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*Does dessicant packs reduce the risk of rust when storing knives and guns?*
- Thread starter nonbox
- Start date
calyth
#!/bin/sh of a man
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2002
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- 3,574
dessicant packs?
I suppose they draw out moisture, right... found in perhaps instant noodles and chips and anything that should be kept dry?
I'd think it could help... especially when you have enough to actually reduce the moisture to a level that steel wouldn't rust.
I've heard that some suspension bridge anchors actually have the moisture reduced until it no longer can make any steel rust.
I suppose they draw out moisture, right... found in perhaps instant noodles and chips and anything that should be kept dry?
I'd think it could help... especially when you have enough to actually reduce the moisture to a level that steel wouldn't rust.
I've heard that some suspension bridge anchors actually have the moisture reduced until it no longer can make any steel rust.
Here's a link that should answer your question: http://www.dehumidify.com/FAQ.html
Gollnick
Musical Director
- Joined
- Mar 22, 1999
- Messages
- 29,258
Several years ago, a fellow posted on one of the knife forums (I can't remember if it was here or not) that he had gone out of the country on extended travel. Before leaving, he'd placed his rather impressive collection of knives, some original Randals, etc., into one of those sealed ammo boxes, tossed in a few dessicant packs for good measures, sealed it up, and put it in storage with the rest of his stuff. When he got back, he opened the box and discovered his valuable collection was not anymore. All knives were hopelessly rusted.
What happened?
The concensus was that the culprit was the dessicant pack!
But how could the dessicant packs cause rust? Simple: they absorb and trap moisture. But because the air around us contains, on average, about 30% water, dessicant packs left in open air quickly become saturated. Once saturated, they can turn around and release that stored moisture under the right circumstances (primarily a change in temperature).
In order to use these packs correctly, you need to bake them to drive the moisture out of them before you quickly put them into your sealed container. The bake is typically 16 hours at 250F.
If you don't go through this baking process, the dessicant packs can do more harm than good.
Dessicant packs absorb water. That reduces the risk of rust, that's for sure. But, it can also be very bad for leather, wood, real ivory, bone and horn, and other materials commonly found on knives.
If you're planning to store your knives for an extended time, I'd suggest Renaissance Wax over dessicant packs any day.
What happened?
The concensus was that the culprit was the dessicant pack!
But how could the dessicant packs cause rust? Simple: they absorb and trap moisture. But because the air around us contains, on average, about 30% water, dessicant packs left in open air quickly become saturated. Once saturated, they can turn around and release that stored moisture under the right circumstances (primarily a change in temperature).
In order to use these packs correctly, you need to bake them to drive the moisture out of them before you quickly put them into your sealed container. The bake is typically 16 hours at 250F.
If you don't go through this baking process, the dessicant packs can do more harm than good.
Dessicant packs absorb water. That reduces the risk of rust, that's for sure. But, it can also be very bad for leather, wood, real ivory, bone and horn, and other materials commonly found on knives.
If you're planning to store your knives for an extended time, I'd suggest Renaissance Wax over dessicant packs any day.
- Joined
- Sep 30, 1999
- Messages
- 4,229
If you use dessicant packs, make sure where you keep your knives is not airtight for the reasons stated above. I coat my knives with rennaissance wax and keep a bunch of dessicant packs in the safe, but I also have air holes and have never had any problems.
Dessicant packs and canisters can be purchased from Midway shooting supplies in Columbia, MO. They have a website but I can't pull it out of my head right now. The ones I bought from them have a baking time of a couple hours at 350 to dry them out. The guy's problem was he sealed the cans airtight. It might be true that bad things can't get in but anything you've sealed inside can't get out either.
