Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion why tin signs dont survive inside my garage

Last week it was -2 degrees for a couple days, within 24 hours the temperature jumped to 50 degrees, it was extreme but there is not much you can do about that situation but have a climate controlled building.

How do these signs survive wherever they are for the last 100 years?
Any tin signs I get that are questionable, I clearcoat front and back, they are sealed and problem solved.

Thermoman. I was at a guys house and he still keeps all his old tin outside in Kentucky. None having any rusting issues. He said he doesnt clear coat anything. Once a year he covers his signs and gas pumps in a mixture of lin seed oil and mineral spirits. It does leave a minor off white stain on white paint. But, he had the best condition tin signs outside I have ever seen.

Thermoman, your signs aren't deteriorating from inside out. Just look at the condensation on those thermometers!
Get to the root of the problem. What is causing all of that moisture? I have an insulated, but unheated garage. I do heat it when I work out there, but just get some moisture on the windows, but nothing like your photos.
I live in Vt and the temp fluctuates wildly. You shouldn't have that much moisture. Are you running a propane heater or hot water heater in there?
John

We have wild temp fluctuations here in the Northeast.
The key seems to be not opening up the structure on a day when the unheated structure is a temp wildly different from outside temp.
Which sucks.
But
If you don't introduce the 2 temps you don't seem to have issues.
It's a compromise situation but only in winter as,...in summer a dehumidifier takes the moisture out of the equation.

Agreed Bigfoot , Saturday was almost 60 degrees where I live , the day before in the 20s , I never opened my shop overhead doors that day . A well insulated building will do the trick as long as the doors are not raised during these drastic temp changes , had I opened the doors that day everything would have started the condensation process.