Fabric machine covers?

Our temperature can vary over fifty degrees from one day to the next this time of year. I walked into my shop a few mornings ago and it looked like it had rained inside. Water was dripping off every machine. Not much I can do about the condensation; I try to keep all the un-painted surfaces oiled. My biggest problem is dust. The soil here is very sandy. They mine our sand for oil well fraccing. It is extremely abrasive, so I keep my machines covered, even my bandsaw. I buy furniture blankets from Harbor Freight and use them to cover the machines. Some machines take several blankets, but if you catch them on sale they are pretty cheap.
 
I'm fortunate that I live in a dry climate. I try to keep my machines clean but rust really isn't an issue here. Like others, I throw an old sheet over the mill. The Atlas is in a fairly clean space, and it gets used more often, so I leave it uncovered. Most of the other stuff is in the work in progress state, so until they are ready they sit as is. Mike
 
I live in GA and humidity is always a problem. I cover my lathe and mill with cotton bed sheets after applying hydraulic oil to the bare surfaces. I also leave a big squirrel cage fan running 24 7 along with a dehumidifier. I have heat and air but only run them if needed. The fan and dehumidifier are the ticket to combat humidity.
 
I live in the rust belt also. As noted in previous posts, Covering machines is a must especially when there are drastic temperature changes. Johnsons Paste Wax seals surfaces and prevents rust. ATF or Marvel Mystery Oil are my go to rust preventative
 
OTmachine said:
I live in the rust belt also. As noted in previous posts, Covering machines is a must especially when there are drastic temperature changes. Johnsons Paste Wax seals surfaces and prevents rust. ATF or Marvel Mystery Oil are my go to rust preventative
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While I have a dehumidifier running in the Summer and dump warm air in during the heating season, I also periodically apply Johnson’s Paste Wax to all unpainted metal that isn’t oiled: protects and makes stock move across saw tables easier. I also clean workbench tops and apply a couple of light coats of wax to keep dirt from soaking into the surface.

Tool storage gets ZeRust VCI tabs, and larger tools (Angle plates, fixtures, Vee-Blocks, etc.) get Renaissance Wax or Boeshield applications. Renaissance Wax is also great for keeping wooden storage boxes in good condition.
 
Here in Western Oregon we have humidity, but the biggest problem is sweating when a wet warm front moves in after a long cold spell. I have an insulated, but unheated shop where the machine tools live. I use old bedsheets to cover the machines. and lightly oil the bare metal. Anything not covered with the bedsheets is noticeably more prone to rusting. All the bedsheets I use are cotton. I think that is important.
 
Cotton Painters drop cloths work for me when I need to cover a machine. I built a separate room (insect proof) inside one of my shops just to keep the Mud Daubers out of the motors and anything else that they perceive valuable to me. I had spray foam insulation blew inside before moving the first machine inside it. The room is only 12 ft by 12 ft. I have 3 overhead 4 ft LED lights and leave them on year-round to keep the room warm and dry just to help control the rusting. WD-40 is Water Displacement - 40 so i have found it works very well I also have BoeSheild that has been recommended and Fluid Film also recomended to me. I do not have enough experience with BoeSheild or Fluid Film yet to make an honest assessment of either.
 
I try to coat my old lathe with a thin coat of Marvel mystery oil once in a while.
I keep a bed sheet over it that’s been liberally sprayed with WD 40. I live in a very humid creek bottom in Arkansas and my metal shop isn’t insulated.
The lathe never rusts but all the tooling kept in the metal drawers below it do rust. I’m considering making wooden drawers for it?
I don’t have any drawer liners at this time but plan to soon.
 
Fluid Film works great. I have a 12” Kurt vice with swivel base that I coated in fluid film. Keeps it from rusting since I very rarely use it.
 
My opinion about Boeshield: Save your money.
 
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