Best Coating to Prevent Rust on Tools Attached to Outside of the Vehicle

[Deleted member 9101]

how about .99 black spray paint? Won't leave stains down the side of your vehicle, on can will provide endless touch ups, and looks good if you actually take the time to prep it right.

 

[SDDiver5]

Por15

 

[fishEH]

First, I wouldn't keep an axe externally mounted.
Second, who cares if the business end of the shovel gets some patina on it?? It would probably take a decade for the shovel to rust through, at which point you can buy another one for $25. If the shovel is there for actual use then I wouldn't worry about it looking pristine, it's a shovel after all. If the shovel or for poseur effect then just get one of those chromed "ground breaking" shovels.

 

[MadMedic]

Wipe down with an oily rag ever now and again, never failed me. Also a little bit of surface oxidisation (rust) wont do it any harm and it will protect it from further rust

 

[southpier]

Por15

use their prep materials & paint - your troubles are over.

 

[RESCUE-K9]

I know this is a old thread but we have been experimenting with gun bluing on the hand tools stored on the out rise of our fire apparatus, we just went through a really harsh winter here in Chicagoland and it held up great its not expensive and you can do it yourself.

 

[joe51]

Furniture paste wax on wood and both metal, or paint the metal. Wax blocks oxygen better than oil and won't attract and hold dust. This is what the old timers used on machine tools where that had bare, precision surfacse so they couldn't use paint on them. Wax coating lasts longer than oil, and blocks oxygen better and won't trap and hold gritty dust that can wear on the precision surface.

You're NEVER supposed to paint a wooden handle of a shovel or an axe. It hides cracks and someone can get hurt if the handle comes apart unexpectedly. Oil or wax the wood and they'll actually protect it better than paint will. This was all brought out in the old US Army TMs concerning shovels and axes when they were mounted on the early Jeeps.

 

[007]

http://www.eezox.com/

ezox is by far the best corrosion/lubricant on the market for protecting metal, the best part is that it dries. My friend that maintains gun systems on fighter jets clued me into it after I was having corrosion /lube issues on my shotgun in cold wet weather.

It can be a little hard to find on the consumer market as the company is more geared to supplying big end users.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Furniture paste wax on wood and both metal, or paint the metal. Wax blocks oxygen better than oil and won't attract and hold dust. This is what the old timers used on machine tools where that had bare, precision surfacse so they couldn't use paint on them. Wax coating lasts longer than oil, and blocks oxygen better and won't trap and hold gritty dust that can wear on the precision surface.

You're NEVER supposed to paint a wooden handle of a shovel or an axe. It hides cracks and someone can get hurt if the handle comes apart unexpectedly. Oil or wax the wood and they'll actually protect it better than paint will. This was all brought out in the old US Army TMs concerning shovels and axes when they were mounted on the early Jeeps.

I hate to bust your bubble but shovels, axes, and picks, mounted under HMMWVs in the pioneer rack, outside Strikers and LAV-25's, etc are all painted and have been for decades.

 

[washington taco]

LPS 3 is great stuff, we use it in aviation all the time.

 

[southpier]

...NEVER ... paint a wooden handle of a shovel or an axe. It hides cracks....

I think that's wooden ladders. painted tool handles give you blisters. linseed oil on an old wooden ladder turns it into a springboard.

 

[SmoothLC]

Linseed Oil on the handle and head - pretty good reference at How to Restore and Axe

 

[chromisdesigns]

melt some beeswax in an old can and paint it on to the metal surfaces. Build up several coats.

 

[rayra]

Paint.


And for the person above using firearms cold bluing, that in itself inhibits rust somewhat but is not the complete solution. You have to wipe it down with oil too. Bluing doesn't keep firearms from rusting, either. For that you'll need a phosphate / 'Parkerizing' coating. And even that benefits from oiling.

 

[thethePete]

Another vote for Fluid film. Good to keep a can in your truck tool box anyway, and a quick spray and a wipe with a rag will keep it looking like new for a good while. Takes all of 6 seconds to reapply after using the tool. Plus it keeps snow/mud/debris from sticking to the shovel head as badly.

Another, slightly pricier option would be a product like sharkskin (from the makers of Metal Rescue, which actually works pretty damn well).