Any suggestions for cleaning residue off my table saw top? Primarily a problem on the cast iron portions. The saw had a residue on it when I purchased it new (about a year ago) and it has bothered me ever since.
I’ve tried 409, WD-40, rubbing compound, and a few other things. Oddly enough, WD-40 made the most impact, but still isn’t getting it clean.
On an old ts I used years ago, I liked to keep the top spotless and then use Turtlewax on it to make a smooth surface. I’d like to do that with the current one if I can get the crap off it first.
Replies
I used a degreaser on mine. It took a number of applications & a good amount of elbow grease, but it worked in the long run.
Edited 9/29/2004 12:42 pm ET by Grande
Kerosene works well, even better, if you don't smoke in your shop (ha ha). Paint thinner also works fine. That heavy grease,as you may know, protects your tabletop from rust during shipping but takes a medium to high strength solvent to remove it.
hmm, I need to buy kerosene for the shed heater anyway, so guess I'll try that first. If that doesn't work, I'll try the degreaser. jt8
A mixture of 00 or 000 steel wool, kerosene or MS and elbow grease will remove the gunk. Don't forget to wax it or use something else to prevent rust.
Are you talking about the cosmoline put on cast iron for shipping? If so, the preferred solvent is kerosene. It will quickly dissolve the cosmoline and leaves a slight amount of oil on the surface to protect it from rusing.
If you can't get kerosene in your big box, you can use its close relative mineral spirits. MS is slightly more refined and will not leave the oil residue. BTW, WD40 is almost identical to MS, but it is the high priced way to remove the gunk.
I recommend not using an automotive wax for two reasons. Some contain silicone and almost all contain water to make them easier to spread. If you want to use a wax, a standard furniture paste wax like Johnson, Minwax, etc. will work.
In a recent test performed by Wood Magazine, all treatments failed within 24 hours except Boeshield T9 which held up very well.
John try something called goo- gone just used it on a tenon jig and it worked great.
John,
Use the 'hard' Crisco from the can or the tinfoil covered 'blocks'.
My Grandmother showed me this 'trick' when I was trying to get pine pitch off of my hands. The Crisco dissolved the pitch from my hands in a minute or so. Amazing. Try it. Grandmother's aren't wrong very often.
Regards,
Phillip
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled