I recently picked up a can of Boeshield to protect my machine tops as we’re coming into rust season in New England. I sprayed some on and wiped it off my jointer and tablesaw, as per directions. The directions say it dries to a thin waxy film. Well, I can’t see it after wiping off, but I can feel it.
Now of course it feels kind of tacky, as if material will feel sticky on the machine tops while sliding over them. I usually use paste wax to prevent rust but this time of year I have to do it once a week, and I just don’t feel like that. An added bonus of the paste wax was the smooth-gliding machine tops.
I’ve never used Boeshield before so I’m wondering if anyone else has and if they’ve experienced the same thing. Do I need to buff it further? Do I need to wax anyway?
TIA.
Maybe someday I’ll know a little something.
Edited 3/27/2007 4:18 pm ET by JJV
Edited 3/27/2007 4:18 pm ET by JJV
Replies
Yes, Boeshield can be a little tacky. Just apply a light coat of furniture paste wax on top of it and you are good to go.
Thanks. Does the wax do anything to remove the Boeshield? Would I have been better off saving my $16 and just keep using the labor intensive wax?
Maybe someday I'll know a little something.
JJV,
Boeshield is a great product, (imho) so you did not waste your money. It will be tacky as you have seen, so just let it sit overnight and next morning wipe it down and then use paste wax if you want.
Jeff
I know people find Boeshield t-9 great stuff, but my experience is not so stellar.
I used it to coat a set of anodized steel ice boat skates for summer storage, the result was rusty, pitted blade area, and a diseased looking anodized area where the boeshield had eaten the anodizing. The skates were stored in a dry basement, in a room next to my woodshop. My tools are not too prone to rust in a similar environment without any special protection.
So my experience says that boeshield should never be used near anodizing for sure, and I would not count on much in the way of rust prevention.
Weird, because I thought that Boeing developed it for anodized aluminum!?
Anyway, not everyone thinks the stuff is worthwhile.
Mike
How do you anodize steel? I thought the process only worked on aluminum.------------------------------------
"The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do."---------------Samuel P. Huntington
Skates are steel inset into aluminum blocks, the blocks are anodized (or were).
Sorry if that wasnt clear,
Mike
Thought maybe I had missed some new technology!
It took about three applications of the Boeshield before I started seeing lasting protection. I'm getting about 8 months of protection per application now. My shop is uninsulated and I heat with a 55,000 btu diesel heater that is not vented. My soffits are all open and you could throw a cat through the gaps in the walls. There is also a two foot dia. hole in the roof with a whole house fan over it. Here in the Pacific NW thats a recipe for rust!
I use a pretty heavy coat of Boeshield, buffed out when dry and then a coat of paste wax buffed out over the top of it. My machines get used 8 hrs. a day or more and wax alone wasn't lasting two weeks.
I'd say from my experience and others I've talked to, you may need several coats to get good protection.
If all else fails there's always cosmoline for long term protection!------------------------------------
"The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do."---------------Samuel P. Huntington
Hi jjv,
Boeshield, then paste wax . Works for me. It's all I use for moisture displacement.
Paul
Thanks to everyone. Last night I went in and buffed out the surfaces I used the Boeshield on, and the tackiness was practically eliminated. Still not slikc enough, though, so a little wax is in order. Less than I usually use, though, because of the Boeshield, so hopefully it will be a little easier.
How long does this stuff last? The can says months, but I'm guessing that's for the spray-on-leave-on application.
Maybe someday I'll know a little something.
Except for an occasional tune-up with paste wax the last time I applied Boeshield was before Christmas. Still no rust. Your humidity levels , though, are probably higher than mine are here on the Southern Oregon coast. So, just keep an eye on it and reapply as necessary.
Paul
Got it. Thanks!
Maybe someday I'll know a little something.
JJV,
I use Butchers wax only on all my machined surfaces, including the hand planes. I apply it with 0000 steel wool when the shop is warm, let it dry to a haze, then buff with a piece of terrycloth from an old clean towel. That's it.
I live up in the Great North Woods of NH where the weather is as variable as the lottery and Mother Nature! During the winter months the shop gets mighty cold like -20° and heat the shop when I want to work in it. Obviously there are big temperature swings.
Haven't had any problems with rust, even in the few summer months that we get.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Thanks Bob. I don't get problems when I heat my shop-I try to do it only when it's really cold, like below 20 (which may be considered warm by your standards). I get problems when we have really cold nights and then sudden spikes during the day. When the garage floor is damp, I can count on rust invasions!
I love your neck of the woods, by the way...before I had kids I made it a point to hike the mountains (maybe not as far north as you) at least once a month. Haven't been up that way since December of '03 now, and it hurts.
John
Maybe someday I'll know a little something.
JJV
We just had our first dose of humidity here in Chicagoland. I forgot to re-coat all the tool tops, and got a nice fuzzy brown color on everything. Anyway, after a light scrubbing with a maroon 3M pad to remove the rust, I spray a very heavy heavy coat of Boeshield, and let it dry over night. The next day (Sunday) I buffed it, and then applied Johnson's paste wax over the top. It'll last all summer from this application.
Jeff
Alright, so I'm getting from everyone that a Boeshield base to keep the rust off and a little paste wax to keep things slippy is the way to go.
The tables get buffed tonight!
Maybe someday I'll know a little something.
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