Rust Remover Products

[xraymtb]

Has anyone any experience with rust removal products such as the Liberon one or the Restore Rust Remover sold by Axminster?

Just found my sliding table for the saw has been sitting on top of a unit rusting all winter and WD40/Scouring pad isnt doing as good a job as I would like.

 

[Pete Robinson]

Hi Mike,

I have used Hammerite rust remover - dip in the past with pretty good results, I do believe they also sell a gel now as well, may be worth a go!!

 

[OPJ]

I've used the Rust Remover Gel with a lot of success (bought it from Workshop Heaven). It's great stuff for large surfaces that cannot be 'bathed' and, to me at least, it seemed to require a lot less effort than scrubbing with WD-40 (which is otherwise fine for light rust).

You'll still want something to protect it afterwards... Waxes are usually a good choice though, as they aren't "hard-wearing", they will need regular re-coating, depending on how often the machine is used. Liberon's Lubricating Wax is good but, it's shelf-life isn't very good (in my experience) and certainly not comparable to the ProtecTool Wax, in that respect.

Shield Technology also produce a product called 'MetalGuard Ultra'. I've not yet tried it but it might also be worth applying that before or instead of the wax.

 

[Russell]

I have used the liberon one turns the rust blue then cleans OK. I think it is basically acetic acid at least thats what it smells like.

 

[xraymtb]

Thanks. I might try the restore rust remover gel as it is non-acidic and I've heard strange things about having to neutralise acidic ones etc. Not sure if its true but my hands dont react well to chemicals so the less dangerous the better.

I do have some Liberon wax for the table - I just forgot to use it for a while then spent 6 months rewiring/plumbing/moving walls in the new house and never went into the shed.

 

[matthewwh]

Wax is your best bet for a sliding table. Metalguard ultra is a thin film coating - ideal for giving your chisels a wipe before you put them away, but for saw tables etc the wax will offer longer lasting protection, especially if you build up a few thin layers over time.

 

[GraemeD]

FWIW, I've had terrific results on cast iron machine table tops using my Random Orbit sander and a velcro stick-on abrasive pad....Webrax, Scotchbrite, or whatever brand you can find. No lubrication....much cleaner that way. I acquired a bandsaw table that had clearly seen years of neglect, and it brought it up like new. Not abrasive enough to take the flatness out either....more a polishing action. These RO pads are quite hard to source, but I got mine at CSM Abrasives Plus (Google it!) where they were pretty inexpensive for a mixed pack.....and as I recall, free postage (which I like!).

HTH
Graeme

 

[xraymtb]

Just to update anyone coming back to this thread in future:

I ordered some of the 'Restore Rust Remover Gel' and gave it a go. The first time through, using a normal foam backed kitchen scourer removed the orange rust but still left black marks and a dullness behind.

I then gave it a second go with a green nylon scourer (no foam) and its cleaned up pretty nicely now. Going to try a third treatment over the weekend and see if I can get it looking brand new.

Also to note - a 250ml bottle goes pretty far. I've barely used any yet doing two coats on my table saw.