Rust prevention

[Cameronhill97]

My workshop has no insulation and isn't heated and I've just bought a new band saw with a cast iron table ... Oh dear. What can I do to prevent rust on it? Will keeping the table oiled and waxed be enough?

Thanks

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

You'll never keep it shiny and new but we've got a leaky roof in our machine shop and just spray all the machine beds with wd40. If you start putting waxes and silicone on machines it can cause problems with finishes

 

[Cameronhill97]

Thanks , and I'll be using Axminsters machine wax which 'will not penetrate the wood ' so we shall see

 

[pollys13]

I looked at Which magazine, read the reviews on dehumidifiers, got their Best Buy Meaco 12L low energy dehumidifier. Got item as a return as good as new with a 3 year warranty, just over a 100. I also use Liberon lubricating wax purpose made for anything irony
Oh, also Garryflex abrasive pads, various grits, to remove anything..... that might dare show its face

 

[MattRoberts]

I have no heating or insulation in my shop. Clear briwax protects my tablesaw top just fine.

I also use BLO on my vice.

 

[garethharvey]

Liberon Lubricating Wax will do the trick. I use this on all my cast iron surfaces.

I looked at Which magazine, read the reviews on dehumidifiers, got their Best Buy Meaco 12L low energy dehumidifier. Got item as a return as good as new with a 3 year warranty, just over a 100. I also use Liberon lubricating wax purpose made for anything irony.

I think you need to be careful with Which magazine, I am sure money exchanges hands behind the scenes for product placement.

 

[Ttrees]

There's lots of ways that seem conflicting at first when dealing with rust or relative humidity
There's so many variables to think about, and to find a solution you have to take everything into account .
No doubt I WILL need correction on this .
For instance I don't have any heating in my workshop because I cant afford it ..so I HAVE to keep the workshop cold ...
You wont find rust in a freezer room ....
If its warming up from my body heat I open the door .
Hot air holds moisture .
When its sunny I will keep all that heat locked outside and not let any warm moist air in .
There's a dude " ondablade " that's very knowledgeable on the subject and has posted some on the subject here ...
You might try looking that up as I don't have that much knowledge on the subject .

A luthier named Robbie OBrien has made some videos regarding hygrometers
Here's some links to his youtube videos

Calibrating a hygrometer ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPTU0HOPjkA

Or making your own ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhlyzoeA_7E

I hope to learn more from threads like these
Thanks folks

 

[CHJ]

If you want to keep your machines rust free without having to keep coating them just ensure they are a couple of degrees warmer than the surround air in the workshop.

I use a long life low wattage (7-9 watt) bulb running 24/7 in the tool cupboards with all my lathe chucks and accessories in.

Putting one in a machine base cabinet or under the bench is usually enough, especially if you throw an old cotton sheet or child blanket over the top of the machine.

If you want to go posh you can fix some low voltage heaters to the machine structure as per. Myfordman's method.

50 odd years ago I just used a car side light bulb running off a 12 volt transformer in my tool cupboard.

 

[thetyreman]

I also use clear briwax on tools, it works very well, I also like camelia oil a lot, I've got one of those japanese oil dispensers, a posh version of paul sellers tin can with a rag in it, to wipe on mhe planes and saws.

 

[Copes]

So my tablesaw is about 6 months old now, and now its gotten cold despite waxing it a few times with the axminster stuff, i keep seeing little rust marks on it, fingerprints, bits where i've left wood etc on top and its made a little line.

I ran a dehumidifer overnight and it barely caught any water, so i'm assuming its relatively try in there. just bloody freezing so anything i seem to touch or breath on gets condensated.

Not sure if i should just be a bit more liberal with the wax, or try a different brand. If its waxed "properly/thick enough" i shouldn't be getting surface rust right?

Heating/Insulation isn't really an option for me either.

 

[CHJ]

Not sure if i should just be a bit more liberal with the wax, or try a different brand. If its waxed "properly/thick enough" i shouldn't be getting surface rust right?

...

If the metal is colder than the surrounding air, even if it's only your breath when standing by it, moisture will condense out on its surface, the slightest hole in any coating is going to be enough to start the oxidisation.

Just warm the machine to a couple of degrees above shop air temp. throwing a loose cotton cover over it will also help keep the heat in a micro climate, just pence a day to achieve.

 

[transatlantic]

The thing that worries me with this stuff is that what about the inside of the machine? That could be rusting up without us even knowing. Some tools are easy to open up and take a look around, others not so much.

I have a basic single garage with an up and over door (no windows or side door). No insulation and gaps everywhere! yet have had no issue with rust. I have a band saw with a cast iron top which I used the Axminster stuff on. But I also have lots of other tools that I don't apply the wax (like my lathe tools).

So I guess in my case, the gaps and no insulation mean it's cold/hot, but the flow of air is good, hence no rust?

 

[ED65]

What can I do to prevent rust on it? Will keeping the table oiled and waxed be enough?

Usually yes if you keep up with the schedule. Between waxing and oiling I much prefer wax myself as I think it works better, and you can a leave a heavier coating on the surface without it being greasy. Plus use/handling removes wax far less easily than oil.

Any old paste wax will do, even one you make yourself from any old candle stubs you've collected over the years.

 

[ED65]

So my tablesaw is about 6 months old now, and now its gotten cold despite waxing it a few times with the axminster stuff, i keep seeing little rust marks on it, fingerprints, bits where i've left wood etc on top and its made a little line.

If you've used wax and it has come up short you might like to try varnish instead.

I don't know if the type of varnish matters but I think the originator of the tip used a spar varnish (this time around, I bet this is something that's been rediscovered rather than discovered). You're not varnishing the metal like with wood but more impregnating the surface with the varnish, the most recent take on this I saw has you scrub it in with steel wool and then wipe the surface dry. Then you let it 'dry' for a day before using the tool.

This is supposed to provide maintenance-free surfaces lasting weeks or months, depending on climate.