Re: What kind of oil???
- To: n*@mindsovermatter.com, M*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: What kind of oil???
- From: R* F* D*
- Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 12:50:29 -0500 (EST)
At 09:29 AM 12/12/1999 -0800, you wrote:
>Help! My tools are dying! Do I remember correctly that someone wrote about
>using a bucket of sand with motor oil in it to keep their tools clean and
>in good shape????? Was it motor oil? Or something else? I searched the
>archives with no success, can someone help?
>
>Thanks
>
>Nan
>**********
>'''''''''''''''''''''''
>Nan Sterman
>San Diego County California
>Sunset zone 24, USDA hardiness zone 10b or 11
Nan:
I do know that linseed oil, applied thickly with a rag, will preserve wooden
handles well (and make them less likely to splinter as well). For metal
tools, most any oil should work. The idea is to stop corrosion, so clean
them well with a brush first.
Your greatest enemies are water and salts (like fertilizer). Cutting down
on residues will remove opportunities for corrosion. Also, don't let tools
of different metallic composition get into electrical contact with one
another, especially copper (or a copper alloy) and iron. Allowing this to
happen will create an electric battery, accelerating oxidation of the more
electropositive iron.
Metals like aluminum, zinc, and stainless steel avoid corrosion by forming
tough oxide films or are treated with certaion inorganic salts to render
their surfaces passive. Fertilizer can work its way through these films.
pH is important also. Low pH (acid) will corrode most metals. Zinc and
aluminum are vulnerable to high pH (alkaline) attack also. Near neutral
conditions (pH 6 to 8) are optimal.
Once corrosion starts, it will be hard to stop. Oil coatings are useful
here, but will need a clean surface to be effective.
Richard F. Dufresne
313 Spur Road
Greensboro, NC 27406
336-674-3105
