How to keep tools from rusting?

[alormaria]

On the boat I keep cheap tools and spray them with WD-40.

 

[OldDan1943]

I dont want to use anything that indicates, wear a respirator, eye shield and gloves.

 

[firehoser75]

Maybe it has to do with location, but I always left my "boat tools" on board and mostly in the ER. Never had any rust to worry about. However, despite living in a "rain forest", I always kept the boat warm and dry. I always used an oil pan heater, which besides keeping the engine warm, also kept the ER warm and dry. In the winter, I used a dehumidifier and several fans to move air around. My engine showed no rust, and nothing else in the ER showed rust either. One exception. Previous owners allowed the raw water pump on the generator to leak onto the sound shield floor, causing that to rust. I removed what rust I could and coated all of that floor with Rustoleum paint followed by an application of Boeshield. I also repaired the leak.

 

[Alisske]

I keep a full set of wrenches, screw drivers, pliers and sockets that are made of beryllium (bronze alloy). Made by ampco. Picked them up on eBay, piece by piece, over a few years to keep costs down.

They are a little thicker than steel tools, but i work on a Lehman diesel so theres plenty of room.

No rust. No worries. I don't even take them in at night if i am working on the boat and it rains. (Basically, rain just washes them off)

 

[BevinB]

Using rust converter reminds me of a (now) funny story about a friend who purchased a brand new Aluminum 35 foot boat with twin Cummins. He wanted to preserve the bright white color but instead of using WD40 or CRC he mistakenly used rust converter. Both engines turned black. He cried for years over that ...

 

[Hippocampus]

Have a ultrasonic bath I inherited from my dad for cleaning if appropriate. Or sometimes use acid. Then alcohol. Then a drop of Hoppe’s gun oil for moving parts or some times on a jewelers polishing wheel primed with a wax stick. Anytime they see salt water rinse in fresh with a drop of Dawn ASAP. If it’s not at the working end like with a screw driver will spray with cold galvanizing or even left over rust oleum. We save the little packets of dehumidifier crystals you get in stuff shipped to you. They sit in all the different tool boxes and bags. Think the biggest thing is to clean and oily rag or ss cleaner wipe of your tools before you put them away each time they’re used.
Have separate tools for doing work in the water or when salt water exposure is a given. Use cheap stuff for that and save the good tools for engine and other dry work.
Now if I could get my wife to return the tools she occasionally will use life would be good. If I could get her to return them to the spot she took them from life would be grand. Oh well……

 

[GND]

If the problem is rusty pivots on pliers the best Quick fix I’ve come across is fresh water. Soak in water and work the grips until free, then keep working in water until the rust starts to bleed out of the pivot, dry then oil.

 

[olive]

What do you all do to keep tools, left on the boat, from rusting over time?

Also, if you have rusted tools, what's the best way to remove the rust?

Thanks!
Richard

to remove rust you can tumble them in sand orjust soak in Coca-Cola then polish with baking soda