Oil or Wax as Machine Protection?

[Mark Bosse]

For the first time I have valuable equipment that is under cover but has one South facing wall open. No rain hits the gear. It is a windy, wet climate. One or two days of sub 32 F days.

I know people wax cars. I know people wax machines. But from a farm boy and heavy equipment operator background, I also know people oil/grease machines.

So what do you people think? To be specific, would you wax or oil an H5 panel saw (for example) if it is exposed to the atmosphere in unheated space (no rain or actual water hits it)?

Mark

[sean m. titmas]

I have no A/c in my SW Florida shop(and my past shop) where the humidity can get out of hand for long amounts time so I use Minwax paste wax to keep the surfaces slippery and protected. about every 2 months i apply a light coat to the high traffic areas and less often everywhere else.

oil can attract and hold sawdust which causes problems with gears however wax will not attract, making it a good surface protectant. I also use a dry lube spray for all metal on metal action.

[Prashun Patel]

I also vote for a wax. A hard wax.

[Mr. Jeff Smith]

Collinite 845 Insulator wax is a great "industrial" wax that will meet your needs and lasts a very long time. Even on high traffic areas it holds up to well over 6 months for me.

[Bob Marino]

Collinite 845 Insulator wax is a great "industrial" wax that will meet your needs and lasts a very long time. Even on high traffic areas it holds up to well over 6 months for me.

Jeff,

I have used Collinite on my car with good results, but never thought about using it on machinery. Thanks.

Bob

[John Thompson]

Wax... that said I have to wax in summer about once a week here in Georgia as I use the machines daily. Friction from running stock across the cast iron top will remove some of the wax and it doesn't take long before rust will show it's ugly head in our summer humidity. Just check them often if they sit or if the stock starts to drag on you.... get another coat down.

Good luck...

Sarge..

[David Hostetler]

My workshop is in a non climate controlled garage about a mile from the Gulf of Mexico, to say it gets hot and humid is an understatement. Rust can be an issue for me...

Any surfaces that meet wood, get a liberal coating of Johnsons Paste Wax, any non wood contact moving parts get a liberal dose of CRC dry lube.

Oils, greases and such provide just the right gumming power when combined with sawdust.

[Jerry Murray]

I use paste wax on my band saw table and on my router table top. This works well for me and have had no issues with rust.

[Matt Walton]

I read in a FWW article that suggested rubbing wax paper on your tools. It's not as humid as where David lives, but the where I live can get pretty humid too. The "shop" (if you can call it that) leaks over some tool, and I call it: the "Rust-O-Matic". But leaks aside, from the humidity alone, anything will rust, including the poll (whatever the real name is) for the drill press, which I recently finished cleaning a little bit. So my question is, would wax paper be enough for the pole, or what would you suggest, including don't worry about it.
On a related note, how tight is tight enough for set screws?

[Bill Houghton]

I read in a FWW article that suggested rubbing wax paper on your tools....So my question is, would wax paper be enough for the pole, or what would you suggest, including don't worry about it.
On a related note, how tight is tight enough for set screws?

Wax paper seems like an expensive way to get wax on stuff, and it will be a thin and sketchy coat of wax. You have better control with paste wax, which will cost you maybe $5 at a home center or good hardware store for a supply that will last you a decade or more. Do NOT use automotive paste wax, which has fine abrasives; if you've got some rust or dirt to remove, clean it off first, then wax.

About the set screws: it depends on the size of the screw. For anything up to about 1/4", I'd hold the wrench "short," not out at the end of the handle, and tighten firmly. For 1/4" or larger, I'd hold the wrench progressively out on the handle. My dad used to talk about tightening in terms of "grunts." Small set screws are usually one grunt; larger ones two.

One thing people often don't do is ensure that the set screw is seated properly. On 5/8" and larger motor shafts, there's usually a key* locating the pulley on the shaft, so this is less of an issue, but on smaller shafts or on shafts missing a key, you'll usually be tightening the set screw against a flat or into a slot. As you install the set screw, wiggle the pulley (or whatever you're putting on the shaft) to ensure that the set screw is properly seated. On a shaft with a flat, for instance, you want the set screw to tighten against the centerline of the flat - this is the point at which the flat is farthest from the pulley/closest to the center of the shaft.

*If you're not familiar with this: the key is a square, rectangular, or sometimes half-round (in one dimension, flat in the other) piece of steel that fits into slots on both the shaft and the pulley to provide positive drive between the two.

[Peter Quinn]

Oil may be fine for farm equipment, to keep the old plow from rusting or such, but it serves little place in the wood shop IME. It will transfer to everything you cut and unless iron is bathed in it it doesn't last long. plus the combination of oil and saw dust makes a real mess. Wax is better.

Speaking of panel saws, isn't the M5 mostly aluminum? In that case definitely wax.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Plain old Johnson's Wax works well DON'T use Automotive waxes as they have silicone and that will wreck havoc with applying finishes when it rubs off onto the woods and tools

You can also leave a small light bulb inside the machine which will warm the metal and prevent the dew from condensing on the metal

[Peter Kuhlman]

I find that just keeping the air moving helps tremendously. I am in Louisiana and keep a fan blowing to circulate air. I also use a small window air conditioner for when I am in there.

[Joe Scharle]

I find that just keeping the air moving helps tremendously. I am in Louisiana and keep a fan blowing to circulate air. I also use a small window air conditioner for when I am in there.

Same here; fan running 24/7/365. Even keeps the chill off in winter. Twice a year, I wipe off accumulated oils with acetone, then T9. Used to apply paste wax about one a month.

[sean m. titmas]

Twice a year, I wipe off accumulated oils with acetone, then T9. Used to apply paste wax about one a month.

What is T9?