Cool, thanks for the guidance.
It is typically pretty dry here year round but for a few months each year it's pretty humid and hot, July/August.
Figure I might as well be proactive.
[OP]
Member
Cool, thanks for the guidance.
It is typically pretty dry here year round but for a few months each year it's pretty humid and hot, July/August.
Figure I might as well be proactive.
Contributor
Johnson paste wax for my me too.On my steel knobs,hand wheels and t handles I use shellac left over from projects it lasts much longer than wax.Only on handle things.Try it you'll like it.
Aj
Member
SC Johnson's Paste Wax is all I use. Works great.
Member
Johnson paste wax , Western Washington , no issues. Wood stove in the shop , other wise unheated. NEVER put a coffee cup , beer can , or soft drink cup on the saw table!
Working around grumpy ole bastids teaches you table saw tables are NOT drink storage tables , even "just for a minute" , or you drink ends up on the floor!
Member
I'm in Central North Carolina. On new clean cast iron I first wipe it down with WD-40, let it sit for an hour and then wipe off any of the WD-40 that's left. I then apply several coats of Johnson's Paste Wax, letting each coat dry to a haze before wiping it off. I re-wax the surfaces about every month, or whenever the wood doesn't seem to slide easily over the surface. My shop is about 100' from a lake and about 4' above it. The shop is heated and air conditioned whenever I'm working in it, and I don't have rusting issues, unless someone (usually #2 son) lays a sweaty hand on one of my machines and I don't clean and re-wax that spot. For the past 2 months we have been getting frequent thunderstorms, almost every evening, so I've been leaving the shop air conditioner on. Most of the Summers that we have do not require this.
I even lubricate the gears and ways of my saws and jointer with Johnson's Paste Wax, applied thick with an old recycled tooth brush. It develops a hard surface coating that sawdust doesn't stick to, but lubricates these surfaces very well. For bearings and shaft pivot points I use a synthetic machine oil or "Mystery Oil" because it doesn't thicken over time.
Charley
Last edited by Charles Lent; 07-15-2017 at 9:00 AM.
Member
I live in the gulf coast of Florida and started a thread like this not long ago. EVERYTHING that can rust in my shop does rust. I've used Johnson's paste wax, T9, a slew of other waxes, rubbed candles on things, beeswax, twenty-leventy kinds of oils and none of it holds up for more than a couple of weeks at best.
My table saw is a contractor saw with a cast aluminum top so no rust there. I was also given the suggestion to coat with zinc and I looked into it back then and forgot about it but it seems like the next thing to try. But the suggestion was for cast iron table tops. I don't think I want to coat my planes and other hand tools with the stuff but maybe.
Member
Air conditioner or dehumidifier is the next best solution, but the shop has to be kept closed up. You can't open the garage door all day and expect the tools not to rust. With a dehumidifier, you need a way to constantly drain the collection tank or it will shut off when the tank is full. If it isn't running, it isn't removing the humidity in the air. The air needs to be 50-60% relative humidity at 75-80 degrees to keep your tools from rusting. The salt air in Florida makes it even more difficult to keep things from rusting. I answered your other post as well. You left out some of the details this time.
Maybe you should look for a Steel City table saw. They have a granite table top and it won't rust, even in Florida.
Charley
Member
It's monsoon season here in New Mexico, too. I have never done anything for my cast iron tables other than wax them to keep them slick. It's wonderful living in the dry Southwest instead of Houston!
Johanna
Placitas, New Mexico
Contributor
Big fan of "just paste wax" as well. One thing I make a point to do is completely strip the cast iron table with denatured alcohol or some other solvent before waxing it. Here in TX, I have seen rust develop on waxed tables that I can only conclude came from moisture or fingerprint/hand oil that was left on the table before being waxed, effectively locking that stuff in place. So, I clean the iron while wearing nitrile gloves and then wax immediately afterwards. Just what works for me.
Erik
Contributor
Just no silicone in the oil or wax.
Bill
Contributor
LOL Martin, sarcasm is so under-appreciated.........Regards, Rod.Originally Posted by Martin Wasner
Guest
But always appreciated when noted.
Member
+1 on the short lived effectiveness of most all coatings. Especially if you are using the machines regularly. But like Paul and others have said, you have to take a very proactive approach to keeping anything wet or damp off of the surfaces. I've got kids and they LOVE to put their swim bag, towels, sweaty bike helmets, etc. etc. on the tablesaw "just for a minute." Drives me nuts, but I've about got them trained out of it - NOTHING on the saw. I think I've even had rust spots show up from setting a hand tool with a little oil/sweat from my hands on it.
Lots of high end wood lathes have an option for stainless steel ways - usually adds a few hundred dollars to the price tag. I wonder if any table saws, band saws, joiners, planers, etc. have a stainless option.
Man advances just in proportion that he mingles thought with his labor. - Ingersoll
Contributor
i use baby powder...works great
Moderator
If anyone wants to avoid the perfume, additives and corn starch in baby powder here is where I found pure talcum powder:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005U4A9KW
However, talc is reported to be hazardous to the lungs so I avoid making clouds of dust.
JKJ
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