I was interested in the name of the rust inhibitor that Trevor
was recommending ....
Rio Grande has Durston Rust Preventive Liquid on page 248 of their
current tools catalog. In case you don’t have the current one, the
item number is 113-603 for 100ml ($16.95) and 113-604 for 250ml
($24.95). If you’re interested, I would recommend stocking up with
the largest quantity you can because there’s a hazardous shipping
charge that Rio’s catalog states will be $20 - $30 depending on the
exact material and type of shipping. That’s in addition to the
regular shipping charge.
I’m looking at the instruction manual that came with my Durston mill
which advises “a thin coating of oil” when not in use, and doesn’t
specify a particular type of oil. I only got the mill recently, but
I’ve found that any piece of steel I wish to keep from rusting is
well off with a light coating of gun oil, honing oil or machine oil.
This preference is due to easy cleanup before the next use. A
caveat: These types of oils are low viscosity and absolutely MUST be
cleaned off the metal, and the oil reapplied REGULARLY. I have a
(some might think sick) love affair with each and every tool I own,
be it jewelry, automotive, gemological, etc., and I check the tools
that aren’t encased or are otherwise exposed even to a
climate-controlled room DAILY. That’s probably excessive and a
little unnecessary; once a week is fine but I get a weird sort of
pleasure from taking care of the tools that take such good care of
me.
So, if you can’t or aren’t willing to clean and oil your mill, bench
block or other steel tool at least weekly, try the Rust Preventive
Liquid. You might consider asking a machinist from a local machine
shop what type of oil they use to protect their mills and lathes.
Daily use requires they use something easily cleaned as well.
James in SoFl where humidity was invented.
