What, exactly, is patina?

[Mike Henderson]

I'm late to this thread but I've used Evaporust on rusted steel and unless I put some coating on it (I use wax) it will rust again in time. Here in CA it's pretty dry and even in this environment, unprotected metal rusts after you take it out of Evaporust.

Mike

[Andrey Kharitonkin]

Andrey
I am far from being an expert on lubrication but I'll give a big thumbs up for Fluid Film. I use it on everything from my tractor linkage to car door gaskets to keep them from freezing and everything in-between. I especially use it in my oil pot to wipe down all my tools during and after use. I think it's great stuff.
Chet

Thanks Chet. Should have used search first. Appears like quite some people are using it. Then I should be fine to use it while hand planing.

I'm using Camellia Oil at the moment, but someone here said (while discussing oil pots) that it is most likely just mineral oil, especially if it comes in plastic bottle. That scares me off a bit, kind of. Plus Fluid Film is like WD-40 claimed to displaces water and adhere to metal better.

[Patrick Chase]

Thanks Chet. Should have used search first. Appears like quite some people are using it. Then I should be fine to use it while hand planing.

I'm using Camellia Oil at the moment, but someone here said (while discussing oil pots) that it is most likely just mineral oil, especially if it comes in plastic bottle. That scares me off a bit, kind of. Plus Fluid Film is like WD-40 claimed to displaces water and adhere to metal better.

What scares you about mineral oil?

Fluid film is simply yet another blend of aliphatic petroleum oils, just like 3-36 and WD40. Fluid film contains paraffin so it appears to rely on depositing a dry coating like WD40, but all 3 (plus plenty of others) are just variations on a common theme. Mineral oil is also composed of aliphatic petroleum distillates, so I doubt there's any difference in terms of safety. If one of them is a problem for you then they're all a problem.

[Andrey Kharitonkin]

What scares you about mineral oil?

Fluid film is simply yet another blend of aliphatic petroleum oils, just like 3-36 and WD40. Fluid film contains paraffin so it appears to rely on depositing a dry coating like WD40, but all 3 (plus plenty of others) are just variations on a common theme. Mineral oil is also composed of aliphatic petroleum distillates, so I doubt there's any difference in terms of safety. If one of them is a problem for you then they're all a problem.

Heh, alright, they are all the same. The scary part is the purity of aliphatic oils and presence of other compounds, like aromatic cycles that are known to be unhealthy. Something like baby oil would be nice, if it could be used for planning. Since I have kids running around my shop space and touching everything.

[Mike Holbrook]

Interesting thread. I have used Evapo-Rust (ER) a great deal, for several years now. The directions on the new bottle I have say to submerge the object in the solution for 1-12 hours depending on amount of rust, which is the way I have always done it. If I do not have enough solution I just add water. I added water to the original gallon of Evapo-Rust I bought several times over 6 months to a year and it still seemed to work fine, if a little slower. The directions suggest covering larger objects in paper towels soaked in the solution, trying to eliminate air bubbles. I find that not submerging the entire object leaves a line, after a few hours.

The bottle I have says to wash the object with water after removing it from the soaking process. I have had issues with my skin and have reason to be super careful so I always wash and scrub the ER off after using it. ER leaves a blackish residue where the rust use to be that in my experience is easy to brush off under water. This can result in "flash" rusting fairly quickly though, particularly if any moisture is left on the surface.

I often handle this issue by using Camella oil to do a final wipe/cleaning. I also have used Renaissance Wax (RW), a micro-crystalline wax/cleaner/polish after washing the objects off. Renaissance Wax is "expensive", available from Highland Woodworking. I have a 230 ml can of RW I bought something like 20 years ago. I have used it often. The surface of the contents has a depression but that is about all. It still seems about the same texture too. It says to use "very small amounts". In this particular instance "very small" may be an over statement. Though it may be expensive I can not imagine ever using an entire can of it, and I often wax entire machine/table/metal surfaces with it. I understand RW is used in many museums to preserve old wood and metal objects. Might be worth considering.

I seem to have negative skin reactions to WD-40, and probably some other oils but no issue with Camellia oil that I have seen so far.

[lowell holmes]

I don't know about patina, but Johnson's wax applied occasionally certainly helps. Conservators wax helps as well.

[Patrick Chase]

Heh, alright, they are all the same. The scary part is the purity of aliphatic oils and presence of other compounds, like aromatic cycles that are known to be unhealthy. Something like baby oil would be nice, if it could be used for planning. Since I have kids running around my shop space and touching everything.

Yeah, you're certainly at the mercy of the manufacturer to get the distillation and subsequent processing right and keep the aromatics down (for everybody else, think "benzene").

[Stewie Simpson]

2 weeks into trialling the Evapo-Rust, the obvious signs of surface rust are visible. No point taking this trial any further, I will clean up the surface rust, and get back to using an oil and wax as a protective rust barrier.

Stewie;


(2 weeks ago)


(now)