I have a bunch of steel stock and my shop has a moisture problem its always real damp. Does anyone have a product or trick to keep my stock from rusting?

 

kerosene with 5% bar and chain oil mixed in.

 

ftwelder thanks for the response, i have both of those at the garage. going to go give it a try.

 

gunna have to clean it real well before welding then...

 

install some ventilation? you can get real big inline fans that could easily help alleviate your moisture problem. I have had mild steel in a room I keep 30-45% humidity the steel has gained little if any rust since I put it there a year and a half ago

 

how long does this metal sit before being used? living in south florida where its plenty wet, I dont see how the metal will get really rusty unless its sitting for a year. just hit the area with a grinder and be done with it.

hell I have a head flange sitting in my garage for 5 years now and it would easily clean up with a flap disc.

 

I should have stated that it is more of a garage then well equipped shop. I’ve tried to insulate it as well as I can but it’s rented and I try to keep the amount of money spent on someone else’s building to a minimum. Sometimes if the conditions are just right all the metal will actually have accumulated condensation on it.

I purchased the metal at an auction as a large lot. Some of the stuff I have no use for right now so it’s more of a long term storage issue.

 

yeah, you need to oil it up if it's going to sit for a long time. Especially if it's cold rolled.

 

a simple coat of wd-40 will help too..

i also always keep acetone right next to me..

 

good idea while welding. fire hazard? lol

 

i just wd40 my stuff. keeps well for a year or so.

 

quoting myself LOL did you read this? might as well have a car port with that much moisture in there.

I am in the same boots as you we have real high humidity here in alaska I use an 8 inch 600cfm fan running 24/7 to keep humidity down it hardly made a difference in the power bill I didn't notice it. buying and installing the fan was the only painfull part. plus now I can paint and weld or use dirty chemicals without worrying about fumes since I have good ventilation now.

 

and i make sure my gloves are soaked in it! so i dont make a mess on what i am welding!

lol

i keep the container within arms reach.. not an inch from what i am welding.

 

Just getting the stock off the floor will help if it isn't already. Stacking it with pallets or on pallet racks will help quite a bit.

 

I was gonna comment on this yesterday and say that I do the same thing with no problems... well I was doing some aluminium welding, left a rag with acetone on the edge of the table, and somehow it caught on fire. I think when I balled the tungsten up on DC+ something must have started it, didn't realise it right away.

 

arc starts on aluminum will make sparks some times.. that might have been the cause.

 

CRC makes some good rust preventing stuff, but it's rather expensive for large jobs. I have the moist kind, and the stuff that turns to a waxy goo for stuff that will sit outside. It completely locks out water and oxygen, and protects up to 2 years outside.

Kerosene is what wd40 is made from, and unfortunately it will evaporate more than heavier oils. Still fairly cheap in the long run, just needs to be covered and re-applied on occasion.

 

The stock is being stored on a pallet rack off the ground.
Thanks for the ideas, i went the cheap route and mixed up the kero and heavy weigth oil. everything was good exept the headache as a result of the fumes i was forced to huff.

 

< wd

 

agreed. free kero and oil swayed my decision.