Storing HSS cutter blanks

[Fawteen]

I made a separate post about the Atlas lathe I just bought.

Included was this cabinet full of various sizes and styles of cutters and blanks - HSS and brazed carbide. I just finished sorting it out and a handful off the HSS stuff is badly rusted. Probably reclaimable (advice sought on that...) but given the size of the stash, not really an issue.

I plan to store the sorted cutters in the same cabinet after I've cleaned it thoroughly. It will be kept in a heated shop that never gets below 50° which should help prevent further rust issues, but I'm wondering about something to put in the bottom of the drawers. My first though was oiled paper, but apparently that's a misnomer - no oil involved.

Second thought is some cosmoline-impregnated paper. Questions:

Good Idea?

Likely to degrade the plastic drawers?

Is such a product available in small quantities?

If so, sources?

If not, alternatives?

Would rather not use desiccant packets due to the space they take up.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

 

[Janicholson]

liner source
This is what I use. Jim

 

[Fawteen]

liner source
This is what I use. Jim

I've tried that in tool box drawers. Always bunches up in the back. I find recycled treadmill belting works pretty good.

 

[4wdtom]

View attachment 94163

I made a separate post about the Atlas lathe I just bought.

Included was this cabinet full of various sizes and styles of cutters and blanks - HSS and brazed carbide. I just finished sorting it out and a handful off the HSS stuff is badly rusted. Probably reclaimable (advice sought on that...) but given the size of the stash, not really an issue.

I plan to store the sorted cutters in the same cabinet after I've cleaned it thoroughly. It will be kept in a heated shop that never gets below 50° which should help prevent further rust issues, but I'm wondering about something to put in the bottom of the drawers. My first though was oiled paper, but apparently that's a misnomer - no oil involved.

Second thought is some cosmoline-impregnated paper. Questions:

Good Idea?

Likely to degrade the plastic drawers?

Is such a product available in small quantities?

If so, sources?

If not, alternatives?

Would rather not use desiccant packets due to the space they take up.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

I haven't had any rust problems on tool bits in my basement shop and it can be humid although I try and keep the summer humid out. I would say a light coat of oil would be fine.

 

[Janicholson]

I've tried that in tool box drawers. Always bunches up in the back. I find recycled treadmill belting works pretty good.

Some brands/types are stiffer and non bunching. Mine is not. I think it is Craftsman it was a gift about 4 years ago. Belt is too thick for my drawers, and adds weight. Jim

 

[DoubleO7]

View attachment 94163

I made a separate post about the Atlas lathe I just bought.

Included was this cabinet full of various sizes and styles of cutters and blanks - HSS and brazed carbide. I just finished sorting it out and a handful off the HSS stuff is badly rusted. Probably reclaimable (advice sought on that...) but given the size of the stash, not really an issue.

I plan to store the sorted cutters in the same cabinet after I've cleaned it thoroughly. It will be kept in a heated shop that never gets below 50° which should help prevent further rust issues, but I'm wondering about something to put in the bottom of the drawers. My first though was oiled paper, but apparently that's a misnomer - no oil involved.

Second thought is some cosmoline-impregnated paper. Questions:

Good Idea?

Likely to degrade the plastic drawers?

Is such a product available in small quantities?

If so, sources?

If not, alternatives?

Would rather not use desiccant packets due to the space they take up.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

I have an old aerosol can of MolyKote that leaves a waxy but dry coating.
But due to cost I would probably buy Fluid Film after I use all of the MolyKote.
After I got the current rust off.

How about some hard parrafin wax and an old po pairee pot?

 

[farmersamm]

Surface rust shouldn't hurt those blanks. After all.........you're gonna grind a tool out of them one day. That will get rid of the rust where it matters......on the cutting edge.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Funny I have that exact set of drawers for my various 1/4" HHS tooling. I have a lot of HHS tooling up to 1" square a d some hasn't been touched for 10 years. I have never have seen any of it rust? I didn't think any of it would rust? Are you sure what is rusting isn't shim stock to adjust height? Rust on the shanks of the brazed carbide hurts nothing, leave it alone until you need it and then take it to the wore brush and clean it off.

 

[stevieb49829]

I've tried that in tool box drawers. Always bunches up in the back. I find recycled treadmill belting works pretty good.

I think I'd contact cement the material Jim is showing to some thin card stock or thick plastic sheet, spray oil it, and cut it to fit your drawers.

 

[Ultradog MN]

View attachment 94163

I made a separate post about the Atlas lathe I just bought.

Included was this cabinet full of various sizes and styles of cutters and blanks - HSS and brazed carbide. I just finished sorting it out and a handful off the HSS stuff is badly rusted. Probably reclaimable (advice sought on that...) but given the size of the stash, not really an issue.

I plan to store the sorted cutters in the same cabinet after I've cleaned it thoroughly. It will be kept in a heated shop that never gets below 50° which should help prevent further rust issues, but I'm wondering about something to put in the bottom of the drawers. My first though was oiled paper, but apparently that's a misnomer - no oil involved.

Second thought is some cosmoline-impregnated paper. Questions:

Good Idea?

Likely to degrade the plastic drawers?

Is such a product available in small quantities?

If so, sources?

If not, alternatives?

Would rather not use desiccant packets due to the space they take up.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

I'm with @farmersamm.
It would take an awful lot of heavy rust to make them unuseable. HSS is pretty hard and you grind them for the job anyway.
I understand a guy not liking things looking ugly tho.

 

[MeanGene1]

I have cleaned up a lot of them- I recently picked up a stash of stuff from a storage unit buyer that came from an old machinist, a Kennedy bottom box and two top boxes, plus five other boxes, full of HSS bits, reamers, drill bits Morse taper bits and adapters up to MT5 etc. Much of it had degrees of rust, some was cherry. I set up a couple of 5 gal buckets with a gallon of white vinegar in them, would put a "load" in the first bucket overnite, then brush with a soft metal brush, then overnite in the "clean" bucket. Usually pretty good then, sometimes a little more time. If stuff spends a lot of time in the vinegar it will blacken, but the rust will be gone. Even if the tooling is pitted it will work, as the cutting surface gets sharpened. I have sold off a lot of that stuff to guys looking for budget pricing of quality tooling over appearance. With careful shopping, one can find a ridiculous amount of tooling- in my area there were a lot of old retired pre-CNC master machinists that were retired from Mare Island Naval Shipyard- the estate sales are gold mines. I have a triple Kennedy machinist box set that was full, and has decals down the side from the nuke submarines he helped build
I usually go to the crafts shop and get the big sheets of heavy black craft paper to line box drawers, they are thinner than dedicated drawer liners so more stuff fits in the drawer, and it will absorb a little oil to help prevent rust, and is also quite durable. I have some that has been in the drawers for over 25 years and still holding up

 

[Ray,IN]

Suspend the rusted blanks above the vinegar, it's the vapor that kills rust. That's also how to sharpen an old dull file, the vinegar vapor eats away the rust_ and a tiny bit of metal, leaving a sharpened file.

 

[Ark68SS]

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