Cleaning / Repairing Rusty Top

[John Myer]

I'm considering the puchase of a USA model Delta Unisaw, but the owner has let the top get fairly rusty. How much rust is too much rust? I assume after a point it starts impacting the flatiness of the top. What would be the best procedure for cleaning or repairing the damage?

Thanks

[Larry Cooke]

John,

I once bought an old Delta tilt top table saw that was in very rough shape, only paid $25.00 for it but the top was very rusty. I bought it more for the motor than anything else.

What I did was soak it with WD40 overnight, I sprayed a real heavy coat of WD40 on it and then covered it with a light sheet and then sprayed that as well to hold back the evaporation. After soaking overnight I then used one of them abrasive sponge pads to work off the excess rust. I repeated this process about four or five times and I working my way to to 0000 steel wool. I never got overly aggressive doing this. My last steps involved using a 1/4 sheet sander using 220 working down to 600 grit. I was very careful not to work the sander in one place, only trying to smooth the high spots if you will.

What I ended up with was a table that still had some pits in it and it wasn't shiny like a new saw, but it was very usable. Pits in the top won't impact the usability of the saw at all.

If you have intentions of making it look new then pass on the saw, unless you want to take it to a machine shop which could get pricey.

Larry

[David Klug]

I don't know how much rust you have on the table top but if it seems feasable to you what I would do is get a peace of glass 1/4" thick 6" wide and 2 or 3 ft. long and use some 80 grit PSA sand paper and start sanding. If it doesn't have deep pits in it should clean up pretty good. I would probably finish up with 120 grit and put a rust inhibiter on it.

DK

[Rob Will]

I would use a razor blade scraper to get everything you can then use a product called Rust Free. Use eye protection, gloves, and good ventilation because this stuff is fairly hot. I think Sears is selling it now.

Sometimes I use a Scotchbrite pad mounted on a DA sander to work in the rust remover.

Rob

[Paul Simmel]

John,

You can remove probably 97% of all the rust with a razor scraper.

One of these: http://www2.northerntool.com/product-1/200321315.htm

Scrape the rust off like you would remove a sticker from glass.

I absolutely guarantee this will work, even with very heavy rust. You can then use a cup-brush for final clean up.

You can rehab your top in about an hour or less with fantastic results.

[Phil Ordway]

I agree with the razor blade, but I use surface conditioning discs for finish work. I use medium followed by extra fine. The surface should be dry. If it has WD-40 or oil on it, it will load up the disc. The discs come in a variety af sizes from rolocs to fit a drill to discs that fit my body grinder.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I assume after a point it starts impacting the flatiness of the top.

It has to get really bad. The little bits of scale and pitting that rust causes won't be meaningful as to the flatness unless the pieces you will be machining will be small enough to fall into the little pits and what not. They will however increase the surface area where condensation and moisture can form.

What would be the best procedure for cleaning or repairing the damage?

I have taken track sanders and ROS to table saws. You can also use electrolysis. A car battery charger and a towel soaked in water and Baking Soda will de-rust quite nicely.

[Richard Butler]

John,

You can remove probably 97% of all the rust with a razor scraper.

One of these: http://www2.northerntool.com/product-1/200321315.htm

Scrape the rust off like you would remove a sticker from glass.

I absolutely guarantee this will work, even with very heavy rust. You can then use a cup-brush for final clean up.

You can rehab your top in about an hour or less with fantastic results.

I tried the scraping techique only I used one of my razor sharp chisels. It worked better than any other method I have tried. I used wd40 to lubricate the surface and to keep the rust from becoming airborne. I did not need to use a wire brush afterwards.

[Paul Simmel]

My machines were severely rusted after being in storage for two years. All are good to go now with the exception of my shaper extension wing which hasn’t been touched yet (heavily rusted),

If you’d like, within the next few days, I can take some before/during/after pic’s to show the result. It would only take me about 15 minutes to rehab the wing.

[Paul Simmel]

Here's the extension wing... IMO, very badly rusted... and the essential steps for getting it clean. Others may well wish to use whatever they like for making it shinier beyond what I consider done enough for me.

Rust.jpg

After some scraping...

Rust_2.jpg

Couldn't find my cup brush, so used this...

Rust_3.jpg

Finished.

Rust_4.jpg

[Don Bullock]

For my old Cman saw I bought the Top Saver System from Rockler http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...00&filter=rust. It did a fairly good job, byt my saw didn't have any deep pockets of rust.

[Noah Levy]

I just did a rusty Delta band saw table and the guide mechanism under the table. It came out great. Electrolysis will get ALL the rust off, does not remove any metal whatsoever, and you won't even work up a sweat. However, if the metal is pitted you will then have to remove metal to level it out.

http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp