Replies

1. 
   highfigh | Jan 09, 2006 11:23pm | #1

   I wouldn't use WD 40 on surfaces that come in contact with wood. I clean the table with solvent and wipe it dry afterward. Top Cote, Boeshield and plaste wax are among the best for protecting machined surfaces. I have been using Top Cote (3 coats) and if I have any light rust, it generally isn'y very deep and comes off with Scotch Brite pads followed by 3 more coats. None of these will mess up your finish, either, but it's best to read the directions of the particular finishing material before starting. Is the staining from condensation or moisture sitting directly on the top?

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
1. 
   user-81056 | Jan 10, 2006 12:42am | #2

   Staining is from occassional drop of water that is overlooked.Your suggestion sounds good - I'll try.Is Top Cote a car wax??         Jim

    

1. 
   highfigh | Jan 10, 2006 02:29am | #5

   Top Cote is made for machine surfaces and can be bought at Rockler, WoodCraft, etc. It seems to work pretty well but I just bought a can of paste wax for my handplanes and think that may be the way to go from now on. I'm almost out of Top Cote and may not replace it because of the price/quantity being kind of high. Paste wax has been used for a long time and still works. Once the wax gets into the pores it does darken over time, but that's not a problem. Tha longer it's in there, the more it protects. Once the water gets in the iron, it'll rust regardless of what is used, so the process needs to start over. There are covers for machinery to minimize condensation from HTC (IIRC). I bought some cheap moving blankets from Harbor Freight and they work, too.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

2. 
   woodsmanplus | Jan 12, 2006 07:55pm | #11

   Hi just read your comment on wd40.I have been using all kinds of paint for 40 plus years and wd40 won't effect your finish unless maybe you srayed it directly on the wood.I keep my tools rust free by cleaning them about once a month with 0000 steel wool then applying a cheap paste wax.Then after blowing off the parts that can't be reached by hand I spray a little wd40 and have never had any problems.

   Ken

2. 
   PeteBradley | Jan 10, 2006 01:16am | #3

   Rust is bad. Stains are normal over time. Wax (furniture wax is what I use) will keep it from rusting.

   Pete

3. 
   Glaucon | Jan 10, 2006 02:28am | #4

   Boeshield works well- better than WD40, is not as greasy or prone to stain (wood or clothing) and is easy to apply.  LV has it.

   If you are having rust without any clear cause, you may have high humidity in your shop (particularly a problem in the summer).  If so, I'd think about getting a dehumdifier.  It'll protect your tools and also keep your stored wood at a relatively constant humidity, which helps prevent movement and checking.

    

   Just my 2p,

   Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...

4. 
   ohcomeon | Jan 10, 2006 05:26am | #6

   Paste wax seems to work well in addition to making the top slick so stuff slides across w/ little effort (safer).  This is also the case w/ jointers if you have/get one.  I use bowling alley wax that was here at the house we bought a few years ago (for the oak floors).

   I have also started using talc.  I don't know if it is coincidence, but the light surface rust decreased when I started using it.  If you use it, be sure to get talc baby powder, not corn starch baby powder (plus your shop will smell sweet).  Just be advised that talc has come under fire for damaging lungs, but you aren't using it that much.

   I also try to keep my saw covered to prevent any condensation.  I have a piece of scrap fleece which helps in that regard since it is hygrophobic (won't absorb water) unlike a cotton sheet.  Take several approaches and it should help.

   Also, when things get humid again I plan to put one of those mesh bags of dessicant under the cover as well.  They are cheap and can be found at hardware stores.

5. 
   kstyer | Jan 10, 2006 07:37pm | #7

   Jim,

   While I was building my shop, what equipment I had at the time was in storage. When I was ready to move into my shop, the tops were rusted pretty bad. I put some transmission fluid on the rusty surface and with my RAS with about 80 grit (no holes), it cleaned up really nice. After I got that mess all cleaned up I waxed the surface with Minwax paste wax. I read in a post somewhere that you should first wax once a day for a week, then once a week for a month, once a month for a year.....then I don't know after that.

   Ken

1. 
   highfigh | Jan 10, 2006 07:43pm | #8

   The once a day/week/month sounds like butcher block oiling. I must have thought I waxed my jointer in fall of '04 and when I wanted to use it last summer, it had an even coat of rust on the whole top. One brown Scotch Brite pad and about five minutes later, it looked good as new. Then, I waxed the heck out of it. Still looks good, but I'm going to give it another couple of coats soon. It was all from condensation and not drips, so it didn't eat into it in one area or another, fortunately.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

1. 
   kstyer | Jan 10, 2006 08:14pm | #9

   touche'

1. 
   highfigh | Jan 11, 2006 03:27am | #10

   I don't know if you have tried it, but there's a brown Scotch Brite pad that's specifically for metal. That's what I used on my TS the last time, and by the time I was half way done with the jointer, my last brown pad was toast, so I finished up with a green one. The green isn't nearly as fast. Also, for flattening plane soles or other major metal cleaning, I finally found full sheets of emory(sp?) cloth, made by 3M. Comes in a 3 pack for about $3 and took about 2 minutes to do what I spent 1/2 hour and still couldn't do with 220 grit silicon carbide paper.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

6. 
   user-79217 | Jan 15, 2006 08:41pm | #12

   I've been using Johnson's Paste Wax for years and I've never had a problem with rust on any tool surface. In fact, I've been using the same can of Johnson's Paste Wax.

   Surface preparation and treatment is a very simple and, depending on the amount of rust, quick process. Others will have different methods, but this works well for me. Spray a little WD-40 on the surface (you won't need a lot, but add more as needed), scrub 'til clean with a green Scotch pad, wipe clean/dry (repeat if necessary), apply a good coat of wax, wipe clean, apply a second coat of wax, wipe clean and begin using your shiny "old" tool.

   I clean and wax my tools when they need it (ie, when the surface is no longer slick), and sometimes I just apply another coat, or two, of wax without cleaning. Like I said, I've never had a problem with rust.

   Two pennies worth...

   Dave

7. 
   kesac | Jan 17, 2006 04:30am | #13

   I used to use a product called "Must for Rust"  I got it from Northern Hydraulics.  I didn't see it there last time I went looking.

   It removes the rust, and "pickles" the surface, preventing recurrence for quite some time. 

   WD 40 seems to me to attract moisture over a period of time and compound the problem.

   New cast iron does stain and rust easily.  That is the nature of the beast.

8. 
   kesac | Jan 17, 2006 04:33am | #14

   I went back and found this link.

   Must for Rust Remover & Inhibitor