Rust

[don wilwol]

Rust is corrosion. Why would you consider letting your tools corrode and think that's ok.

[Mel Miller]

Rust is corrosion. Why would you consider letting your tools corrode and think that's ok.

I agree with Don. Why would you even ask a question like this? Rust on tools is a sign of neglect and no pride of ownership.

[Jim Koepke]

Besides rust on a tool usually rubs off on the workpiece.

My tools are for using not rusting.

jtk

[Moses Yoder]

I agree with Don. Why would you even ask a question like this? Rust on tools is a sign of neglect and no pride of ownership.

I ask questions about everything. I am open minded.

[Daniel Rode]

I'm a hobbyist woodworker. I'm not a tool collector and I don't rehab tools for fun. If I see a tool on ebay with rust it means more time and effort to rehab and more risk that I might not be able to get it working properly. The result is that, if I bid at all, my bid will be low. If I can pick up a tool an examine it, my bid might go higher. I bid pennies because that's all it's worth to me.

I have a limited amount of time to devote to woodworking. A tool with little or no rust requires less effort to repair and that means I get back to woodworking. While I don't love rusty tools, I don't feel the need to clean up honest patina. I don't care so much that a tool is shiny but that it works well.

Why do woodworkers have such an aversion to rust? Always removing rust, keep from rusting, etc. There are very few places where rust actually affects the performance of a tool, yet if you try to sell a rusty tool on ebay you get pennies on the dollar. Is this somewhere in our genetics from past ancestors or is it a cultural thing or what?