Dear Shop Doc,
We’re an extrusion equipment manufacturer shipping extrusion barrels reaching 10-12 feet in length. For rust prevention we have been applying cosmolines and oils using a long, makeshift broom caked with oil. The process takes a lot of manpower, workers and customers often complain about the smell of the oil, customers have to use mineral spirits to the remove the oil from the metal, and sometimes the parts still rust. Some of our equipment can be valued at as much as $100,000 per piece. Is there a better way to prevent rust?
Oily in Memphis, TN
Dear Oily,
We brought your question to David Yancho – vice president of Armor Protective Packaging, a manufacturer of corrosion inhibiting & rust removal products, to discuss some different options.
Oils and Cosmoline are tried and true products that certainly do the job in terms of rust prevention, but I’ve heard some accounts of the messy and labor-intensive nature of the applications. They’ve also been known to be a contaminant for dust and other particles that gravitate to them.
Water-based rust preventative (RP) liquids are the closest alternative to what you’re using now. They provide similar benefits to oils, but can be easier to apply and remove because they’re water-based. That means they’re safer for the worker as well as the environment. They still can be messy, have an odor, may be difficult to remove, and possess disposal challenges. Also, RP liquids fowl to high and low spots in the metal, resulting in less than full surface coverage.
i don’t know what shape your product is, but why not wrap them in plastic and vacum pack them. no air and you have little or no rust problem.
LPS products are recommended by injection mold makers for storing mold tools. LPS3 is a spray on product.