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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Bellingen
    Posts
    587

    Default Condensation problem!

    Hey guys!

    I have a big problem... Condensation on my mill and lathe.... And everything else in my workshop. The humid summer months were fine but this is my first winter here and I have not known machinery to sweat.

    My workshop is an old piggery with so many openings. I'm planning on putting on a new insulated roof, close up all the gaps and my machinery will be in an area that I can curtain off an heat.
    My problem is what can I do now?
    They are under tarps to stop the condensation raining down on them when the sun hits the roof in the morning.. Should I be taking the tarps off them each day and covering them back up? Should I wrap them up in a tarp and keep a cupboard warmer in it 24/7?

    I just wiped off as much a I can and covered it with lithium grease as I have seen water bead off other tools that I have used it on.
    I know water floats the oil off but this grease looks like it sticks to the metal.

    Any ideas guys? I'm stuck on this one!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Healesville
    Posts
    602

    Default

    You have to be careful when you cover up metal things because this causes humidity under the tarp or plastic and that can make things worse.

    I would opt more for a flier type arrangement above the machinery, put a tarp above them sort of like an umbrella.

    WD40 sprayed over them should keep the rust off them.

    You could probably put sisilation on the under side of your roof battens to stop the morning rain inside the shed, you have to make sure the condensation/water will flow pst each roof batten and have the end of the sisilation go over the wall and into the gutter.

    john

  4. #3
    Dave J Guest

    Default

    Hi Ben,
    You have my problem and you feel like your chasing your tail keeping rust off. My shed has open eaves and gets a lot of ventilation with gaps and openings above the rollers doors and no insulation.
    All I can say is to keep them oiled and keep a check each week on them as it can go rusty in a matter of days.
    The problem is not in the air, but the machines warm up slower than the surrounding air so this causes the water on them. Some guys in the US recommend putting a lamp inside the column etc to warm the machine above the surrounding area, but I cant see how this would work for all the parts like the table, or a lathe.

    If your not using them for the mill table you can oil it up well and then put a sheet of clear builders plastic directly on it which will keep it. You can do this on other surfaces as well and there is no need to throw the plastic away as when you need to use the machine just fold the oiled sides on each other and put it aside. I say clear because at least you can see through it and see whats happening under there in case rust does start.

    All the unused parts of my mill like the sides and ends on the table, front and back of the saddle, etc I sprayed with the cheap spray cans from supercheap with no under coat. This does the best job as it completely covers it up and if need be down the track to be taken off with a razor blade or thinners/turps on a rag.

    Below is a picture of my saddle and the painted parts where ground but serve no purpose for machining or using the machine and are just decorative. Where the table swivels I had to leave bare and the bottom part of the front of the table as it would just get scratched off by the power feed stops slide up and down, but the rest is painted.
    These pictures are from a few years back now, but all the bare surfaces where painted to stop rust.

    Dave

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Bairnsdale
    Age
    50
    Posts
    798

    Default

    I think we are all the same boat with condensation.
    I have bothe mills and lathe tool and cutter grinders
    Shapers etc.etc
    Well oiled and covered with old bed sheets from the op shop
    For 20cents each. I also buy them to cut up for rags.
    Seems to work for me.
    Matt
    Warning Disclaimer

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    nowra
    Posts
    1,361

    Default

    Things in my shed rust in minutes so I cover my tools in bedsheets and use a mixture of light machine oil and diesel which I spray on when the diesel evaporates it leaves an oily film.
    BETTER TO HAVE TOOLS YOU DON'T NEED THAN TO NEED TOOLS YOU DON'T HAVE

    Andre

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    sydney
    Age
    64
    Posts
    3,566

    Default

    I dont do much with mine,rarely totaly cleaning.

    I usually leave coolant on after using.

    I remove cast iron before using coolant unless the coolant is being used on the cast,then I will clean daily after each use.

    I wipe the machines over every couple of months and put a smear of oil.

    Sometimes there is a little staining from the coolant but nothing to worry about.

    Then again I am using my machines on a regular basis.

  8. #7
    Dave J Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by matthew_g View Post
    I think we are all the same boat with condensation.
    I have bothe mills and lathe tool and cutter grinders
    Shapers etc.etc
    Well oiled and covered with old bed sheets from the op shop
    For 20cents each. I also buy them to cut up for rags.
    Seems to work for me.
    Matt
    You bring up a good point about sheets and thats what I use over my lathe. I just drape it from the head stock and have the tailstock right up the end of the bed which helps stop the sheet touching the oily ways.

    Dave

  9. #8
    Dave J Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pipeclay View Post
    I dont do much with mine,rarely totaly cleaning.

    I usually leave coolant on after using.

    I remove cast iron before using coolant unless the coolant is being used on the cast,then I will clean daily after each use.

    I wipe the machines over every couple of months and put a smear of oil.

    Sometimes there is a little staining from the coolant but nothing to worry about.

    Then again I am using my machines on a regular basis.
    Even when I am using my machines regularly at this time of the year I am chasing rust no matter what I do in my shed. Same thing coming out of winter.
    How are you going, set up and running yet?

    Dave

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    sydney
    Age
    64
    Posts
    3,566

    Default

    Running well Dave,went with the 2 Axis took around 6hrs to fit up.
    Checked most of what I needed,alignment wasnt to bad just a little adjustment.
    Havent made the arbors for the Horizontal yet,keep getting too many small jobs,have all material just need to be on the correct shifts.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    2,951

    Default

    It's funny things change slowly with the seasons. Couple of weeks ago I was in my shed till about 7:00pm, all was good. I then went back in there first thing in the morning to get something and my mill and lathe bed were coated in rust!

    That all happened in less than 8 hours. It must have been a particularly cold night with close to 100% RH. I had never seen rust develop that quickly before!

    It also seems to depend on where things are in the shed. The moisture in the air doesn't seem to be evenly spread or distributed, although I find this hard to believe!

    Simon

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Perth WA
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,650

    Default You've got a lot of company Ben.

    I have resorted to smearing Timken wheel bearing grease on the shiny bits in the shed. It's red in colour which helps me keep track of what I have and haven't greased up. I obviously got touched when I paid 5 bucks for a black bedsheet from Good Sammy's, another downside to living in Boomtown. All my machines are covered in sheets but they alone won't keep the effects of moisture at bay.

    My wife says the only thing preventing me from installing a ceilng in the shed is me. I've got to get to it or at least close off the open eaves.

    BT

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Bellingen
    Posts
    587

    Default

    Thanks guys!
    I feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one with this problem! Dave, I know you take real good care of your tools so I will take all that on board.

    At the moment I have it oiled and wrapped in old sheets with the lamp on the inside.. Hopefully that will provide just enough heat!

    I was quite upset about it yesterday... Water was dribbling off everything. It's not a cold today so I think I have a few days to sort it out!

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,757

    Default

    Long term I'd say your biggest problem is the gaps in the shed. Bare metal is a condensation magnet and as long as it is cold and air is moist the metal will continue to pull water out of the air. It's not that big of a problem here in Perth but I have noticed a big difference in condensation on cold wet mornings if I happen to leave the door open overnight,

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    2,951

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ben Dono View Post
    Thanks guys!
    I feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one with this problem! Dave, I know you take real good care of your tools so I will take all that on board.

    At the moment I have it oiled and wrapped in old sheets with the lamp on the inside.. Hopefully that will provide just enough heat!

    I was quite upset about it yesterday... Water was dribbling off everything. It's not a cold today so I think I have a few days to sort it out!
    Just be very careful where you leave your lamp while it's on and unattended. Mishaps like this keep me in a job and I see it time and time again.

    Cheers,

    Simon

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Bairnsdale
    Age
    50
    Posts
    798

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Long term I'd say your biggest problem is the gaps in the shed. Bare metal is a condensation magnet and as long as it is cold and air is moist the metal will continue to pull water out of the air. It's not that big of a problem here in Perth but I have noticed a big difference in condensation on cold wet mornings if I happen to leave the door open overnight,
    if I happen to leave the door open overnight
    No way I could do that, I would be too scared I would come out to nothing left in the morning.........
    Warning Disclaimer

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