rust on card scrapers

[Bill Tarbell]

I recently picked up a few new card scrapers from amazon.  They arrived with a little bit of machine oil on them, which i pretty much just left in place since i figured it'd protect them.  I used one of the cards once and discovered that a week later it developed a bit of surface rust.  One of the unused cards also developed a little bit.  I cleaned them up and put on some paste wax for the time being.  

 

What protectant do you guys typically use on your metal hand tools that tend to rust like that?

[wdwerker]

I just use paste wax. Years ago I bought a large tin of dark brown paste wax and I use it on everything that needs waxing. Might be approaching halfway in the tin, could be a lifetime supply.

[Bill Tarbell]

Awesome, thanks.  I wasn't sure if wax was the right route, so it's good to hear that others use it to.  How often do you reapply?  I assume i'll just get a feel for how often to wax them by viewing how frequently they rust, but asking may save me some future cleanup

[wdwerker]

When sweaty hands leave dark marks scrub with an abrasive pad and re-wax. This happens more often in the summer cause I sweat like a beast. One waxing might last fall, winter and spring. Summer might need it once a month if I use them frequently.

[..Kev]

I use paste wax as well.  I also toss some dryease in my tool boxes/cabinets to absorb some of the moisture.  I get mine at RV places..

[Eric.]

Rust doesn't matter on a card scraper unless it bothers you that it ain't pretty.   As long as you get the edge polished and turn a sharp burr, the rest of that piece of metal is inconsequential.  Mine have surface rust from sweaty hands and good ol' St. Louis humidity.  I don't waste my time worrying about it.  My planes on the other hand...

[Freddie]

I wipe em down with crc 3-36. I wipe all my cast iron and tool steel down with it. It is the one method in my shop that I have had 100% success with. 

[Freddie]

To elaborate on my crc 3-36 multi-purpose post, it is listed in a tauton article in the 2014 tool guide. It beat all others in the comparison, including all the waxes such as johnson paste wax, renaissance wax and waxilit. I have also retired my jojoba oil I purchased from Lie Nielsen, as it became an inferior product next to the crc. I have been using this product about 8 months now, and in that 8 months I have not had rust show up on and of my stationary machines, nor my expensive hand tools. Best purchase I made for my investments.

[Bill Tarbell]

The crc 336 stuff has great reviews on amazon and i hear it was also chosen as the best overall rust inhibitor by FWW in 2012.  I picked up a can from amazon for just over $6.  Since it's aerosol, i plan on using it for tools or areas that are difficult to wax.  If someone else goes to buy some, note that there are two versions.. one is industrial and one is Tech grade.  The tech one is safe for plastics, whereas the industrial is not.

[jHop]

I found this spray on stuff at a machine shop, and i was so impatient to try it I broke the straw and spray head.  If I had any spare cans of WD40 left, I'd have tried to refit it, but I ended up pitching the can because it was leaking and (irony) causing the other cans to rust.  But the location I sprayed the area I could control has been rust free for two years and counting.  If I could remember what the product was, I'd recommend it.