Hi All,
Though some of you have really inspired me to build my own workbench someday, I’ve decided on getting the Veritas bench now to compensate for lack of time to actually work on projects. I liked the idea of getting the cast-iron leg option as it adds an extra 85 lbs. of weight to the unit. But, here’s the problem, I live in Georgia currently, and to say our summers here are humid is a bit of an understatement. I have a small garage shop that isn’t climate controlled. The Lee-Valley/Veritas rep said she might caution against the cast-iron legs due to the potential for rust formation. I just don’t want to sacrifice the weight. I am wondering if anybody has any good suggestions for something I could apply to the legs that would mitigate the problem before I construct the piece. Maybe I need something as simple as a can of clear rust-o-leum? Or is that crapola? If anybody could lend a word it would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Erich
Replies
If you want the cast iron protected by paint then locate a Powder Coater in your area. The cost isn't high if you stick to the basic colours (black, white, red, etc), and are willing to wait a bit until they are doing a larger run. If you have any other metal that needs to be painted, get it stripped and do it at the same time. Another plus is that you also don't have to buy/clean brushes or get rid of extra paint too.
Well, uh, the legs are coated with paint or something like that.
Unless you are worried about flooding, I doubt rust will be a big problem. In the unlikely event rust does show up, a coat of enamel will do yah.
Usually Lee Valley folks are smarter than the guy you spoke with ...
In my experience, cast iron, especially painted, is much more resistant to rust than steel or unpainted CI. I wouldn't worry so much about the CI legs as the many bare steel cutting edges and measuring tools and bare CI saw top. I have used a dehumidifier in my basement shop for many years. Now that I've built a barn shop, I have put a dehumidifier out there too. One of my next projects is to install a vapor barrier insulation to limit the humidity coming in.
Hi Everybody, Thanks for the responses. I guess I'll wait to see what they look like when they show up. If they're painted maybe I won't worry about it so much. It looks like they are in the pictures, but I was worried that it might just appear that way, especially when their rep said I should go for the hardwood base to avoid rust on the cast iron. Again, thanks much! Erich
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