white corrision on stored nails

[luggage]

I am new to this forum so I may be at the wrong place.  I recently checked a box (large) of Bostich nails for a fence nailer that I had stored for a long time in my metal storage building.  I discovered a white corrosion on the nails in an unopened box.  The are out of he weather and did not get wet.  However I cannot rule of a humidity factor as I live in Alabama.  Has anyone ever experienced or seen this and do you think the nails still safe for use in my nail gun? They are Galvanizes nails.  Thanks

 

[JeromeM]

I am new to this forum so I may be at the wrong place.  I recently checked a box (large) of Bostich nails for a fence nailer that I had stored for a long time in my metal storage building.  I discovered a white corrosion on the nails in an unopened box.  The are out of he weather and did not get wet.  However I cannot rule of a humidity factor as I live in Alabama.  Has anyone ever experienced or seen this and do you think the nails still safe for use in my nail gun? They are Galvanizes nails.  Thanks

it's the heat and humidity and O2. I get that same problem on any zinc coated items all the time in Thailand. The only problems will be that they will rust more quickly and you will probably be cleaning your nail gun often.

The only way I've found to avoid the problem is to put everything in heat seal bags.

 

[semenza]

Yes, I have had that on nails and other galvanized items.  Keeping them dry, including shutting out or controling the humidity is the key to prevention.  As far as using them ..... I always wonder about lead dust from items in that condition, but I don't  know do galvanized items still have lead content ??????

Seth

 

[tiralie]

Nails are coated with Zinc to act as a sacrificial anode to protect the nail from premature rusting and weakening. The coating on each nail is the evidence of this reaction occurring to the moisture in the air and the zinc is slowly being eroded off the nail reducing the protection.
Although I have never tried it, I would think that if you were storing zinc coated nails in a high humidity environment that putting them in a watertight/sealed container with a sacrificial zinc anode that you can buy at a marine supply store would help prolong the zinc coating.
Tim