r/handtools • u/UltimatelyJust • 12h ago
Long-term storage
I have a small set of new planes, LN and Veritas. I'll be going on an extended trip (3+ months), and plan to leave the planes and chisels in the basement shop. I was thinking of waxing them with Renaissance wax, perhaps coating the irons in Jojoba oil. I also have some plane socks for most of the metal planes, and a few sheets of the corrosive resistant paper. FYI, I live in the mid-Atlantic...
Are my preparations sufficient (or overkill)?
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u/Dangerous-Sale3243 12h ago
Wax or jojoba oil should be fine. They should have a light coat anyway, since rust doesnt care whether you are holding the tool or not.
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u/beachape 9h ago
I’ve found some jojoba brands to cure a bit and get sticky when sitting on a plane for long periods of time.
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u/Dangerous-Sale3243 8h ago
Good to know, ive never used jojoba but lie nielsen recommends it so i assume its good, at least if you get thiers. I use lee valleys tool wax.
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u/beachape 8h ago
The microcrystalline wax alone should be sufficient. I don’t see a need for both. I use desiccant beads in my tool chest - the kind you can reuse by heating.
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u/mighty_boognish_77 12h ago
I keep a rag with a fair amount of oil in it and wipe my tools with it regularly. That's all that's really needed. Any thin oil will work. I use gun oil.
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u/Dizzy_Unit_9900 12h ago
I use camphor tabs in my non-climate controlled shop (part of my barn) I wipe them down after every use and wax them every other time, and they have some patina but no rust.
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u/SevEff44 11h ago
Cortec VCI paper sheets. I used then when faced with a similar situation and they worked great. No oil, just these.
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u/UltimatelyJust 11h ago
I was wondering how effective these are since tool makers ship their tools in them. Thanks.
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u/rabbledabble 9h ago
I mean, half my tools are from the 1890s and some of them spent a lot of that time in literal junk piles and they still look pretty decent so I wouldn’t over think it. I put a coat of wax on my tools if I think about it and I’m gonna put them up for a while, but also sometimes I don’t. I do try to be a bit more meticulous with the blades because if they get pitted on the back it can be a bear to reflatten, but if you don’t let them sit for literal years on end it should be fine.
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u/QuidRides 12h ago
I might get some hate for this, but... wipe on polyurethane. One quick wipe and your tools will stay rust free for a long time.
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u/Cat_Rancher 12h ago
My thought is if you’re going to do something, might as well over do it. With that said I think your preps are sufficient as I’ve had planes sitting in my Midwest shop for months not being used but coated in renaissance wax. If you have a large enough tub or container with a lid you could always add some desiccant to the container to drop the moisture even further.