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Tool Maintenance

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Categories: Commerce and business

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Water your tools, oil your plants. Wait, it's the other way around. Tools may not be living like plants but thinking they can survive any given condition without a helping hand makes for a rude awakening. A rolling rock gathers no moss but an unused tool, even when stored properly, needs maintenance or checking.

Walking into my shop is like that vacation home where everything is covered in blankets. I've made covers for most tools to prevent a build-up of dust and to protect against flying debris. Electronics and tools that need air circulation (like from a built-in fan or passive air flow for cooling) don't like dusty environments.

I have tools from the lowly $0.10 razor blade to $15k pieces of CNC equipment. A bevy of lubes, greases, metal coatings, and specialty products keeps them, hopefully, ready for action and free of oxidation or rust.

The reason so many mechanics' tools remain in good working order is because they must remain in good working order. A much-used tool never has the chance to get rusty but disposable tools still need lovin'. Try to use a rusty blade like a new one...they say a dull knife is far more dangerous than a sharp one because it doesn't do what you want when you want.

It was disappointing to discover that the drawer liners one toolbox manufacturer used were not tool-safe. They reacted with any metal object touching it and stuck to the tools like glue. Steel got rusty, aluminum was oxidized. Plastic wasn't immune as pieces dissolved where it contacted the liner.

Further, the micro-environment within the drawers was also compromised as other tools rusted far faster than leaving them in open air. Chemicals were leaching from the liners and contaminating the air. Even tools coated with special protectant looked aged. Talk about letting the fox into the henhouse!

Machinery requires upkeep and a tool can quickly go from good to bad in a heartbeat. Breakage can have a cascading effect and is merciless when hard metal objects are involved. Add electric motors and the mechanisms become a wrecking ball propelled at mach speeds.

Caring for tools may begin before they're used. Which ones to purchase are based on their construction, materials, or manufacturer. Some tools need to be cleaned up (not just removing grease but chasing threads, sanding and deburring parts, replacing poorly made components, etc.), or outright modified before they are ready for action.

Preventive maintenance and replacing worn or end-of-life tools can't be delayed. Never mind the possibility of causing more damage, worn tools are proportional to low-quality finished goods. There'll be none of that here.

Posted by M: September 18, 2025

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