Tackling Humidity

[Steve Catts]

Hi SMC friends,

It looks like I will soon be relocating from the dry West (Denver) to humid Houston. I know that I will need to form some new practices in my work to help care for my tools and machines and also be more thoughtful about fighting seasonal expansion in my work.

I'd like to get thoughts from those of you who deal with high humidity in your woodworking routines. Specifically:

1. I may need to have my hand tools and machines in storage for some time if we choose to build a new home. What level of protection do I need to perform to avoid finding rust where I don't want it?
2. If I build a home it would include a shop with fully conditioned space. If we buy a home, I may need to transform some garage space. If so, my stuff will be subject to humidity full time. What steps do I need to take to properly protect my stuff on a daily or periodic basis?
3. Am I overthinking all of this? I have started assembling some quality hand tools and look to be replacing some machines with Euro machines - I don't want to screw this up!

Thanks for your knowledgeable inputs. My tools thank you also!

Steve

[Kevin McCluney]

I've had my shop in a non-air conditioned garage for 30 years in Houston. I put a coat of Johnson's paste wax on the cast iron surfaces and keep the tools covered with lawn bags when not in use. Rust hasn't been an issue.

[Lee Schierer]

If you store your tools for any length of time, it would be a wise decision to protect the non-painted cast iron with cosmoline or at least a very heavy wet coat of Boeshield. Spray it on heavy and don't wipe it off. It will dry gummy, but can be removed with a new application of Boeshield.

[David T gray]

i wouldnt worry now if its your first time living in Houston the summer will be hell the place is hell on earth not only is it hot but sweating just makes u hotter the feeling of opening a oven and having the steam touch your skin every time you open the door to go outside

[David Eisenhauer]

Like Kevin, I keep the Johnson's wiped/buffed on my cast table surfaces and also use it on my hand tools such as planes and saws. I recently scored one of those small spray bottles of the chi chi, boutqueish light oil issued specifically for hand tools by LN and use it on planes and saws when I remember that I have it and it also works just fine. I found that my cast iron tables in early life required Johnsons more often then they do now, maybe the "pores" slowly got filled up with a protective layer of wax? I usually apply to the table saw when I feel wood dragging and then go ahead and do the rest of the equipment as well if it has been a while. My hand saws get done when they are wiped down and put away after the sawing phase of the project is completed and the planes get done (usually with the Johnsons) when I can't find my chunk of wax to wax the sole for slickum purposes and then go ahead and paste up the whole plane, again especially when putting it away for awhile. You should be OK in Houston as long as you wipe stuff down now and again and do not need AC for the shop. AC would be very nice to work in just for your comfort, but your power bill is going to be stout enough just cooling/drying your home such that it should give you pause when thinking about an AC shop.

[Tom Paulley]

Steve, as a Houstonian, welcome!! I have a shop above my garage and it is air conditioned. If you do the garage conversion, I would suggest looking into a split system to get cooler air in there, or your shop time will be limited. It is hot and humid here, but in 37 years I have never shoveled snow off my driveway, and the pool season starts about now and goes into October! I think you will find it to be just fine.

[Michael Alu]

I live in Baton Rouge, so I deal with it all the time. Just need to be proactive on the wax and your cast iron tops will be fine. When I first started out I had an issue with wood moving, but I learned how to deal with it and it hasn't been an issue since. Just be prepared to have some crazy hot days in the shop. Speaking of I still need to invest in a fan to move air through.

[Alan Bienlein]

i live just NW of Houston and never had a problem with rust on the tools. I just wax them as needed. The summers are hot and can be humid but I think they are way more comfortable here than where I grew up in Baltimore. I do have a/c in my shop but it only runs when a furniture project is going on to match the conditions of where it will be in someones home.

[Joe Adams]

Born and raised in Houston and now live South of town. Boeshield is your friend. Never had a rust problem with my cast iron machines or LN planes. Shop air conditioning is a must during the summer. I've gone without it and it sucks in comparison. Look into an Amana PTAC unit like motels use. You can buy and install yourself without a HVAC license. Wood movement is an issue but it can be easily mitigated with good practices. Invest in a quality moisture meter.

[Steve Catts]

Thanks for all the inputs so far. A split A/C unit certainly makes sense. I just hope there will be an opportunity to create a bonified conditioned workspace. I've been in a walkout basement the last 18 years. Better than needing to haul everything up and down stairs but look forward to being able to move wood, equipment and finished work in and out the door!

[Steve Catts]

We'll likely be in Sugarland or some other area south or southwest since I'll be working at Texas Medical Center (St. Luke's). Any advice on hardwood suppliers, equipment dealers or clubs/guilds I should check out?

[Steve Catts]

Thanks Tom! We'll likely end up south or southwest since I'll be working at Texas Medical Center. Are you part of any clubs or guilds that meet together? Recommendations for hardwood or equipment dealers? I look forward to connecting with some fellow craftsmen/women.

[William Addison]

I live about 200 miles south of Houston and within less than a mile of saltwater. We have humidity at least as high as Houston plus the corrosive effects of salt air.

i think you will find that while it's not great, it's not as bad as you seem to expect. You just have to stay after it and watch for surface rust before it becomes a problem.

The big problem is sweat because if you're in the shop in hot weather you will sweat-a lot. Each drop of sweat turns to rust faster than you can believe followed by little corroded areas the size of the drop. I find it a huge problem.

Someone earlier said Boeshield is your friend and I often apply it at the end of each work session. Another real friend is Ospho and a maroon scrub pad to remove rust after it starts. I've found wax to be useless against sweat drops.

if you want to drive a few hours I can direct you to a Mesquite mill and if you haven't worked with it before you'll find it's a beautiful wood, particularly the coastal stuff which is what they sell.

Best wishes on your move.

[Jim Andrew]

I live in Kansas, and have had problems with rust on cast iron tabletops. The sure way to keep tops from rusting is to apply a thin coat of wipe on poly. Poly will keep your tops rust free and shining, it will protect as well as painting them, but does not have to be removed before putting your machines back into service.

[Ted Reischl]

Something I do is MOVE the air in my shop, all the time. We live in a very humid part of NC.

You can try a little experiment: Take a glass, fill it with water an ice. Watch the beads of water form on the outside. Dry it off, refill it and put a fan on it. Miracle of miracles! You do not see any beads forming.

Here is the deal, your machines are like great big glasses of ice water. They get cool at nite, lots of mass in that cast iron. It warms up, just like the glass of water the humidity starts to condense on that nice cool iron. The trick is to get that iron to warm up at about the same rate as the air. Sitting in still air that won't happen, just like you will not cool off without a fan blowing the air around removing that perspiration from your forehead.

So, try moving the air in your shop with a fan. You do not need a big honking one, just one that moves it around.

I have been doing that for years and have had NO problems with rust at all. Good thing too, because I am not good at remembering to do things like put wax/boeshield on at scheduled times. I do wax the top of the TS and BS, but that is so stuff slides on them easier.

In other words it is not the mere fact that there is a lot of humidity in the air, it is the problem that the humidity condenses on the surface of the iron because it is colder than the ambient air temperature.