Cat Litter to keep the safe dry

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Departed402

New member
I'm looking for cheap and simple ways to keep my firearms from rusting in the safe. I already oil my guns, but I'm all about layers of protection.

One method I heard of was using cat litter to reduce moisture content. It seems to make sense, and I wouldn't need to play EZ-Bake Oven with silica beads or anything like that, just change out the inexpensive kitty litter every now and then.

I'm challenging you guys to poke holes in this logic or suggest a better, cheapier, and lazier way to keep guns from rusting.
 
If you are going to keep your safe in a moisture rich environment environment kitty litter isn't going to solve your problem. Use dessicant packs (lots of them) or place a dehumidifer in the room where the safe is. Otherwise you are going to have rust on your guns. Playing EZ bake with "silica beads" is not too much to ask if you value your guns.
 
I dont know about safe but around here some carry a container in the trunk in case they get stuck in snow/ice.
 
Plus the smell of kitty litter kind of LINGERS. Talk to your local shoe store or replacement auto glass shop, they'll have plenty of silica gel packets on hand.
 
About 30 years ago I oiled a rifle and two pistols then wrapped them up in two layers of cheap bed spread then stuck them out in the garage up high. I finally dug them out a few months ago thinking they would be ruined. No rust on the pistols, wood handle grips still good, rifle had two very small spots where dis-similar metals contact that cleaned off fine. I live on the west side of the Cascades in Puget Sound where the weather tends to be mostly damp. Would be curious of the geographic area you live that gives you that high of a rust concern?
 
bt, I have to ask what you oiled them with? Whatever it was, it certainly did a good job of protecting the metal.
 
I have a dehumidifier in the room where my safe is which is also in my basement. Never seen a speck of rust on any of my guns. Whatever you decide on it will be worth it if you value your guns.
 
Charcoal will absorb moisture but it can ignite if it absorbs too much and the moisture is released too quickly.
Click to expand...

I live in San diego CA and BBQ at least 3 times a week year round :D. None of that propane crap either . :cool:

My charoal has never spontaneosly combusted :eek:. How does one release the moisture quickly from charcoal ?:confused::)
 
Kitty litter will not attract moisture. Worthless for that use.
I use disposable dessicant packs from the dollar store. $1.00 each and last 3 to 6 months depending on conditions.
 
ummm...since no on has asked, have you measured the relative humidity in your safe to include the extreme highs and lows?

Maybe worth your while to check.

Most department stores sell inexpensive hydrometers that will show the relative humidity as well as showing the highest and lowest measurement.

Doug Wicklund, the senior curator at the NRA Firearms Museum, recommends 70 degrees and 50% humidity. But the key point he stresses is to maintain as stable an environment as possible.

I maintain around 35-70% humidity and have zero rust issues. If the humidity rises above 70% , I turn on a 25 watt incandescent light bulb that I wired to the inside of my safe. That 25watt bulb works just as well as a dedicated Golden Rod...and is a LOT less expensive.

The Golden Rod's only function is to raise the interior temperature slightly more than ambient temperature to prevent condensation. The Golden Rod doesn't remove moisture, it just just keeps the items inside a little warmer so that moisture doesn't collect on your firearm's surfaces. At almost $50 for a product that doesn't actually reduce humidity (it is sold as a "dehumidifier" to be used to "remove humidity" from the inside of a gun safe), in my opinion, the Golden Rod is a rip off and a waste of money.

Remember that relative humidity is the ratio of how much water is in the air divided by how much water the air can hold at saturation. The denominator, the amount of water the air can hold at saturation can be changed by raising the temperature. Raising the temperature inside your safe keeps the moisture from condensing (think "dew") onto your gun's metal surfaces and creating rust.

http://www.nramuseum.org/media/940963/conservationinfo.pdf (see page 2)

Keep in mind that too little humidity can be detrimental to any wood on your firearms. Humidity levels that are too low can cause wood to dry, shrink and crack.
 
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