Does anyone cover their lathe?

[Brianp]

I was wondering this - I went to the shed today to do some turning and there was a lot of condensation on the lathe. I suppose this is only natural given the general atmospheric conditions prevailing but I also wondered whether or not this is of concern for the machinery. Rust being the main one, and a protective layer has been observed on the motor spindle.

Is this just a fact of life?

Does anyone cover their lathe, particularly in an unheated workspace? If so, with what?

Should I treat the lathe with some sort of protective oil?

Thanks folks.

 

[Dalboy]

I don't cover the lathe as it is in a heated workshop but my bandsaw which has a cast table is not(will not fit in the workshop) so I cover this with plastic sheeting hung over it loosely this I found gives it enough protection from condensation I also wax the table to help let the wood slid over it so this also gives a little protection. So far after two years no sign of rust at all.

 

[CHJ]

Yes, big lathe has an old mattress cover thrown over it, small metal lathe has a cheap cot blanket over it.
Both prove very effective in preventing condensation settling.

 

[rdesign]

i just wax my machines with renasiance wax and cover them with 3m x 3m dust sheets from lidl that cost a few euros

 

[boysie39]

I had a couple of old bath towels over mine and they worked a treat . I did have a duvet cover over it at one stage but Clair said if I didn't put it back on her bed she would leave Hmmm !!! My shed was very damp I also had an electric heater on low under the lathe as well . :lol: :roll: :roll:

As someone else said polish helps as well . I used a furniture spray polish it seemed to help as well .

 

[YewTube]

Condensation occurs when warm air which has a high humidity meets something cold. When you are in the shed you are breathing out moisture laden air. When you leave the metal things cool fastest and condense the moisture. Try putting in some ventilation to dispel the warm air when the shed is empty.

I have a bandsaw in a lean-to which is open on two sides and don't have a condensation problem.

Bill

 

[Spindle]

Hi

If I had to worry about condensation in my workshop I'd use regular applications of this:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/liberon-lubricating-wax

I use it anyhow as it greatly reduces friction on all sliding surfaces - so double whammy.

Keeping tooling warmer than the surrounding atmosphere is the ultimate solution - a low wattage incandescent light bulb or (winemaker's), heater mat in the tool cabinet will achieve this. For a lathe, a small low powered oil filled radiator will work - think heated towel rail.
Covering with a breathable material will help but I'd shy away from 'waterproof' covers, polythene sheet etc as these can compound the issue by trapping moisture next to the machine..

Regards Mick

 

[Brianp]

Thanks guys, seems like some old dust sheets or similar at least would be a good idea at this time of year. Will keep an eye out for that wax or similar too next time I'm buying.

 

[tekno.mage]

All my equipment is in an unheated barn and I cover equipment when not in use with sheets of polythene after waxing the bed bars with normal woodwax - which also makes the tailstock and banjo slide along nicely!

 

[Rhossydd]

Yes, I work in an unheated garage that's rather too damp. I cover my lathe bed bars(and cast iron machine tables) with old sheeting and it really helps prevent rust. I also use MetalGuard Ultra anti-rust coating, which also seems to help keep corrosion at bay on exposed ferrous parts.

 

[winemaker]

Mines in an unheat garage, I wipe the lathe over with an oiled rag after sweeping all the shaving etc: then I cover the motor parts with an old piece of curtain then I cover the whole lathe with a plastic sheet. Its my baby and needs to be pampered :lol:

 

[bogmonster]

I live in a very damp corner of the uk and really don't try very hard to keep the condensation away. I now have some renaisance wax so will try that on tools. In the main part of my workshop I have some sizable cast items and they condense before everything else. When my monster of an anvil starts to rust a bit I know it is time to lite the forge. The lathe can take its chances, the anvil, leg vice and fly press are kings in my workshop.

 

[KimG]

Lubricating wax is made for this, protects against moisture and moving parts really Glide.

 

[Jacob]

If you get condensation at all you'd still get it however much wax you put on but it will run off - perhaps into the machine :shock:
Better to cover things, better still to fix the condensation by keeping the temperature up a bit, and stopping draughts.

 

[mind_the_goat]

I have to cover my machines due to masses of condensation dripping from the RSJ's supporting the (uninsulated) roof in the garage. Never thought about condensation forming directly on the cold metal, would covering them trap any such condensation and cause even more problems? Maybe I should just avoid placing things under the beams, or insulate the roof of course.

 

[CHJ]

As long as any metal equipment is a couple of degrees warmer than the surrounding air the moisture in the air will not condense out onto it.
My lathes are located such that they get sunlight heating during daylight hours, that and the over night covers retaining any residual motor heat has always been enough to keep them clear.

The tool cabinet holding chucks and all associated tooling has a low wattage (7-9) bulb in the base running 24/7/365 and that's enough to make all metal items taken from it to feel warm to the touch.

If machines don't get warmed due to surplus residual heat then a suitable low wattage bulb or a vivarium heater mat placed underneath them should be sufficient.

In the days gone by I had a small battery charger feeding a car sidelight bulb in the bottom of my tool cupboard and the combined heat from the bulb and waste heat from the transformer were more than adequate.

I've even bolted a couple of 10 ohm resistors to a tablesaw table and connected them to an old 12v 3amp charger unit for someone to achieve the same thing. The resistors + transformer heat were more than enough.

 

[YewTube]

Never thought about condensation forming directly on the cold metal, would covering them trap any such condensation and cause even more problems?.

Have a look at this thread from 2006. Same physics applies today.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/garage-roof-insulation-t9543.html

Bill

 

[wizard]

Never cover my lathe nothing wrong with rust or dust

 

[boysie39]

Never cover my lathe nothing wrong with rust or dust

Wizard I really think you should retract that post ,Jost in case people as foolish as you might read it .

 

[Teepeg]

I throw my old lumber jacket coats over the Lathes, and spray these and the bandsaw table with silicne releas spray ..