Need Help!- Surface Rust

[seiz0r]

I just cleaned all exposed metal parts on my machine yesterday. Today I came back into my garage and the whole thing has surface rust on it. It might be because I turn on the heat when I'm working in the garage "detatched" and when I leave it drops back down. How can I can I stop the rust besides greasing the whole thing down? Thanks in advance.. Gerry

[Geof]

Originally Posted by seiz0r ... How can I can I stop the rust besides greasing the whole thing down? Thanks in advance.. Gerry

You cannot really. In an unheated space the machine cools down along with everything else, the relative humidity goes up and you get condensation from the air.

You could try keeping the heat on at a low level to keep the humidity down but the best solution is to keep a thin film of oil on bare metal surfaces.

[Donkey Hotey]

What did you 'clean' all the surfaces with? Brake cleaner? Alcohol? Or did you use something like WD-40?

I live in a dry climate so it's not exactly the same but I always have a can of WD-40 and 0000 steel wool near the machines. I regularly spray things down with the WD and I scrub any stubborn stuff with the steel wool.

I rarely wipe the residue unless I'm about to mount tooling to the table. If I'm doing that, I wipe, then shoot another coat of WD-40 before the item gets bolted to the table.

[HimyKabibble]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey What did you 'clean' all the surfaces with? Brake cleaner? Alcohol? Or did you use something like WD-40? I live in a dry climate so it's not exactly the same but I always have a can of WD-40 and 0000 steel wool near the machines. I regularly spray things down with the WD and I scrub any stubborn stuff with the steel wool. I rarely wipe the residue unless I'm about to mount tooling to the table. If I'm doing that, I wipe, then shoot another coat of WD-40 before the item gets bolted to the table.

Same here. I buy WD40 in gallon cans, and always have an old Windex bottle filled with WD40. When I clean up the machine, I give it a good spray with WD40.

If you're using any kind of unvented combustion heater, you should seriously consider switching to electric space heaters. *Any* unvented combustion heater (propane, natural gas, kerosene, wood, etc.) will *add* enormous amounts of moisture to the air. An electric heater is the only kind that won't do this. If your heater is vented (i.e. - combustion products go outside the space), then you're OK.

In any case, keeping the machine coated with some kind of oil at all times is your only defense against rust. What you *really* need to avoid is allowing cold, moist air into the room. Never leave a door open when the machines are cold, as that is an invitation to condensation on the machines. Keep the room sealed up as well as possible, so that when it does cool down, it does so very slowly.

Regards,
Ray L.

[Fraese]

Late reply but this may be of interest for many.

I won the battle with moisture and resulting corrosion by installing a dehumidifier and leaving it connected 24/7. (The collection bucket is hooked to a garden hose that drains to the outside).

[MetalicGlow]

Originally Posted by seiz0r I just cleaned all exposed metal parts on my machine yesterday. Today I came back into my garage and the whole thing has surface rust on it. It might be because I turn on the heat when I'm working in the garage "detatched" and when I leave it drops back down. How can I can I stop the rust besides greasing the whole thing down? Thanks in advance.. Gerry

If you are having problems of that magnitude, You should keep a fresh dehumidifying product such as DampRid INSIDE of the electronics cabinet at all times. It would not hurt to also use a wire with alligator clips and run a ground from the collection container to the chassis to help prevent static buildup.