Wax and grease

[Dan Hintz]

I'm looking for your sources for paste wax (for coating saw tables, lathe ways, etc.) and grease (for coating threads bearings, etc.).

The only thing I can think of for paste wax is auto stores, but much of that stuff has silicone in it (unless someone has a specific type they use themselves, like say, Turtle Wax?). I have a can of Valvoline's high-temp grease for wheel bearings and such, but I'm not sure if there's something better out there.

It took me a couple of hours to get the rust preventative off of the bandsaw table, and I'm currently breaking down my metal lathe to de-gunk it (Jet really lays it on thick!). Before I rebuild, I want to make sure it's properly re-gunked.

[Terry Beadle]

I bought my paste wax from the grocery store. Works great and is reasonably priced ( given today's prices that is ).

Grease is best bought at an auto parts store. There is a white grease that works great on the thrust gearing in a table saw etc. I use WD40 on most surfaces except for the threading in a wood plane in which case I use 3 in 1 oil. After 30 years of this usage I've never had a thread problem. Just needs cleaning every once in a while which takes a couple of pleasant minutes.

[Cody Colston]

I use plain old Johnston Paste Wax for both tool tables and for lubricating the gears, trunions, etc. It's proven, it's cheap and it's available just about anywhere. I usually wipe the tool tables down with MS once a month to remove any dirt along with the old wax and then lay down a fresh coat, buffing almost immediatly after applying it. The wax is difficult to buff out if you let it completely harden. I've never had a problem wih rust on my tool tables.

On the lathe ways, I actually use silicone spray after cleaning them up with 220 grit sandpaper to get any finish, sap or whatever off of them. I simply don't set my finished pieces on the lathe ways.

[Jamie Buxton]

+1 on Johnson Paste Wax. Used it for decades. But it is getting difficult to find. The last time I needed some, it took visits to four groceries and three hardware stores to find one.

[Mark Godlesky]

I got Johnson's paste wax at the orange borg a couple of years ago. I think they still carry it.

[Neil Brooks]

Johnson's ... I see it all over the place.

Auto parts stores or Wal-Mart for grease. I like LubriMatic Marine Wheel Bearing Grease.

If you buy the "tub" of grease, 'decant' it into something like a film container. A little goes a long way, and ... this way ... you don't risk contaminating the whole tub, as you use it.

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

...another FIRM believer for Johnson's Paste Wax. Hands down it has been the best product for maintaining my CI tops for the past 10 years. As stated, the trick is to not let it harden before wiping it off - but the protection and the slick finish it leaves is great! Regular reapplication is a must and I usually do mine immediately following the usage of my equipment. For thrust gears, I've always used a white lithium spray/grease. I find this much better than using any type of real "gunk" grease product as sawdust LOVES to clog up the gears. Lastly, the best overall preventative I've found for rust is using a dehumidifyer...IMO this is a MUST - especially in warm/hot climates where I am

[paul cottingham]

Love waxlit. Put it on everything.

[Howard Acheson]

Furniture paste waxes like Johnson Paste Wax, Minwax and Trewax are all about the same and can be used for cast iron tabletops and even for lubrication of heli worm gears in table saws. It will not capture or hold dust.

You can buy these waxes at most home centers and some supermarkets. You can also find them at woodworking stores or on-line stores.

[phil harold]

butchers wax and minwax are in my shop at the moment along with 'slipit' gel


You can get slipit at a tool store and rockler

http://www.slipit.com/prodsfsc.html

[David Hawxhurst]

any paste wax will work just fine not need for the really good stuff like you would use on your car. however i use what ever i have on hand usually a good auto paste wax.

for bearing grease i like synthetic greases. i use amsoil, but any brand name would work just fine.

wd40 works great for removing cosmoline or what ever the manufacture put on for shipping.

[Larry Edgerton]

Wax should not be used on mechanical parts such as gears and trunnions. It is not a lubricant. I use Amsoil synthetic grease myself, but just because that is what I use on all my machinery like tractor/cement mixer/etc. I put it in a single point grease gun for a chainsaw sprocket tip, its small and easy to apply just a little bit. These grease guns are cheap at any farm store and beat the heck out of putting your fingers in a tub. Amsoil does not dry out over time the way petroleum based grease does and for other applications resists heat very well.

I used to use Blue Coral two step wax on my tops but can't find it any more so I use Johnsons as well. In between waxings I give it and the fences a squirt of TopCote every once in a while.

For an easy cleaner you might try a can of brake cleaner, its made to cut grease on brake systems, is fairly inexpensive, and evaporates fast. May not want to use it in the house though.....

[Don Morris]

Have to pass on the greases. Not up on that. But I think I remember Kelly Mehler recommending Behlen's Blue Label Paste Wax (contains Carnuba wax, no silicone). Grizzly sells it too. I've used it on wood and TS tops and the like. The saying goes: it's like giving your Table Saw table top, power steering, when you put a coat of Blue Label Paste Wax on it, and then put your cross cut sled on.

[shane lyall]

White lith grease on the gears and a good scrub with windex and x-fine scotch brite pad followed by any silicone free paste wax on the table tops that stock slides on. DON'T wax drill press or miter saw tables. DAMHIKT! LOL! It made sence at the time.

[Dan Hintz]

So it sounds like my Valvoline high-temp bearing grease would be fine for all of my moving parts, and I know I have a tube of white lithium as I use it to keep my car door gaskets supple, should I decide to go that route.

I went to the local Home Depot a week or two ago looking for paste wax, and the guy said "If we have it, it would be in aisle X". Of course, nothing that I could find, so I was beginning to wonder if I was looking in the wrong spots.