Something better than paste wax for cast iron? Doesn't feel "slick" enough...

[Dan Friedrichs]

I've always religiously applied Johnson's paste wax to my cast iron, but have just never been impressed. After applying (and buffing off), the top just doesn't feel "slick". It feels kinda "sticky". When sliding wood over a freshly-waxed CI top, I've never thought I could feel any improvement (compared to before I waxed it).

A lot of people like T9, but isn't that just wax in some solvents?

Is there a better product to get CI really "slick"?

[steven c newman]

Try this once. Take a basic candle, un-scented, and make a series of squiggle lines across the top. Run a scrap board across the saw, could even make a saw cut. See IF that helps. I use this sort of thing on the soles of my handplanes, they slide a lot better. Candle is just Parafin......

[Bob Lang]

Talcum powder.

[bill tindall]

It takes hours for the wax solvent to fully evaporate and leave behind just wax. I make my own. Dissolve the very hard Carnuba in xylene to make a thick mush after cooling. It is slick and durable even on a planer bed.

[Dennis Aspö]

I've heard of water based varnish used on cast iron, then rubbed off with shavings and sawdust. The stuff left behind should give a slick surface.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Talcum powder.

+1 I've even seen this recommended by manufacturers (at least it used to be). Paste wax, T-9 and others will help protect from rusting but you really have to buff them to get any kind of "slick". There is another product I have not tried (TopCote?) that is supposed to make it slick, but talcum powder after waxing/buffing (or just WD-40) should do the trick.

[David Ragan]

Talcum powder.

Yep, I been reviewing a bunch of old WW articles (decades) the last few weeks, and lots folks say + for talc, and no naysayers from what I've seen.

[Leo Graywacz]

Never had a problem with paste wax. Put a thin coat on it and buff it off in about a minute. Lasts for an hour to a week depending on what you are doing. A tablesaw will last a while while a planer will last a lot shorter a period of time because of the pressure applied. Currently using Trewax and I like it.

[Wade Lippman]

I think Boeshield T9 works great. It doesn't stay "slick" as long as I might like, but you can't have everything.

[John Huds0n]

Don't let the paste wax dry. Use an applicator to apply it and then immediatley buff it off

[Rick Lizek]

http://www.nrm.org/apprints/. Sprayway does it all, tops, bits, bearings and is half the cost. They all equally slick. If running the jointer all day I will often reapply whatever every half hour. These folks who say they wax every month are just silly. I have can of auto paste wax I've ben using 40 years. I like the harder paste wax, think it lasts longer. The silicone that gets in the finish is from spray can silicone. Know how they fix it? They add silicone to your finish.

Anyone tried Slipit? Nice stuff
http://www.slipit.com/msds.html

See what they lubricate Moulder beds with...silicone that evaporates
http://www.moulderservices.com/MSI-S...p/tc-bed-5.htm
Also waxilit
http://www.woodtechtooling.com/Mould...lubricant.html

[glenn bradley]

Don't let the paste wax dry. Use an applicator to apply it and then immediatley buff it off

I agree. Something is amiss. When I buff JPW on my CI it is slick as can be. Material just floats across. I'm corn-fused.

[ian maybury]

Guess the other big factor is the surface finish of the cast iron. Many modern and apparently reputable tables are milled using a surfacing cutter, and even if they are basically flat the finish tends to be quite 'toothy'. (also quite variable - some tables are much worse than others) Something more than paste wax is likely to be necessary to make them properly slick.

The fix in that case is probably to remove this toothing by block sanding using silicon carbide wet and dry paper (start fine, work up to coarser grits and then finer again to finish; change frequently as it blunts fast) - either dry (gets dirty) or preferably using something like mineral spirits as a lubricant. Maybe finish with 400 or possibly 600 if you are feeling keen/depending on how it feels. It's not a big risk on a coarsely machined table, but be careful not to do harm by scratching it too deeply with a too coarse paper, or by overdoing it at edges, or in any other area.

This little improvement can be very significant on a planer thicknesser, especially the lower table over which the rolls have to pull the work. Make sure the jointing tables are above the knives, and/or that the knives are taped over and rotated out of the way before starting.

Don't touch it without first getting an OK from the maker if you think you may end up needing to send the machine back to them, and for similar reasons make sure the tables are flat enough for your needs before touching them....

I'd have said that paste wax should be fine on a properly ground table. Renaissance wax is a little pricey and the high end option, but very slick and leaves a pretty resilient coating….

[David Ragan]

OK-talc seems like a no brainer. I have not waxed anything in a long time, nothing-talc either. Is there a downside to just sprinkling some talc over it?

[Peter Quinn]

We use Bostik Glide Coat at work. It goes on quickly, lasts at least as long as past wax, its just way easier to reapply as needed. Dries quicker, has enough solvent in the aerosol formula to fry the brain, but they cover that up with a nasty fake lemon scent. Still, its the best stuff on frequent use machines like planer, jointers, table saws, shaper, etc. At home I use bowling alley wax. Its cheap, I'm cheap, perfect pairing! It works well enough for my needs, I'm not spending $18/can on spray wax when I can get 10X the coverage for 1/3 the money. But the glide coat really works better, makes sense in the production environment or if you are really stingy with it.