where to store steel

Atlas Knife Company

Atlas Knife Company

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Messages
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Would a non-working refrigerator be a decent place to store steel? I'm building a weld shed and need a way to store about 1000 lbs. of steel. I was thinking a dead refrigerator with the shelves removed would be a nice, airtight container and I could load it up with dessicant to reduce the humidity. Any thoughts?
 
Well, I won't be using the shelves so I don't really see much issue. Maybe reinforce the bottom and take the weight off the wheels and legs on the bottom of the fridge and it should be fine. My neighbor just had a commercial freezer die that should fit perfectly.
 
Under the workbench, leaned up against a convenient wall, strewn about the floor around the anvil, etc.
 
All teasing aside, a sealed cabinet would be nice. Where does one get enough dessicant to make that worthwhile?
 
Normally, I have around 1-ton of IFB which absorbs the moisture from the room. Now that I'm building a welding shed, I won't be storing the bricks there and need a solution.

You can buy desiccant cheaply on eBay, about $20 for 2 lbs. My issue is that it's a year's supply of forge handles, plates, toolrests, etc. that I don't want rusting in the meantime. I have no problem leaving 1084 out to rust, it will get ground off anyway. Yet, it's a hassle to pickle or grind handles, plates, etc. Plus, there's this giant freezer just sitting there waiting to get recycled. It would be "green" of me to repurpose it.
 
Atlas Knife Company said:
Would a non-working refrigerator be a decent place to store steel? I'm building a weld shed and need a way to store about 1000 lbs. of steel. I was thinking a dead refrigerator with the shelves removed would be a nice, airtight container and I could load it up with dessicant to reduce the humidity. Any thoughts?
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I used one to store my belts and wood in . I kept the frig light and fan working to circulate air with a dessicant can inside , worked great for that .
 
By size, thickness and mill finish and, in the case of my DH2 W2, shape. No two types really all that alike except for the odd round or wide bar of mild steel. Also< do have a couple of different unruly piles. ;) Any "exotics" are labeled.
woodwrkr221 said:
And you can always remember what alloy each and every piece is!

You da man!!:D
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My steel is stored in the rafters in the garage over the workbench, labeled of course. It doesn't get much rust as long as there is air circulating. If you have an old airtight fridge, sure, why not. Just make sure you can keep it dry in there or you'll just be trapping moisture inside.
 
james terrio said:
All teasing aside, a sealed cabinet would be nice. Where does one get enough dessicant to make that worthwhile?
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I use an under-counter fridge (unplugged) for storing gunpowder with a big tray of dessicant. I just use the silica cat litter that comes in a plastic jug (no clay).
 
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