There is a particular pleasure in owning a set of tools that were made to be used rather than admired, and a corresponding sorrow in finding a favourite chisel with a bloom of rust along its back or a plane iron that has started to pit. In an old building — whether a stone cottage, a brick Victorian villa or a timber-framed workshop with a cob floor — the tools have to contend with conditions that a modern, sealed, centrally heated garage never has to face. The good news is that a little thought about where and how you store things will keep edges keen and handles sound for decades.

Understanding what old buildings do to tools

Period properties breathe. Lime plaster, unfired brick, stone and earth floors all absorb and release moisture as the weather changes, and that movement is exactly why these buildings have survived so long. It is also why an unheated outbuilding can swing from 70 per cent relative humidity in a wet November to something much drier in a warm June. The target you are chasing for ferrous tools is around 45 to 55 per cent relative humidity. Below that, rust barely gets a foothold; above it, condensation forms on cold steel overnight and the damage begins.

Two culprits do most of the harm. The first is cold masonry, which chills the air around it and causes moisture to condense on any steel nearby. The second is sudden warmth — opening a workshop door on a mild morning, or running a heater for an hour — which raises the air's capacity to hold water without warming the tools themselves. Store steel away from external walls where you can, and bring a cold tool into a warm house to warm gradually rather than in a rush.

Keeping damp and rust at bay

Ventilation is your first and cheapest tool. A cross-flow of air through a workshop, even on a still day, does more good than any chemical treatment. Fit a couple of hit-and-miss vents or louvred panels high and low so air can move without a draught that chills the space. If the building has a solid floor, lift stored chests and cabinets onto timber bearers so air can pass underneath.

• Line drawers and tool chests with vapour-phase inhibitor paper or felt treated with a light rust preventative.
• Place silica gel sachets in drawers and cabinets, and refresh or replace them monthly through the damp months.
• Wipe bare steel with a thin film of camellia oil, a wax-and-oil blend, or a traditional linseed-based preparation after every use.
• Keep a small hygrometer on the wall so you can see the pattern rather than guess at it.

Storing edge tools so they stay sharp

Chisels, plane irons, knives and gouges suffer more from knocking against one another than from damp alone. A rolled canvas tool roll keeps each blade in its own pocket, but the fabric must be dry when it goes away, otherwise you have created a small humid microclimate against the steel. Heavy cotton or waxed canvas is better than plastic, which traps moisture.

For planes, store them on their side or on a wooden shelf with the iron retracted slightly — never resting on the cutting edge. A dedicated plane cupboard with a sloping base and felt-lined slots prevents the sole of one from scarring the body of another. Chisels are best kept in a rack with the blades pointing downwards, or horizontally in drilled holes sized to the handle rather than the blade, so the edge never touches timber.

Saws want to hang rather than lie flat. A wall-mounted rack with wooden pegs, blade edge upwards and a light cover over the teeth, keeps them true and free from the damp of a shelf against a stone wall. Keep oilstones and diamond plates in a wooden box with a lid; a light smear of oil on a waterstone will stop it growing mould in a cold workshop.

Wooden handles, mallets and the timber connection

Anything with a wooden component — handles, mallet heads, beech planes, spokeshave bodies — needs a different regime from bare steel. Wood expands and contracts with the seasons, and a tool that has swollen in a damp November may loosen in a dry July. An occasional rub with boiled linseed oil or a beeswax polish keeps the grain sealed and the handle comfortable in the hand, and stops the dry, splintered feel that comes from years of neglect.

Avoid storing timber-handled tools directly on concrete or stone floors, which draw moisture upwards. A shelf lined with cork or felt is ideal. If you keep a wooden chest, do not seal it airtight; a few small ventilation holes in the back will let the contents breathe and prevent the musty smell that warns of trapped damp.

Racks, cabinets and making the most of awkward spaces

Old outbuildings are rarely square, and that is an advantage. Alcoves beside chimney breasts, the space under a sloping roof, and the deep reveal of a small window all make excellent tool stores once fitted with simple plywood or tongue-and-groove shelving. Fix battens into the masonry with the grain of the wall in mind, and use packers to keep cabinet backs clear of the plaster so air can circulate behind.

• French cleats on a back wall let you move racks and holders as your collection grows.
• Shallow drawers on wooden runners suit small items — brads, screws, spare blades — better than deep bins where things are lost.
• A locking cupboard for the finest tools protects them from damp, dust and the attentions of children and mice.
• Hang frequently used tools at eye level and put the seasonal ones higher, so the daily kit never ends up in a heap on the bench.

A simple seasonal routine

Twice a year, in spring and again in early autumn, take everything off the wall and out of the drawers. Check each edge, wipe each metal surface, and renew the oil or wax. Look for the first signs of rust — a faint orange bloom on a plane sole, a speckled patch under a handle — and deal with it while a little fine abrasive and oil will still do the job. Sharpen what needs sharpening, refresh the silica gel, and note anything that has started to loosen or split. Twenty minutes of this, twice a year, is the whole difference between tools that are ready when you are and tools that need rescuing before every project.