Shopsmith Forums

I have a couple of Mark 5 520s and we are selling our house and both will need to be in storage for a year or two. The storage unit is enclosed and protected from weather but will not be climate controlled. In Minnesota, that means temperature changes form -20 to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit and humidty from 20% to 100% depending on season.

What is the best way to prepare them for storage to prevent rust etc until the new house and shop are completed?

twistsol wrote:I have a couple of Mark 5 520s and we are selling our house and both will need to be in storage for a year or two. The storage unit is enclosed and protected from weather but will not be climate controlled. In Minnesota, that means temperature changes form -20 to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit and humidty from 20% to 100% depending on season.

What is the best way to prepare them for storage to prevent rust etc until the new house and shop are completed?

Chris,

I'll let other members comment on best methods to protect the Shopsmith (metal surfaces, bearings, etc.). One thought I had was what about making a DIY dehumidifier out of 5 gallon buckets and rock salt? You could put this in the corner of storage unit and maybe it would help with the humidity in the unit. I assume you can't run power in the storage unit, so this could be a passive dehumidifier approach. Given the humidity in the state you live in, I don't know how fast this dehumidifier would fill up, so are you planning on checking in on the storage unit from time to time where you could possibly empty the water out of the bucket from this dehumidifier?

Spray them with Boeshield T9. Wood magazine did a comparison test of rust preventers a while back, and that stuff blew the competition out of the water. You can read the article at the link below.

https://www.woodcraft.com/blog_entries/rust-busters

I agree with Beeg. That is what I did with mine and I moved to Florida and everything turned out OK. Also I put my smaller items like the drill chuck and the lathe drive centers in pill bottles. They are practically air tight and provide good protection. Sealed plastic containers (Tupperware and the like ) would also provide protection for the larger items like the lathe tool rests and the tailstock. Good luck on the move.
Bill V

wa2crk wrote:I agree with Beeg. That is what I did with mine and I moved to Florida and everything turned out OK. Also I put my smaller items like the drill chuck and the lathe drive centers in pill bottles. They are practically air tight and provide good protection. Sealed plastic containers (Tupperware and the like ) would also provide protection for the larger items like the lathe tool rests and the tailstock. Good luck on the move.
Bill V

I use Planters Peanut Butter jars with the lids screwed on tight over a piece of saran wrap.

I am a peanut butter junky so I have had plenty of jars.

Then there is 'THE PAINTERS FRIEND'.

I ended up cleaning and lubing the headstocks and removing them from the rails. Each is packed in a plastic bag with a couple of large bags of silica and then padded and boxed.

I did go with the Boeshield T9 on the bench and way tubes and on the caster assemblies. I haven't packed up the SPT's and all tho other accessories, but bagging and boxing them or using plastic containers with silica bags is my plan.

The builder told us if they get the foundation in before the cold weather hits we could be in by April or May ... Otherwise the foundation will go in April or May and we'll be in the new house by next fall.