I'm building my first full wood shop (at 61 ???). The surface of planner, table saw, etc. has light rust from a very short period of time. Steel wood takes it off but I'm wondering what I should put on the steel that will prevent rusting and not transfer to the wood. I used minwax with some success, just looking for some experienced advise.
I normally use either minwax finishing wax or a product called Slip It or I believe that's what it's called. I like the Slip It but only tend to use it when I know I won't be using the tools for awhile because I think it leaves a little grease feeling. Sand with 400 grit on a flat block, apply wax with steel wool, and polish out with a rag.
If you know there will be wild temp swings like happen daily in Ohio, I will pile sawdust on the tables which stops the condensation.
I use minwax also. Even on jigs I make. Amazing how much nicer wood slides kn the wax surface. Also be careful and do not let wood lay on the steel surfaces even over night because if there is any moisture in the board or humidity in the shop it turns ugly quicker than you might expect. I found out the hard way a couple of years ago on my only month old laguna 1412 bandsaw. Im still trying to erase that stain fully.
The biggest enemy to machines, tools, classic cars etc is condensation, which then causes rust. Condensation is due to temperature swings through the dew point. The best way to prevent it is to insulate your shop well, and preferably keep it heated to a constant temperature. I like to keep mine 63 degrees. My mill shop is kept about 55.
When the tools or machines or cars are cold, and warmer humid air hits them, you get condensation.
Also, never leave wood on a machine's surface. Moisture in green wood can rust the surface of the machine, and I've even left dry wood and I think it trapped some moisture and caused rust staining. I wax my surfaces with Johnson's paste wax. But in a heated shop, you don't have to do it often. The wax gets worn off from use and if it's fall to end of winter, the air is dry anyway and you won't get rust. Summertime humidity is when you want to wax as my shop is not air conditioned.
Quote from: Brad_bb on December 16, 2018, 11:15:35 AMThe wax gets worn off from use and if it's fall to end of winter, the air is dry anyway and you won't get rust. Summertime humidity is when you want to wax as my shop is not air conditioned.
I'm the opposite here. It is super dry in the summer and my shop is a little cooler (enlarged crawl space) but no rust. Winter is rain, rain, rain and cold. So I have to paste wax heavy in the winter. We used to call it bowling alley wax in the high school wood shop. I have several cans. One smells strong of petroleum products. It melts at body temp and makes a bit of a mess. The other stays pretty hard. Both seem to work just fine.
I have had great success with Johnson Paste Wax and highly recommend it. I haven't done much with Minwax so can't accurately comment on it. An important thing to keep in mind is that you do NOT want to use a wax or product with silicone in it which will affect the finish when it is applied.
Does Johnson's paste wax ever go bad? I've inherited some from my dad and I'm pretty sure I saw that same can when I was a kid, some 20-30 years ago... It still seems to work.
Quote from: aigheadish on January 14, 2021, 09:28:15 AMDoes Johnson's paste wax ever go bad?
Nope! As long as the lid stays on it. I don't think I have bought a new can in 40 years. I get old ones at garage sales for a buck or two. I think I have 5 or 6 partial cans scattered around my shop and garage. One has just some dregs left in it that I can't seem to use up. I think it magically refills a little bit when I'm not looking.
Yep - seems to last forever. You can also add a little mineral spirits on top if you want it a bit softer.
Little known trivia. The diameter of a can of paste wax is just a little smaller than a 6" dust tube.
There was a pretty good test, of everything they could find, in Fine Woodworking magazine, about a decade, and a half ago. They both tested for longevity, and how the different things interfered with finishes.
There was much waling, and gnashing of teeth on woodworking forums by guys who were insulted by having something rated higher than what they'd been using for years.
Anyway, the highest rated stuff was CRC 3.36. I had quit subscribing to the magazine some years earlier, but look through them in the rack to see if there's anything in one worth me buying it for. I think that was the single issue I've bought in about 25 years.
I bought some 3.36, tried it, and have been using it ever since. On planers that I don't use often, I load up the platens, and let it sit there.
I agree on the Johnsons paste wax. Been using it almost 50 years. The older stuff is better if you can find it at flea markets but It's also more hazardous. The new stuff still works good but takes 2 coats to seal a top and a couple times a year I will give it another quick coat. There may be other options that work better but this is what I stick with and I use the same wax on all the furniture I build also.
Johnson Paste Wax is the best. Been using it for 54 years now. I go through a can every year. The reason I go through so much is I wipe it on the rails of my sawmill after every use. On the sawmill I don't buff it off.
Apply the wax with a Scotchbrite grey pad. The pad will clean any stains off the metal. If I'm restoring a machine to sell, I sometimes put down a Scotchbrite Pad with wax on it but I drive the pad with a right angle grinder using a wire brush. I can get the surface close to new looking in just a few minutes.
Briwax works just as good. Slip-It is faster to apply but doesn't work near as well or last as long. The spray on stuff is a a distant fourth.
Quote from: Don P on January 14, 2021, 05:23:54 PM
Little known trivia. The diameter of a can of paste wax is just a little smaller than a 6" dust tube.
I laughed way too hard at this and was wondering how you know that, but then I realized how it musy have gone down (or up?). ;D I happened to have my can of JWP in my hand today and just to be sure I checked to see how close it would be to getting in the 4" duct, but thankful its a no-go fit :D.
Johnson's here too.
My shop is very humid in the summer and If I am lax in taking care of the surfaces I get light rust.
I just sand off with 120 or 150 in my random orbital.
If the rust is heaver such as when I neglect to close the blower blast gate on the planer , I have used wd40 and wire brush then.
The spiral planer head gets rusty too if I do this.
I found out the hard way about green lumber by leaving a piece on for about 3 weeks on my table saw.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on January 15, 2021, 12:28:58 PM
Quote from: Don P on January 14, 2021, 05:23:54 PM
Little known trivia. The diameter of a can of paste wax is just a little smaller than a 6" dust tube.
I laughed way too hard at this and was wondering how you know that, but then I realized how it musy have gone down (or up?). ;D I happened to have my can of JWP in my hand today and just to be sure I checked to see how close it would be to getting in the 4" duct, but thankful its a no-go fit :D.
Up :D. I ran the length of the shop heading for the switch, hearing it banging its way along overhead as the main trunk got larger, then heard a whack as it hit the 40 horse blower. Then up into the cyclone and the sound of metal swirling around and falling. I climbed into the truck and there sat a crushed, empty, can... and a fan blade, oops! I lost a couple of hats in there too. But nothing like losing a barn cat :D
I don't bother with buffing out the "patina" on the surfaces, just wax and work. The planer bed usually cleans up pretty fast, the tablesaw never will, I bought it used with lawn mowing money 45 years ago. It was bright back then but has moved with me through many less than glamorous circumstances, it looks fine as a brown bess.
Ok - so what is the barn cat story? :o
Not mine to tell but I'd bet paste wax works better :).
You're getting ready to move chickens into the millshed? ...
They have been there for over a week now. Funny things sit in the open doorway that has netting over it and watch the edger run all day long!!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34297/10454.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1610769394)
I also use Johnsons paste wax.
Side note;
For years I have had small rust spots show up overnight on my table saw. Like a splatter, small center the size of a drop of water with smaller droplets around the edge. The center was almost a divot. Then my new planer started getting them too. Roof didn't leak.
Bat pith - okay I like bats, well maybe not 'like' but I build bat houses. They are useful!
I tried one of those sound makers and it didn't work. I could see an entire colony hanging from a dark corner of my shop. They enter by climbing up and over the sliding door track. My shop isn't bat tight.
I "removed" them and my rust splatters haven't been back.
:(
I get them in the sawmill shop, that is one of the most corrosive substances that can hit steel, and smells nasty too! I've been through several rounds of them, then the owls move in and move them out, then it is clear for awhile and repeats.
Before I put a wood floor in my shop, used to have trouble with rust on CI tables, and got to the point that seemed nothing worked but wipe on poly. That really seals the tops and keeps them from rusting, but has to be replaced if you use the machines a lot. Since putting down the wood floor, the temp in the shop stays warmer, used 1" treated strips with dow board between the strips, and T&G flooring over the top. Made a good 10 to 15 degree difference over night. I heat with wood, and don't keep a fire going over night.
I've switched to Boeshield T9.
It is expensive but dries and doesn't stain wood .
I also use CRC 3-36, it dries a bit gummy. not real good for surfaces that slide.
At work we use Fluid Film to protect machinery when we ship them.
I will probably try some out on my mill.