Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello all,
I purchased a straight edge from Leevalley (24" steel). I read reviews here and other places that it was a good tool for the money. I recieved it in good order and upon opening it up I put a coat of paste wax on it. This my standard to all my steel equipment that I own (table saw top, drill press table, etc). My shop is one of the bays on my 3 car garage with no temp or humidity control. I have had no issues with the other equipment other than yearly reapplication of the wax. Just a few days of hanging in the garage has sprouted surface rust where my fingers were so you can guess my dissapointment. So I thought to tackle it another way and purchased the Top Saver chemical from Rocker (upon reading positive reviews). It did remove the surface rust well and I followed the direcitons with plastic gloves on. Well it has sprouted rust again and I am not very happy.

Am I handleing the care of this tool wrong or is it purly the environment it is in? Do you guys all have conditioned shops or do you just store all of your fine tools in the house and handle them with gloves? I live in Louisianal where it is pretty much 100% humid all the time. Any advice here for a frustrated first timer or are you going to tell me I should have purchased the alumnium one?????

Thanks!

    I would let them know. Tool steel will rust. I suggest you keep it in a tool box with champher or dried milk powder to absorb the moisture and help to keep it from rusting
john

desicant packs and a toolbox of some sort will help. that being said some tool steel does seem more prone to corrosion that others, but i have no idea why. you may comtinue to have problems with your other tool unplated steel tools. perhaps you might build a small, climate controlled enclosure in the garage for storage of those items which are susceptible, as well as your wood stash and work in progress.

You could put a coat of laquer on it, though it probably won't still be accurate to .001. But a thin even coat would work.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

As Michael suggests, I have a 330 square feet area that is climate controlled where my 24 inch Lee Valley staight edge (and their 3 foot aluminum one as well) lives. I don't wax any of my machines either just because I don't want wax to contaminate any of the woods I would want to put a finish on. Also available from Lee Valley and others is product called Bostik "Top Coat", a silicone free surface sealant. I use it and it may be a better option for you. Otherwise, just keep your tools of concern in the house in a box in a closet and take them into the shop when you need them.

Good Luck

Shane

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Canada

Heck, I thought those things were stainless steel. That's why they cost less than other straightedges, I guess. Could definitely be a problem if rust appears on the working edges.

Any steel tool I leave laying around on a bench top will rust within a few days (we get pretty high RH here too). I keep all my tools in cupboards or draws and that seems to take care of most of the problem.

There are builders at my house right at this moment building my new workshop . That ones gonna have climate control . I've just gotta do the layout for where everything is going to go before the electricians turn up next week.

Matthew, this is probably stating the obvious and I don't mean to insult you, but you absolutely must create a humidity-controlled space regardless of your rust problem. You simply cannot build guitars in that kind of humidity (unless, I suppose, those guitars will never leave that high-humidity environment).

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

carlton, i haven't seen any quality straight edges made in stainless. every one i've had or used was tool steel, including starrette, b&s, mitutoyo, rabone-c, and those from enco/msc.

rules are often in stainless, but not straightedges.

some like stew mac have theirs plated with nickel, others satin crome, but most are unplated to make achieving tolerances easier.

Hmmm...You're right Michael. I guess I was thinking about those that are coated. I've never had a problem with any of my 'edges, and I've had them for several years (some short Stew-Mac, and a 24" that I've forgotten from where I got it ) They're accurate, too. I have to keep an eye on all my other tool steel, though, hand saws and card scrapers especially.

Thanks all.....I am sending it back for the aluminum one. I know that one will not rust.