Goodwithwoodworking Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 Hi y’all! I am recently retired and looking to move from Michigan to the southeast in the area mentioned in the title. I’m concerned about rust forming on tools in these areas. If you have had rust can you comment on the ambient conditions i.e. heated or air-conditioned space and summer or winter rust formation. I’m trying to determine if I need a heated or air-conditioned shop. The steel tools in our garage that have been exposed to Michigan humid summers have not had any rust that I’ve noticed. It just seems to me that the Carolinas have higher humidity levels for longer periods of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 I used to live in Forest City, NC, not too farm from Hickory. Rust isn't huge deal, just clean the tools before putting them away, maybe wax the bare metal surfaces once or twice a year. Coming from Michigan, you are likely to want cooling in the summertime, just for comfort. Heat indices over 100 are pretty common, but days with temps below freezing are much less so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 Welcome!! My daughter is a Michigan State Police Officer I would think air as well I've been down in that area enough to know I would need it LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankstick Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 Just keep them clean. A bit of WD-40 or light oil will work. Just make sure it won't interfere with getting on wood and ruining the finish. I have lived many places (25 in 72 years to be exact) where rust wasn't a problem. Never lived in the desert SW...yet. Edit- Used to live in central NC. Go to Calabash, NC- the center of the seafood industry of the Carolinas. It's on the coast, just over the SC/NC state line. Just about anywhere in the Carolinas will have fresh seafood; I mean from the ocean to the table in less than 24 hours. Now I made myself hungry! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodwithwoodworking Posted July 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 11 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: I used to live in Forest City, NC, not too farm from Hickory. Rust isn't huge deal, just clean the tools before putting them away, maybe wax the bare metal surfaces once or twice a year. Coming from Michigan, you are likely to want cooling in the summertime, just for comfort. Heat indices over 100 are pretty common, but days with temps below freezing are much less so. With air-conditioning my main concern is dust plugging the air-conditioner. I will have a dust collection system that captures fine dust but it seems like the air-conditioner would also need regular cleaning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodwithwoodworking Posted July 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 1 hour ago, Bankstick said: Just keep them clean. A bit of WD-40 or light oil will work. Just make sure it won't interfere with getting on wood and ruining the finish. I have lived many places (25 in 72 years to be exact) where rust wasn't a problem. Never lived in the desert SW...yet. Edit- Used to live in central NC. Go to Calabash, NC- the center of the seafood industry of the Carolinas. It's on the coast, just over the SC/NC state line. Just about anywhere in the Carolinas will have fresh seafood; I mean from the ocean to the table in less than 24 hours. Now I made myself hungry! I love seafood so now you made me hungry too! We’ve spent months in the southeastern states looking for a house with land where a shop can be built or is already there. I did not notice the availability of fresh seafood as you mentioned. Now I am even more excited to move there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, Goodwithwoodworking said: With air-conditioning my main concern is dust plugging the air-conditioner. I will have a dust collection system that captures fine dust but it seems like the air-conditioner would also need regular cleaning. Yes, it will require cleaning a bit more frequently. But if you've never lived down here before, you're probably going to find the extra cleaning well worth the effort. I can guarantee that excessive perspiration WILL cause tool rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodwithwoodworking Posted July 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 10 hours ago, pkinneb said: Welcome!! My daughter is a Michigan State Police Officer I would think air as well I've been down in that area enough to know I would need it LOL 10 hours ago, pkinneb said: Welcome!! My daughter is a Michigan State Police Officer I would think air as well I've been down in that area enough to know I would need it LOL Without air-conditioning I would either take the summers off or I would have to just be in the shop overnight. But even if I didn’t use the shop in the summer it would still have the heat and humidity so I guess it doesn’t matter if I’m actually using it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodwithwoodworking Posted July 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 6 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: Yes, it will require cleaning a bit more frequently. But if you've never lived down here before, you're probably going to find the extra cleaning well worth the effort. I can guarantee that excessive perspiration WILL cause tool rust. Perspiration from difficult glue ups? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 I'm back in West TN now, but the climate is the same. I drip sweat all over my projects, just from drawing layout lines! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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