How To Successfully Rust-Proof Bolts Before Your Next Project

Humans have been working with metal for thousands of years, but anyone who has struggled with a rusted bolt knows it doesn't always feel that way. Around the home and garden, whether you're working on a vehicle or fixing the bolts on your wheelbarrow, rusty fasteners can be a big problem. While it's easy to blame the bolt itself, there are steps you can take to prevent this problem in the first place. For your next DIY project, do your future self a favor by "rust-proofing" the bolts with a heat treatment that gives them a cooked-on oil coating.

Heat treating a bolt and then dipping it in oil to create a polymerized coating is a technique many DIYers swear by. While there are a lot of fancy new rust prevention products on the market, there's no reason to spend money on something when you can use a method that people have been handing down from generation to generation. 

For this method, you'll need something to hold the bolt with, like a pair of vise grips or channel locks, and a propane torch. You'll also need a small amount of oil, which can include vegetable oil, linseed oil, or even used motor oil. Heat the bolt with the torch and dip it into the oil, repeating the process a few times while the metal is still hot.

Because bolts are used in many applications and made from different metals, it's important to choose the right rust-prevention method for each job. This rust-proofing method will work for odd jobs around the house, but be sure not to overheat the bolt. As you heat the metal, it will go through a rainbow of colors. The metal changes colors as it warms because the oxygen is reacting with the surface. As it heats, you'll see it go from a golden straw color to red, violet, blue, and grey. Once the metal turns gray, it's overheated, and you should stop applying heat.

While this common DIY technique works well in practice, it doesn't actually make bolts fully rust-proof. True rust-proof bolts are made from special alloys like stainless steel, and this polymerized oil coating helps slow oxidation down. Still, it's a useful trick you can do in your own garage or backyard with just a few simple tools, and it's worth trying the next time you need to make sure a bolt doesn't rust as quickly. Tips like this make it easy to fix almost anything around the house on the cheap and tackle DIY projects with items you already have at home. Now, if we could only find a way to keep bolts and nuts organized.