Greetings all,

I don't do much hand planing, but over the weekend I needed to do some touch up and unwrapped one of my three planes. They were wrapped in cloth and placed on a top shelf in my shop -- I'm in Huntsville, Alabama.

When I unwrapped the block plane I was distressed to see lots of rust spots. The other two planes also had rust spots. I spent a couple of hours sanding off the rust using various grades of paper and emory cloth. I coated everything with wax, but I had done that previously.

Now I wonder, what's the best way to store planes -- made mostly of iron -- so they don't rust up with infrequent use. Cloth is out since it apparently attracts moisture. What about wrapping them in leather or some artificial material, e.g. ziplock bags. What about one of those vacuum sealers for storing food?

I now have my planes in a plastic container that won't let any new moisture in, but there is probably some moisture in the air inside the container. Is there a good dessicant I could buy at one of the Borgs?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Kevin H.