My studio is in my basement, also damp. I run a dehumidifier 24/7
and that takes care of most of the problem. I also have some of
those closet dehumidifiers, that are little containers with a
substance that catches moisture set up in particularly damp areas.
Then I keep tools where possible put up, and put the little moisture
bags that come with medicine and such in the drawers. All of that
helps.
Beth Wicker
Three Cats and a Dog Design Studio
Keep them all away from your pickle pot. The worst culprit. In your
shop
I’ve heard of using those little packets that come in packaged food
and putting them in the drawers the tools are kept. I typically oil
my pliers, mandrels, and hammers; but you are right, you can’t oil
files. Maybe you could look into getting corrosion resistant files
like Valtitan yellow handles. I use these files for my silver,
copper, and bronze work and LOVE them. They cut clean and fast and
don’t rust on me.
Dear Simone,
We have a free-standing dehumidifier in my shop and it helps
tremendously. We run it on rainy days, humid days, or days with big
temp fluctuations that might result in condensation. It pulls the
moisture out of the air and then we use the collected water for our
houseplants. Bonus: When it is hot AND humid, the drier air makes it
easier to keep the shop temperature more comfortable.
Hope this helps,
Donna
Hello Sim
one! I feel your pain! I would suggest covering your rolling mill but
this can be tricky. You want something that will keep moisture out,
but what about if moisture gets in? Now you have trapped this as
well and you definitely don’t want that!
I wouldn’t suggest a plastic bag, because this has the potential to
trap moisture on both sides.
You can make a wooden cover that has a vent and then use a filter in
the vent that will trap moisture. This way very little moisture will
have access toyour mill and the moisture around the mill can escape.
The filter media will depend on the relative humidity.
Temporarily I covered my rolling mill with a cardboard box and this
worked while I procrastinated on the design of the wooden one
(mostly about what to use as the filter media and then how to keep
it contained).
I also wedges huge sponges (the type sold to wash cars) into the top
roller and the bottom roller. These act to keep the rollers oiled as
well as clean.
As far as the files go. I have used PVC pipe with 1"x1" pieces of 3M
Anti-tarnish papar inside and this has kept my files from rusting.
I also put a piece of this paper in each drawer of my bench and
(knock on wood!) so far no rust!
Ultimately you may want to consider winterizing your garage but this
can become expensive very quickly. Then again having to replace a
rolling mill’s rollers isn’t cheap either!
I hope I have been helpful
K
I go to the fabric store and purchase a huge anti-tarnish cloth (the
kind they put in jewelry boxes). I lay the cloths over my tools and
equipment. It’s inexpensive and it works great for me! Good luck!
Barbara M. Bear