Except for the lucky few, workshops, especially in the UK, are damp.  Dampness - or humidity - means that your beautiful shiny new tools (and that includes machine tools) are being attacked, damaged and devalued by corrosion from the minute they are brought into your workshop.  If you use any form of external combustion heating in your workshop, of course, then you are exacerbating the problem.  If you are a site worker, then the rain, snow, fog and mist will be having the same effect - but probably at an even greater rate!

Woodworkers have used many and varied ways of trying to combat this silent menace: wrapping tools in oily rags, spraying them with WD-40, applying coats of grease or wax, and so on.  The problem with all of these methods is that they are generally short-term, don't work too well and frequently require you to clean the protective "gunge" off the tool before you can start to use it.  Shield Technology products are different: for a start they really work; secondly they are easy to apply and maintain; and they are each made to suit a particular purpose so no need to compromise on performance.

If your tools have gone "beyond the pale" and already look like recently-unearthed archaeological remains, then there's even a rust remover product which works equally effectively.  Almost nothing is beyond hope!

If you keep your tools in a toolbox or similar, closed, container then probably the best long-term protection is to use ToolGuard VCI in your toolbox where it will work to release a protective vapour, each container being sufficient to protect a 50 litre (2 cu. ft.) volume for up to 12 months  VCI offers simple, effective, unbeaten protection against corrosion.  The released vapours contain active corrosion inhibitors specifically designed to protect iron and steel in damp and humid conditions (Up to 100% RH).  ToolGuard VCI is available in packs of three or ten units to give on-going protection to your tools.

Machinery tables, lathe beds and similar large exposed surface can be particularly vulnerable to corrosion since, by their very nature, these items cannot easily be stored away from the dampness lurking in the workshop.  For protecting these items, but equally suitable for use on exposed hand tools such as saw blades, chisel blades, hand plane soles etc. we recommend the use of ProtecTool Wax Polish .  The product is a soft paste wax designed specifically to protect iron and steel tools and machinery from corrosion.  Unlike ordinary wax polishes which, at best, can offer only barrier protection, ProtecTool contains a unique blend of powerful contact corrosion inhibitors suspended in a highly refined microcrystalline wax carrier.  ProtecTool does not contain silicone compounds.

ProtecTool can be buffed to a sheen producing a low friction surface which eases the passage of timber across the machine table, reduces the effort of hand planing and counteracts blade jamming when sawing.  No need to worry if your timber is damp or if damp shavings rest on your lathe bed: with ProtecTool Wax, your machine beds are protected.

MetalGuard Ultra is designed to give long-term protection to ferrous products by creating a micro-thin (two microns) coating on the surface, giving up to 2 years' protection against corrosion.  The film is clear and will not yellow with age and parts can easily be wiped clean.  This product has powerful water-displacement characteristics and thus can even be used to coat wet parts.  MetalGuard may be applied by brush, spray or dipping.  This product does not contain silicones and complies with DEF STAN 68-10/2 (PX24) and NATO CODE C-634.  It is harmless to most plastics, rubbers and paints.

Shield Technology GreaseXtra is designed for coating parts which may be held in stock for some time in damp conditions, insuring against deterioration during storage.  GreaseXtra contains a high proportion of unique, powerful corrosion inhibitors suspended in a highly refined gelled mineral oil. It produces a "self-healing" film which is capable of creeping and migrating into rolled or pressed seams and other small cavities where electrolytic action can create a galvanic cell causing rapid and potentially catastrophic deterioration of parts.  Being a grease, this product can also be used to both lubricate and protect larger items of equipment operating in damp conditions.  Removal is easy using a cloth dampened with white spirit.

There is something that seems intrinsically perverse about sharpening ferrous tools using water.  Excellent though wetstone grinders such as the Tormek can be at sharpening tools, it is essential that tools are thoroughly dried after sharpening.  Unless, that is, you render the water in your wetstone grinder trough non-corrosive by using HoneRite Gold in the water.  This superb product is simply mixed with water to be used in the trough of the grinder and thereafter will inhibit corrosion both in the tools sharpened and in the machine itself.

The same tool-saving characteristics make HoneRite Gold the fluid of choice for lubricating Japanese waterstones and diamond sharpening systems of both perforated and solid plate construction.

HoneRite Gold is supplied as a concentrate: each 250 ml tin makes up into 6 litres of non-corroding honing fluid.

If you work with India stones or natural sharpening stones such as Arkansas or Washita stones, then HoneRite #1 is the product for you.  It is a dual-action ultra-low viscosity honing and lapping fluid which speeds and eases sharpening by hand.  Its low viscosity makes it a fast cutting fluid whilst its powerful anti-corrosive additives continue to protect your tools after sharpening.  HoneRite does not contain silicones.  Old, clogged oilstones can be revived by soaking the stone in HoneRite and scrubbing with an old toothbrush or similar to remove the loosened debris from the pores of the stone.

If this talk of corrosion prevention seems to be a little late in the day for your tools, then there's still no need to despair.  Those clever folk at Shield Technology have a solution even for this sorry state of affairs.  Restore Rust Remover will not only remove built-up rust but it will also continue to protect your tools after the initial rust has been removed.

The non-acidic, water-based formulation of Restore only removes the rust from your tools and will not attack plastics, rubbers and non-ferrous metals.  The solution is biodegradable when spent and is very economical in use with the 500 ml bottle making up a solution of 10 litres for rust remover, for normal use. 

Parts need to be degreased before treatment with Restore Rust Remover and for this purpose Restore Pre-Clean is ideal.  This product too is biodegradable and supplied as a concentrate which is made up to the required strength using water.  Loose rust should be removed by wire brushing before using either of the products mentioned here.

Instructions for use are provided on the product labels.

©1997-2008 P. Hemsley.  The information on this website is the copyright property of Peter Hemsley.  Coeur du Bois and The ToolPost are trading styles of Peter Hemsley.  Whilst reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, no liability can be accepted for errors in this information nor for contingencies arising therefrom.  If you are inexperienced in any aspect of woodworking, we would strongly counsel that you take a course of formal instruction before commencing to practice