Steel work bench surface - rust free

Steevo · Nov 22, 2013

I built my work benches a couple of years ago, with 12ga steel surfaces. Although I haven't had any issues with surface rust, I know that some worry about this when considering a steel surface.
Once I moved all of my stuff to my "last house", I started to go through stuff to decide what to keep and what to dispose of.
At my "California house", we had an outdoor kitchen with a big built-in stainless bar-be-que, side burner and other stuff. I kept that all clean and presentable using a product called "Sheila-Shine", which is sold at restaurant supply places.

Today, I put some "Sheila Shine" on a rag and applied it to my workbenches, and I think it is as good with plain steel as it is with stainless steel.

I would recommend this product for anyone with any kind of steel surfaces, whether stainless or mild steel.

MFolks · Nov 22, 2013

Looks good; well organized & easy to find items, any problems with the "Grinder dust" collecting moisture for rust? I'd imagine that the "Bar keepers Friend" (a powder in a can) would work similar.

G_P · Nov 22, 2013

That bench looks amazing!

If I had a steel benchtop it would end up looking like a golf ball after a short while.

24 dodge · Nov 22, 2013

Looks like you don't work on your bench. It is too clean for a working garage. Just my opinion.

bad_idea · Nov 22, 2013

G_P said:
That bench looks amazing!

If I had a steel benchtop it would end up looking like a golf ball after a short while.

Depends on the thickness of material used.

My steel topped bench is 3/4" thick, ain't gonna dent that!

slip knot · Nov 22, 2013

I put down some galvalume over 2 X 3/4 in plys and it looks great. Haven't thought about coating it yet but I'll keep the Shelia shine in mind.

G_P · Nov 22, 2013

bad_idea said:
Depends on the thickness of material used. My steel topped bench is 3/4" thick, ain't gonna dent that!

No I doubt I could dent that :bounce:

But I would not want to try getting a workbench sized piece of 3/4" steel plate down into my basement workshop!

Trochu · Nov 22, 2013

24 dodge said:
Looks like you don't work on your bench. It is too clean for a working garage. Just my opinion.

Some people take care of their equipment and are organized. Just my opinion.

FMC · Nov 22, 2013

Steveo, the picture says hot rolled to me? if you started with a fresh sheet with a nice mill finish it holds up real well, once it starts to rust its done, awesome looking bench! Id have that F'd up in 3 minutes flat lol

Thorold · Nov 23, 2013

What a bench !!!! I've been use Bostik TopCote for years on metal surfaces.
It's designed for table saws and has no silicone that would transfer to wood and cause finishing problems.

http://www.amazon.com/Bostik-10220-Aerosol-Top-Cote/dp/B0000223UD

akdiesel · Nov 23, 2013

Steevo

Great results. Thanks for sharing.

Jagmandave · Nov 23, 2013

Steve, is your grinder bolted down? Reason I ask is mine wasn't on top my stainless bench and it tended to walk in a circle, even with the rubber feet....

I wound up moving it over to my wood bench and using a couple of lag bolts as I didn't want to make holes in my nice SS benchtop

Steevo · Nov 23, 2013

24 dodge said:
Looks like you don't work on your bench. It is too clean for a working garage. Just my opinion.

They say that opinions are like assholes.
Everybody has one.

Steevo · Nov 23, 2013

MFolks said:
Looks good; well organized & easy to find items, any problems with the "Grinder dust" collecting moisture for rust? I'd imagine that the "Bar keepers Friend" (a powder in a can) would work similar.

Jagmandave said:
Steve, is your grinder bolted down? Reason I ask is mine wasn't on top my stainless bench and it tended to walk in a circle, even with the rubber feet....

I wound up moving it over to my wood bench and using a couple of lag bolts as I didn't want to make holes in my nice SS benchtop

The grinder is only temporarily sitting there, until I build a stand for that one and my tool grinder. I don't want the abrasive dust near my machine tools.

amolaver · Nov 23, 2013

such a well designed, well executed bench. looks great too. now i need to go find your build thread and read it again

ahm

jesse72 · Nov 23, 2013

Steevo, thanks for sharing a useful product. After all that is what this forum is about, and as always your bench is inspiring!

Everyone else, why do you have to take a helpful thread and turn it into an opinion based bull-****-fest about how hard you use your bench compared to someone else, I know if I take a picture of something I just cleaned to show how well a product works, I would clean it up first. Stay in your lane and or just don't comment, its not that hard.

chadman · Nov 23, 2013

I have a 7 gauge steel top on my bench with two layers of plywood underneath. I beat the **** out of it and put all kinds of oily stuff on it. Then when you are done you just wipe it down and it looks like new again just like Steevo's. That is the beauty of a steel top on a work bench. IMO it is the ONLY way to go.

toomanytoyzz · Nov 23, 2013

Cleanliness is next to Godliness :thumbup:

. Looks great!!

Though I will admit I'm a top level demon in the 9 circles of hell :evil:

when it comes to my shop.

Falcon67 · Nov 23, 2013

Jealousy rears its ugly head.

. I keep mine from rusting by piling oily junk on it.

MN4x4 · Nov 23, 2013

Steevo:

Aren't you breaking some kind of 'man' rule by admitting that you - gasp! - polished your bench top?

That's OK, I think it's nice anyway!

ZRX61 · Nov 24, 2013

Whats in that stuff?

HTGTS350 · Nov 24, 2013

I use CRC 2.26 on my plain steel bench top and it keeps the rust away but where I live is very dry anyway.

Steevo · Nov 24, 2013

ZRX61 said:
Whats in that stuff?

Link to MSDS:

http://www.sheilashineinc.com/?dl_id=5

LG63 · Nov 24, 2013

Steevo said:
Link to MSDS:

http://www.sheilashineinc.com/?dl_id=5

Looks like it's mostly oil, does it "dry" or leave a film? You mention originally using it on stainless steel, I'm curious why stainless would need any treatment at all, since it doesn't rust?

Jagmandave · Nov 24, 2013

I spray my stainless bench and toolbox with Kroil or other penetrant and wipe down thoroughly, it cleans them up nicely and leaves no film once dry.

Mike Behrens · Nov 24, 2013

Nice bench. It almost looks like it's powder coated. I'm about to "finish" my steel top too.

What process did you use to polish it?

(My bench frame is temporary)

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

c39er · Nov 24, 2013

Those are two absolutely georgeous work bench tops. Very well executed! Good job.

hippie2cams · Nov 24, 2013

I must agree Those two benches are fantastic, twice as good as mine because I don't have one yet. I need a work bench to build a work bench, I hate crawling around on the floor ever since I crawled on the floor :drool:

Rust · Nov 24, 2013

Steevo said:
I built my work benches a couple of years ago, with 12ga steel surfaces.

So technically.... this is the real 12 gauge garage.
errr ...its more like a laboratory than a shop.

Steevo said:
They say that opinions are like assholes.
Everybody has one.

And when you post on the internet you get to sample them all.
Welcome to the world wide web.

:lol_hitti

TurboCup87 · Nov 24, 2013

Beautiful benches and a great functional space! :beer:

bobcatdan · Nov 24, 2013

If you use a bench enough, it won't rust.

Rust · Nov 24, 2013

Look on the brightside...
The more time you spend posting about your polished workbench the less risk you run of scratching it.
Win - win right there.

Jason Lister · Nov 26, 2013

Rust said:
Look on the brightside...
The more time you spend posting about your polished workbench the less risk you run of scratching it.
Win - win right there.

In my opinion, Steevo is a pretty damn good member of this forum and has added a lot of useful info. All that info he posts takes time out of his day to share with the rest of us. Why dont you thank him for providing the info he did and gtfo?

Thanks

BigGMC · Nov 26, 2013

LG63 said:
Looks like it's mostly oil, does it "dry" or leave a film? You mention originally using it on stainless steel, I'm curious why stainless would need any treatment at all, since it doesn't rust?

Not sure its for "protection" as much as it is for cleaning/appearence. Anyone with stainless appliances knows they show every finger print - cleaning them with something like windex leaves streaks, but the stainless wipes/cleaners seem to leave a uniform film that makes for a nice finish.

LG63 · Nov 26, 2013

BigGMC said:
Not sure its for "protection" as much as it is for cleaning/appearence. Anyone with stainless appliances knows they show every finger print - cleaning them with something like windex leaves streaks, but the stainless wipes/cleaners seem to leave a uniform film that makes for a nice finish.

Okay, I get it now. I guess I'll give it a whirl, can't be any worse than the linseed oil I tried, which turned out to be a sticky mess. Maybe I'll try some on the chrome toaster since we don't have stainless appliances.

breeaad · Dec 17, 2013

My wife cleans our stainless appliances with wd40. I thought she was crazy until I saw the results. I will have to tell her about steevo's stuff.

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I Love Grits · Dec 17, 2013

Rust said:
Look on the brightside...
The more time you spend posting about your polished workbench the less risk you run of scratching it.
Win - win right there.

Quit trolling. If you don't like the post, then don't read it - let alone comment on it? But thanks for the added value and the waste of bandwidth. :thumbup:

Steevo: Thanks for the info as usual.

LG63 · Dec 17, 2013

Sheila Shine is available at Grainger/Zoro for anybody looking.

Modern Jess · Dec 17, 2013

Great tip. Thanks, Steevo!

ilovevocs · Dec 18, 2013

I Love Grits said:
Quit trolling. If you don't like the post, then don't read it - let alone comment on it? But thanks for the added value and the waste of bandwidth.

Steevo: Thanks for the info as usual.

X2.

Thanks for sharing steevo. I'm sorry that you have to endure the negative comments as a result of your efforts.

You guys that have a problem with a clean and organized workshop need to learn to be more subjective of your own beliefs. Ironic that those willing to pass judgment so quickly on another don't seem to share the same level of critical thought regarding their own beliefs and actions.

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Steel work bench surface - rust free

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