Hi all.
I would like some advice in protecting my metal worktops on my jointer, table saw etc.
In South Africa, we don’t get Johnson’s paste wax which seems to be the go-to for most people. We do however have a carnauba paste wax that is used for polishing cars. Is this equivalent? Would this work?
And and all advice welcome.
Thank you in advance
Replies
A wax isn't going to offer much protection of steel surfaces from rust unless you constantly re-apply it. It rubs off very easily as you work, for a start. If there's high humidity too, the wax won't do much to stop rusting. Some wax will combine with moisture rather than displace it.
Waxing machine surfaces is usually done more to improve the slipperiness of the surface so that workpieces can travel more easily past saw blades, router bits or jointer knives and similar.
A very light machine oil will do better at protecting from rust. It needs to be light to avoid contaminating the wood when you use the machine. Personally I use camellia oil or WD40, applied with fine grade steel wool then wiped down with a cotton rag.
If a machine surface has some light rust spots already, WD40 and steel wool seem to get rid of the rust and polish the rusted spot quite well. Camellia oil works that way too but can be a bit stickier than WD40 so you need to ensure any excess is rubbed off with the cotton rag.
For more rusty surfaces, a less fine grade of steel wool with an oil can improve the rust removal - although you may have some pitting of the surface.
Lataxe
What Lat_axe said. He's right. Again....
Wax, all the way. I'm sweating like a pig in my shop right now, with humidity approaching 80 percent. Any good car wax is fine. You don't want soft waxes, such as beeswax. Carnauba wax is hard. You'll have to redo it, sure, but it takes less than a minute.
I would never use oil. Machine oil especially just reeks. But any oil gets into my hands, and then on anything else I touch. I did it once, and never will again.
If car wax helps protect your vehicle in every kind of weather, it will protect a cast iron tool just fine.
I use Boeshield T9. You can get it at rockler. I prefer the liquid and I apply it with a rag. It has a bit of both moisture displacement and wax in one shot.
I let it dry, then I rub lightly with some sawdust under a rag as a surface clean and to get any gunk out of the slots etc.
I have used Boeshield and had great results, I wiped them down before every move we made, not knowing exactly where our stuff was going to be stored, never had a rust spot when coming out of storage. I had the opportunity to attend a few classes that Paul Sellers was the instructor and he uses the rag in the can method. Get an empty 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, fold a rag or old washcloth to fit into the height of the can. I use camellia oil and soak the rag with it. It might take a few time to get some saturation of the rag, but now you have a way of wiping down any metal surface with a real thin coat of oil that does not transfer to wood. Works great for hand planes, jointer tables and saw table tops. No rust.
Another "wax all the way" guy here. I am not sure how south African humidity swings compare to my southern California desert basin but, I only re-wax a couple times a year. Boeshield, WD-40 and other spray-on products give me gummy results after a few days. This is the opposite of what I am after. I use the surface treatment for protection but, also as a friction reducer. This again could be a regional thing.
Carnuba can be a very hard wax but, if the formula you have available is easy to apply and buff I would use it. You may want to check for silicone in your carnuba formula. Many folks avoid this as they report finishing problems from contaminated material being machined.
I can't remember the last time I put finish on a surface that came right off a machine so I worry less.
Here's an FWW article about rust prevention that includes tests of many traditional but also some newer rust preventers.
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2012/05/31/the-best-rust-preventers
Wax doesn't do so well. Mind, neither did camellia oil. WD40 seemed to be quite good although not the best. WD40 was the least expensive, though - and also good for many other tasks of course.
You'll need to be a full member of the FWW website to see the PDF article and it's conclusions in full.
The article notes that a big part of rust prevention is keeping the workshop atmosphere from becoming a rust-maker. That isn't always practical for some .... but it's worth seeing if a damp place can be improved without vast cost or inconvenience.
Lataxe
l live in muskoka Canada where the humidity is 100 percent right now and use paste wax on my machines once a year with zero rust problems hope this helps. Cheers
I use the rag in the can while I am hand planing wood. The oil film makes the pushing easier with no ill effects on the wood.
Hello all.
Thank you for all your helpful suggestions. Much appreciated. Fortunately we don't have very high humidity in Johannesburg, which makes it easier with rust. I will definitely be putting all your suggestions into action.
I think any wax would work, just make sure it doesn't contain silicone which could cause problems with finishing later on. I keep my table saw covered with a cheap synthetic fabric blanket - it keeps the moisture (think dew) away from the surface. I also have a cheap box fan running all the time in the shop to keep the air (moisture) stirred up and keep it from settling. I live on the Texas gulf coast where humidity is usually 95%+.
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