Rusty Tools: About all you can do is live with it if your tools are relegated to the garage or porch. Frequent rust removal is your best approach.

For light rust, I give the tools a rubdown with WD-40 and leave a small coating of it on the tool. For longer lasting protection, remove the WD-40 residue with mineral spirits and apply a coat of one of the long term auto treatments such Blue Coral's "One-step Touchless" coating. I use this primarily on the power saw tables, vice jaws, and handsaw blades.

Heavier rust will require a more brutal approach. I have used Naval Jelly to remove the heavy rust and after properly rinsing used alcohol to remove the water that might have collected in any pits that are present. Then, apply a light coating of WD-40 or the Blue Coral. If the rust is really grim, I get out my trusty Dremel and polishing bits and go to work.

Prevention is not positive, but you are able to slow the onset of rust for those items in your tool case. Many hardware stores and tool supply places sell silica gel canisters or packets which will absorb the moisture. It would require one in each drawer/closed compartment.

How about enclosing and air-conditioning the porch? (LOL)

Dave

Damp & Rust: I have used the containers of Damp Rid, purchased at our local hardware store, with great success. I was deeply concerned about my collection of tools and equipment. I have these in every closet, and room of the house. In my studio, I have 3. To date, nothing, even in the garage has shown any rust. We've been in Florida for 3 1/2 years now.

Becky Holliday

Rusty Tools: A great rust remover (providing it's not so far gone as to have pitted the metal) is "Bar Keepers Friend". This is found in the cleanser (as in Ajax) section of your market.

It is great for cleaning most anything, including brass. It is not abrasive. Try it on your "big" kitchen sink, etc.

After rust is gone - and item dry - use a silica product to keep moisture out.

Lexie Johnson

Rust remover: A great rust remover can be made using stuff you have on hand. Mix one part table salt with one part baking soda. Add just enough water to make a paste. Gently rub the affected area with the paste--the rust is gone!

This method works very well on solid surfaces--but is not quite so good on fabrics. The big advantage to using baking soda/salt is that it is virtually non-abrasive. Many rust removers will scratch--this will not. I do this all the time on my Formica counter tops--after four years they are still spotless, white, and are not dull. I have also used this paste to remove other stains such as grape juice, tea, and mustard. Try it--it really works!

Jeri Moriarty, Manassas VA

Glue: I was just at Michael's and saw that they had a dry adhesive marler. If you pressed the item together while the glue was wet (blue) it was a permanent bond, after the glue had dried (clear) a temporary one. It was available in both a thick and fine point. Haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know how it works.

Emily in Toronto

Removing Residue: WD40 Yes, it is the same stuff we use on our household items. It is a lubricant that does a magnificent job releasing almost anything sticky. The only thing I've ever used to remove Museum Putty. I have also used it on mini items by filling a hypodermic syringe w/WD40. This allows me to place the tiniest of drops on the yuck I wish to remove. I let is sit, testing gently every few min. When the sticky has softened, I wipe the goop and the WD40 off with a soft towel. For the sticky spot left by price tags, I simply moisten a cloth w/WD40 and wipe away the residue. I can't tell you why it works, I only know I have had very good luck with it for many years. The product seems to be very environmentally friendly for any surface I have ever applied it to.

Becky

Super Glue Applicator: Just made couple of these for friends, and thought I'd post the instructions. Applying super glue can be messy. If you make a simple tool it will help a lot. Cut a small dowel about 6 inches long and drill a small hole in the end to hold a sewing needle. Using a belt or disk sander, while WEARING SAFETY GLASSES grind about one half of the eye off leaving a U shape. If you don't have a sander, I suppose you could use a file or sandpaper, but would probably take quite awhile. Maybe have a friend with a disk or belt sander do it for you.

Put a drop of super glue on a piece of wax paper and dip the needle in the glue and touch it to where you want to apply it and capiliary action will draw the glue to your work.

And on the subject of super glue, if you have trouble of it going bad long before it is used up--I have had very good luck with this: When you buy a bottle, throw the cap away--NEVER replace the cap. Second, when you use it, set it down on the table with a bang. This will cause the glue around the tip to go back down into the bottle. Glue left around the top and cap will start to cure and this will eventually cause all the glue in the bottle to go bad. I used a plastic cap from aerosol paint can to hold the bottle so doesn't tip over on the workbench.

Dean Jenson

Super Glue Applicator: Just made couple of these for friends, and thought I'd post the instructions. Applying super glue can be messy. If you make a simple tool it will help a lot. Cut a small dowel about 6 inches long and drill a small hole in the end to hold a sewing needle. Using a belt or disk sander, while WEARING SAFETY GLASSES grind about one half of the eye off leaving a U shape. If you don't have a sander, I suppose you could use a file or sandpaper, but would probably take quite awhile. Maybe have a friend with a disk or belt sander do it for you.

Put a drop of super glue on a piece of wax paper and dip the needle in the glue and touch it to where you want to apply it and capiliary action will draw the glue to your work.

And on the subject of super glue, if you have trouble of it going bad long before it is used up--I have had very good luck with this: When you buy a bottle, throw the cap away--NEVER replace the cap. Second, when you use it, set it down on the table with a bang. This will cause the glue around the tip to go back down into the bottle. Glue left around the top and cap will start to cure and this will eventually cause all the glue in the bottle to go bad. I used a plastic cap from aerosol paint can to hold the bottle so doesn't tip over on the workbench.

Dean Jenson

Power Saw - Push Sticks: To keep your fingers away from the blade, make some simple push sticks. Buy some pencil erasers, the kind you slip on the end of a pencil that are sort of triangle shape. Either put them on a pencil or a piece of dowel. Make two of them, and sort of walk the wood past the blade using both hands--use one to push wood past the blade, then use the second one to push while moving the first back and so on. After you have used these awhile, the eraser will have lots of nicks so just replace the eraser--and tell yourself, those cuts could have been on my finger!!!

Dean Jenson

Microlux table saw: And for those of you that have the $300 Microlux table saw--Be sure you buy the carbide blade that is available for it. Though it is about $25. it will last forever, give you much smoother cuts and believe it or not, will be more accurate than the pressed steel blade that comes with the saw.

Dean Jenson