Topic: Cam storage tips?

[Don R]

 I noticed a little rust on some parts in the shop, even heated all winter, it's still not air conditioned. Are there any good tips for storing raw metal things like rods and cams?  They all got a soaking in WD40 for now. The 1977 Wiseco NOS 811 kit I got recently came boxed and wrapped in oiled paper, looks like new.

[scunny]

I spay them with WD40 and wrap in a rag also sprayed and put in a plastic bag.

[ekpent]

Nice coat of oil along with being wrapped in an oily rag and sealed if needed would be good also for that it seems.

[70CB750]

What Eric says.  Oil is better than WD40.  Over the oiled rag I use stretch wrap to seal it. 

[Don R]

 I'll give them a cleaning and oil/rag/bag. Thanks.

[dave500]

ive got a crank n cam soaked in thick chain lube and rags soaked with oil,been fine for years

[newday777]

ive got a crank n cam soaked in thick chain lube and rags soaked with oil,been fine for years

Good idea as I have 6-7 cans of old PJ chain lube that came with my K5 purchase 5 years ago that my original friend owner bought from the shop we had worked together at in the mid 70s when the shop closed in the early 80s.

[BenelliSEI]

I keep a jar of used motor oil in the shop, with a 1” paint brush standing in it. Any “iron” parts going into storage get “painted” and then wrapped in strips of old sheets and into a plastic bag.

[HondaMan]

WD40 is a poor choice for long-term rust-free storage of steel/iron parts. It absorbs water, like it is designed to do, from the air.
There are some other spray-on oil products that are intended for this sort of storage: we used it a lot on steel/iron stock in the machine shops I've worked in. But, it is pricey.
Normal oil is fine, and works better.

[ekpent]

But- but - but which one, conventional  dino or synthetic ? Oh Oh- oil thread time - been awhile !! 

[dave500]

keep any thing like that stored off the floor as well.

[pjlogue]

For long term storage I use CRC SP-400 corrosion inhibitor.  It's similar to Cosmoline but not as messy or smelly.  The part should be cleaned of any rust and salt/oil from fingerprints then sprayed to saturation with the CRC SP-400, wrapped in soft cloth and sprayed again to saturate the cloth then stored in a freezer grade ziplok bag or wrapped in cling film for larger parts.  Store in a dry place that won't have condensing moisture.  This will protect the part for years of storage.

-P.

[BenelliSEI]

But- but - but which one, conventional  dino or synthetic ? Oh Oh- oil thread time - been awhile !! 

Oh no!

[PeWe]

Cover the cam with thick wheel bearing grease and put it in a plastic bag wrapped around it if stored where condense can cause rust.

[70CB750]

Cover the cam with thick wheel bearing grease and put it in a plastic bag wrapped around it if stored where condense can cause rust.

I done that to my new-to-me anvil to keep it safe before I put up a roof over my forge.  So far so good.

[Tracksnblades1]

Cosmoline is the genericized trademark for a common class of brown, wax-like petroleum-based corrosion inhibitors, typically conforming to United States Military Standard MIL-C-11796C Class 3. They are viscous when freshly applied, have a slight fluorescence, and solidify over time with exposure to air. Wikipedia

Still available today, Still works today,
Worked well in the yesteryears…..

[Don R]

   Thanks for the tips,
   I used to help at a VW dealership. I've cleaned off a lot of Cosmoline.
  In the absence of Cosmoline, I cleaned the two best cams, an rc315 and a stock low mile F, brushed them with motor oil and dropped them each into an oily sock, then into a ziplock bag. 
  I also checked the Engle J cam from the stroker motor, it was on the engine stand already wrapped in oiled brown paper, I bagged it too. 

[Maltboy]

Our Gulf Coast humidity routinely ranges from 70-90%. Along with the corrosion inhibitors described above, I also run a couple of dehumidifiers in my shop to keep the dew point well below the ambient temperature. This has greatly reduced the corrosion rate on bare metal parts.  Texas cars don't rust much because we don't use road salt, but surface corrosion on bare metal is bad here on the coast because parts drop below the dewpoint in the early morning, which results in a daily dose of micro-condensation. With the dehumidifiers, the shop feels noticeably drier, and none of the shiny stuff on my bike or my cars corrodes. An old MGB that was restored 10 years ago looks as good as the day it was finished.

[Don R]

 So, I should go ahead and get that split unit air conditioner I was thinking about?

[newday777]

So, I should go ahead and get that split unit air conditioner I was thinking about?

As in a mini split?
Yes. AC to help remove the humidity in summer and heat in winter to keep temps constant against the cold and condensation.  But, I would still add a dehumidifier if you have high humidity levels in your shop/storage room.

[Stev-o]

So, I should go ahead and get that split unit air conditioner I was thinking about?

Yes, I've been eyeing this mini-split one for some time!

https://www.amazon.com/Senville-SENL-09CD-9000-Split-Conditioner/dp/B00UV3LGPY/ref=asc_df_B00UV3LGPY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167119222542&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10832371458658387203&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028253&hvtargid=pla-274312945405&th=1

[MauiK3]

Mini splits are the deal here on Maui. Our electricity prices are the highest in the nation. Our house uses two condensers outside with 4 evaporators inside. They really do the job and keep things dry as well. Power consumption is much lower than most other A/C systems. You aren't trying to cool ducting in an attic that is over 110 degrees. They are very quiet too.
Many good brands
Mitsubishi
Fujitsu
and others.
In a garage, the new hybrid type heat pump water heaters are an option. They heat your water and put out cold air. If I didn't already have solar heated hot water I'd be looking at one.
The sun is your banking friend here.

Back to the thread, cosmolene or equivalent is really a good choice. I like the clear wrap idea too.

[Maltboy]

So, I should go ahead and get that split unit air conditioner I was thinking about?

Yes 100% You won't regret it.

[HondaMan]

Cosmoline is the genericized trademark for a common class of brown, wax-like petroleum-based corrosion inhibitors, typically conforming to United States Military Standard MIL-C-11796C Class 3. They are viscous when freshly applied, have a slight fluorescence, and solidify over time with exposure to air. Wikipedia

Still available today, Still works today,
Worked well in the yesteryears…..

A 'testimony' for Cosmoline (I'm a big fan):
in 1968 my father-in-law bought an M1911 (pre-A1) from the Army's CMP program. It came to him as a solid block of green Cosmoline that was 6" thick and 9" square. You couldn't see the pistol inside! He dropped it in a bucket of gasoline and every night scrubbed the block a little more until the 1911 appeared. About 6 days later he broke off the remaining green chunks, and cleaned it off everything: the pistol was made in August, 1918 and went into storage in 1940-something (either 1946 or 1948, not sure which) as this green block. There isn't a trace of ANYTHING resembling rust or corrosion on it, it is a beautifully-preserved piece of last-century sidearm.

[ekpent]

I bought one of those 7.62 x 39mm  SKS military rifles complete with bayonet at a gun show once when they were first hitting the scene back in the day for less then a hundred bucks on a whim, think around $90.00 or so.  It came with a thick coat of cosmoline and wrapped in paper that cleaned off fairly easily. Couple friends checked it out and ended up buying one also as they were so cheap back then. Not sure how accurate it really was but made a lot of noise and never jammed.