Tool care: how oily is good?

Well no ones talkin today, so I'll ask a really dumb question :)

I just treated myself to a disk cutter and steel doming block / punch set, not fancy, just cookies kinda standard ones. They've come covered in oil, loads of it inside the packets, should I wipe most of that off before using? I ask because my steel block came like that and I cleaned it with kitchen paper, but now it's discoloured in patches like maybe it's rusting a little...

I don't use anything regularly, so should I be keeping my steel tools in their super oily state? If so any particular kind of oil?

Many thanks

Faith :)

I'm talkin' Faith.

The disgusting gunge is there to allow storage for long periods in not always ideal circumstances, until some mug buys the oily product.

Personally I am grease averse and all my tools have been swabbed with old rags and WD40, until they are clean to touch. The only parts which are re-oiled are moving joints.
Items too heavy for drawers are stored in a large open box under my worktop in a dry room, heated in winter and have not changed much in twenty years.

When new they should not arrive rusty, with areas which feel raised to the touch, but there are often minor discoloured blotches of no consequence on low cost items. Regards, Dennis.

Hey talking Dennis :)

Oh no, am I the mug!?

See I don't like grease either, and my "workshop" would otherwise be an upstairs bedroom, heated well and (obviously) indoors. And all my tools, even the heavy ones actually, live in drawers in there. The block I mentioned which I cleaned the oil off of is this one:

Attachment 10315

And you can see it's discoloured in a patch I must have used to true a ring shank. No raised bits tho.... I was only worried in case the cutter and doming block went the same way, and obviously you need the cutter to be sharp and the doming block smooth, so i was worried that cleaning the oil off such things was a mistake....

Is that kind of discolouration on the block just normal and harmless then?

many thanks :)

faith

As Denis said just enough to form a moisture barrier, clean the transport gunk off and wipe with the WD40, ( don't store oily rags inside they are a fire hazard)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Faith

Attachment 10315 Is that kind of discolouration on the block just normal and harmless then?many thanks :)faith

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It was late and I took a pic specially for you. so have a look at mine. Dennis.

Thanks Bob :)

Sorry Dennis, I didn't spot your block hiding in the corner, it looks similar doesn't it so I guess I was worried bout nothing. Big thanks for taking the photo specially for me too :)

Faith :)