with the dessicants except for those tools
that don't get used often and are kept in little-opened containers. For
instance when I find a good deal on new files I buy several, and take out
only one to use while keeping the extra ones in a drawer with a camphor
block or desiccant.

For carving chisels I use paint. The paint helps control the rust,
though the primary reason I use paint rather than the 'Turp-Oil'
described below is because I allow students to use my tools. I use the
paint to color-code the types of chisel (hammer-head=red,
mallet-head=orange, and pneumatic=green) to make it easier for the
students to keep track of what kind of striking tool is supposed to be
used with each type chisel.
The tools are coated with two light coats of spray paint except for the
inch-or-so of the cutting end and the striking head. When painting
tools: they need to be clean first by wire-brushing the rust off and then
wiping with acetone a few minutes before painting). The cutting edge
still tends to rust a bit, but I keep a motor on which an arbor-mounted
6"-diameter fine rotary wire brush for cleaning the dust off the tools
after use. A hand-held wire brush can be used, but will take-up a lot
more of your valuable studio time.

If you don't want to color your chisels, then you might want to try this
simple formula I use for those vintage or antique tools which I still use
but which I want protected from rust and don't want to paint.
This is the same formula that we use to keep antique tools in the Bennett
History Museum's collections looking good but 'natural.' The tools
should be free of any loose rust (fine wire-brush them or use steel
wool), but light rust is not only OK, but preferred over bright, shiny
metal. Turpentine and boiled linseed oil are mixed half-and-half, and
then brushed or wiped on with a rag covering the tool completely. The
tools are laid aside for 15-30 minutes, then the excess is wiped-off with
a clean rag or paper towel. Allow the tools to dry for at least an hour
(though overnight is preferable if you don't want a strong whiff of
turpentine when you next open the container) before packing them into
your canvas bag or other storage container. This coating is transparent
and as durable as a thin coat of paint, and will not leave any 'color' on
your carving like paint does. Wood-handled tools are further 'finished'
by using a homemade solution similar to the commercially-available but
hard-to-find product called 'Finish Feeder' (basically turpentine and
beeswax).

The 'Turp-Oil' mixture can be stored for years and used whenever needed
to recoat the inevitable wear on the cutting-ends. In addition for use
on my vintage tools, I use it for the unpainted portions of my metal
studio fixtures, such as vises, anvil, etc.

Good Carving to You,
Don

http://www.dondougan.homestead.com/indexdd.html