Tool protection advice

[Fumbler]

I live quite close to the water (salt) and am just about to build a lathe bench/cabinet and have the tool rack attached, leaving my tools exposed to the open air. As my shed/garage is somewhat open to the elements, I am concerned they may become weathered, prematurely.

What form of protectant can I apply or spray to keep the tools nice and protected?

[BobL]

The problem with all protectants is the protectant is constantly being removed when you work with the tools so the protectant has to be reapplied.
If you want to avoid this then a cover of of some kind may be easier.
By this I mean a cover that drapes over your tool rack that can easily be removed.
Some of the blokes in the MW forums are big users of this method and I believe the difference is considerable and makes it well worth doing.

[Gary H]

I agree with BobL - an easily removable cover is much better than having to reapply some protectant spray every time you use a tool. I live near Cronulla and my lathe is permanently outside (the last five years) and I use a large sheet of Vinyl - that works for me and the salt air has not been a problem.

[orraloon]

As the others have pointed out some protection from the elements is a good first step. This topic comes up quite often and there are all kinds of wonder products that people swear by. Some of those products may last a bit longer than some others but nothing is going to be the magic thing and last for ever. Simple truth is you just have to keep on top of it. When ever you see a spot of rust, scrub it off and apply the magic potion of choice. You have to repeat as often as needed. I favour 3 in one oil as it's not real messy so i use that on tools. For the tables of saws and lathe bed I use a paste wax polish after a good clean.
Regards
John

[Paul39]

If you have high humidity, a cover as above, with a 25 or 40 watt incandescent light bulb on all the time under the cover will reduce the humidity. Be sure that the bulb can not touch any combustible material.