How to Store Nail Guns? Best Advice to Keep Them as New

Learning how to store nail guns is just as important as properly maintaining a nail gun. Storing the nail gun correctly will ensure that your nail gun will work perfectly every time you grab it to start a new job, but also that it will last a lot longer. But how to store nail guns? What can you pay attention to? what is the best nail gun storage?

In short, it is best to store nail guns in a place that is free of dust, and that offers protection against moisture and cold weather. It is also best to store the air intake of the nail gun facing up so that the applied oil can reach all internal parts.
Also, I think you should avoid hanging nail gun storage ideas like you see often, I’ll explain why in this article.

In this article, I’ll take a closer look at how to store nail guns and reveal some points you might not have thought of. I also want to give you my point of view about open-air nail gun organizers that many people use, and what the dangers of this type of air nailer storage are. Read this short guide and learn how to store nail guns correctly in no time.

How to store nail guns

Avoid Moisture and Cold Weather

If you want to know how to store nail guns, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself about the potential dangers of storing them. What can damage your nail gun during the period that you are not using it?

The biggest enemy of the nail gun is moisture. Because your nail gun is largely made of metal, moisture will lead to rusting of its inner components. So you don’t have to be told that this will ultimately significantly reduce the life of your tools.

For the same reason, I also recommend that you always remove your nails when storing them and never store them in the nail gun magazine. By removing the nails from the magazine every time after work, you avoid that moisture can clog the air passage of your pneumatic tools.
Related article: how to load a nail gun

To prevent moisture from entering the nail gun while working, and from remaining when you store it, it is important to make it a habit to always drain the air compressor after use. To make the moisture present in the nail gun disappear faster, it is a good idea to store the nail gun in a heated room.

To eliminate the possibility of moisture, oil the nail gun thoroughly before and after each use. By the way, how to maintain a nail gun is one of the topics I cover on my other blog. I recommend reading the useful tips in that article if you want to extend the life of your nail gun.

Use the Original Cases

Most nail guns will come in a handy case. This has a fit on the inside that is adapted to the shape of your nail gun. Due to this fit, the nail gun is perfectly protected and cannot slide during transport. This reduces the chance of damage.

In some cases, there is also a space in this case where you can store some nails. That way you have everything at hand, even if you take the suitcase with you on the job site.

Store in a Drawer

The original cases can be quite large and take up some space, especially if your workshop is small. In that case, you’ll want to maximize your available space.

This is possible by storing the nail guns in a drawer, but there is one consideration. Make sure the nail guns can’t slide into the drawer. When opening and closing drawers, the nail gun may shift due to the stroke.

To prevent this, you can place a sheet of rubber foam in the drawer, such as this rubber foam that you can find in different thicknesses on Amazon, and make a cut-out in it in which the nail gun fits. You not only keep the nail gun firmly in place thanks to the rubber foam, but it will also protect against the cold.

It can be a good tip to also make a recess per nail gun where you can store the appropriate nails. So you have all the tools you need in one place.

Store Nail Guns with the Air Line Inlet Facing Up

After every working day, it is recommended to apply oil in the air intake, more details about that in my article, how to maintain a nail gun. To give the oil the chance to reach the places that it needs, it is good to place the nail gun, if possible, with the air intake upwards.

If you make your nail gun storage in a drawer as I described above, it would be a good idea to place the nail gun at a slight angle, with the air intake at the highest point. While the nail gun is stored, the oil can slowly penetrate deep into the inside of the nail gun and lubricate all small moving parts.

Do Not Store Your Nail Gun in Open Cupboards

I frequently see people constructing nail gun storage areas, in which the nail guns are hung beneath cupboards or beneath the workbench. This nail gun organizers, in my opinion, is a bad idea for two reasons.

The first reason is that, in this type of nail gun organizers, the air intake is angled downwards, allowing oil to drain while having no effect while your nail gun is storaged.

A second reason, which I find even more important, is that the nail gun hangs unprotected in the open air of the workshop. Open air is full of floating dust particles that can enter the nail gun. Worse still, the oil running back to the end of the air intake will trap the dust, causing it to clump together and push it deep into the nail gun on the next job. This can even cause problems in the short term.

My conclusion is, open nail gun storage, don’t do it. Make sure you can store the nail gun in a cupboard or drawer that is closed so that dust has a greatly reduced chance of settling in your nail gun.

How to store the air compressor hose

Storing the air compressor hose correctly is just as important as storing the nail gun itself and can make a significant difference in the overall success and health of your nail gun.

To begin, double-check that you have the correct hose size. Also, ensure that you are using a hose that can withstand the pressure you are applying and that there are no cracks or breaks in the hose that could disrupt airflow to the gun. Maintaining consistent pressure is essential for ensuring that your nail gun functions properly and does not malfunction.

Proper air compressor hose storage will ensure that it will last for a long time and will be free of tears and breaks. That is why it is important not to coil the hose too tightly. The more stars you place on the rubber and the faster it can crack, the shorter you roll them up.

Another useful tip is to oil the rubber hose on a regular basis. In my workshop, I like to use WD40 oil (which you can buy on Amazon here), and this is the right oil for this task as well.