New drill bits rusted, how to look after them?

d000hg · 2 Sep 2019

I got a set of DeWalt SDS bits to work in my garage the other week. Today I noticed there ones I've used are pretty rusty, even the unused ones are slightly.
The garage is a bit damp and I was filling through very old plaster and brick, guessing plaster dust was left on the bus and sucked moisture in and out never crossed my mind they wouldn't be stainless!

Is this a common thing and how should I look after my bits properly? Or, do people just let them rust?!

Harry Bloomfield · 2 Sep 2019

Let them rust, providing it is only surface rust, only the tip matters.

JohnD · 2 Sep 2019

Try not to keep tools in a damp garage.

A box will help but you will get condensation inside when it turns cold.

Get in the habit of cleaning things after use. A dry rag would have got the dust off, then an oily rag would have given slight protection.

Covering tools will protect from atmospheric dust, which also accelerates rust.

d000hg · 2 Sep 2019

Unfortunately this is the only place I have to store them. I hadn't realised it was particularly damp, might look at a dehumidifier.

So getting into the habit of just running a clean then an oily tag over anything as I put it away is good practice? Seems sensible and easy enough.

Nozzle · 2 Sep 2019

Or just go straight for the oily rag - taking the dust and replacing with oil in one go.

Just in case you were planning on it, don't leave any oily rags in pockets. I'm sure only Fred Dibnah types do that anyway

Nozzle

Harry Bloomfield · 2 Sep 2019

d000hg said:
So getting into the habit of just running a clean then an oily tag over anything as I put it away is good practice? Seems sensible and easy enough.

As said, for SDS drill bits, I would not bother any light rusting will be rubbed off the first time you use them. Running a dehumidifier constantly, in an unsealed room or garage will be a complete waste of money. The dried atmosphere will quickly be replaced with fresh, moist air from outdoors.

I have a garage + workshop built onto the back end of it, I have a lath in there, plus other machine tools and all I do is spray them with WD40 to protect from rust. I buy it by the gallon and use a hand sprayer rather than an aerosol, much cheaper.

Stivino · 2 Sep 2019

Don't keep them in the shed, keep them in the house.
I keep all my steel rulers, verniers, micrometers and anything that I don't want to oxidise indoors.

blup · 2 Sep 2019

I used 38 mm plastic waste pipe with end stops screwed/glued on, with some of those moisture absorbing sachets inside.

Blup

Harry Bloomfield · 2 Sep 2019

blup said:
I used 38 mm plastic waste pipe with end stops screwed/glued on, with some of those moisture absorbing sachets inside.

What? For SDS drill bits, why? I have a set of 3x 1 metre long SDS bits, which I use occasionally. I just keep them on a couple of hooks screwed into a beam in my garage. I keep several various SDS chisels and drill bits just in a large open tray. It matters not a jot, if they get a light coat of rust on them, it wears off the next time they are used.

d000hg · 2 Sep 2019

Stivino said:
Don't keep them in the shed, keep them in the house.
I keep all my steel rulers, verniers, micrometers and anything that I don't want to oxidise indoors.

The garage is basically by shop so that's where everything lives. Nothing else has rusted. I guess drills rub off any protective coating and are super prone to rusting especially if left dirty with plaster

blup · 2 Sep 2019

Harry Bloomfield said:
What? For SDS drill bits, why? I have a set of 3x 1 metre long SDS bits, which I use occasionally. I just keep them on a couple of hooks screwed into a beam in my garage. I keep several various SDS chisels and drill bits just in a large open tray. It matters not a jot, if they get a light coat of rust on them, it wears off the next time they are used.

Yes dewalt sds drills, long length, I've had too many masonry drill bits rust badly, though as stated above, some seem to rust when others don't. Having been purchased to drill through a double wall for shotgun cable, they might not be used again for a long time.

The bits I use regularly, are kept in the tool bag/case inside.

Blup

Harry Bloomfield · 2 Sep 2019

blup said:
Yes dewalt sds drills, long length, I've had too many masonry drill bits rust badly, though as stated above, some seem to rust when others don't. Having been purchased to drill through a double wall for shotgun cable, they might not be used again for a long time.

My set of long bits were an Aldi purchase, so ridiculously cheap, it would have been simply rude not to buy them. I not used them many times, but when you need a long bit they are very expensive as a distress purchase.

Deleted member 174758 · 3 Sep 2019

Like Blup my regularly used sizes (5.5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 16mm....) are kept in the drill box and I, too, tend to wipe things down with an oily rag before putting them away simply because I detest rust. There is a minor issue with rust on drill bitsb - when drilling with a rusty bit it can leave rusty dust streaks down the wall to begin with. This isn't often a problem on plastered walls, but can be an issue if you are drilling bare sandstone walls or the like where the rust can sometimes stain trhe stonework

^woody^ · 4 Sep 2019

As apprentices the instructor would come around at the end of the day and if you did not put the tools away clean you got one ear clipped, and if you did not wipe them with an oily rag you got the other ear clipped. And a more thorough cleaning and oiling on Fridays.

And you soon learnt, and never forgot.

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New drill bits rusted, how to look after them?

Deleted member 174758

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