How do you stop rust on shop eqpt??

[john11139]

How do you stop your drill press, metal lathe, etc from getting surface rust? I dont use my lathe or drill press very often and when I do I spray the bed with penetrating oil but it still wants to rust. I hate greasing the bed on the lathe because every time I need to use it I've got to clean it . Even tried transmission oil, diesel fuel.

 

[freedomgli]

Johnson's paste wax seems what everyone recommends.

 

[rlitman]

Two things work for me.
My favorite oil is G96 Gun treatment. It sticks around and prevents rust way better than any other oil I've tried.

Second favorite, but I use it less on machine tooling is Eezox. This is what you want on a surface that needs a dry treatment (tablesaw table comes to mind).

 

[wood02]

Go to the drug store and buy some camphor. It will evaporate over time and "coat" the metal surfaces. I did this several years ago and my tools have no surface rust. I used a small cottage cheese container and punched holes in the side to let the camphor evaporate. Lasts about 6 months and then I put another small block in the container. It worked for me.

 

[djjsr]

I use this stuff on my tablesaw and drillpress. I get it from Rockler.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I've rubbed WD-40 (yes there are haters) on a few things and that has helped for me. I also keep a box fan running on low through out the year, it seems to help moisture control.

 

[cvcman]

Starrett M1 spray

 

[Angelfire]

I use Johnson's paste wax on all my woodworking tools. Mainly to make the surface slick. We don't have rust here so can't tell you if it's effective against it or not. I seem to remember a test of all the rust inhibitors in Fine Wood Working a while back and the Boeshield was highly rated.

 

[#1SomeGuy]

Fluid Film

 

[Garage Dog]

My experience is that Boeshield T-9 does a better job at preventing rust than the Butcher's wax I use. Boeshield is sort of combination of lubricant and wax. The on only drawback is that it is expensive compared to wax.

 

[A_Pmech]

I heat the shop to the high 40's and use a dehumidifier.

Proper way oil (Vactra #2) will remain on the ways far longer than penetrating oil.

 

[ilovevocs]

I heat the shop to the high 40's and use a dehumidifier.
QUOTE]

X2. I try to control the environment and also try to be cognizant of how I handle bare metal tools and surfaces. I often wear gloves or give them a light coat of corrosion x before putting them away if I handle them with bare hands. If I used them more frequently I would probably be able to be less diligent but some times life gets in the way and machine tools sit for a month or two with no use.

 

[Graham08]

I use LPS 2 on machine tables and other bare metal surfaces that don't get way lube. Also, keeping the shop heated goes a long way toward preventing rust.

 

[kbs2244]

I use whichever of the various sprays I have at hand when I am done with a project.
Usually this means WD40. Not because it is the best but simply because it is there and it is better than nothing.

But I do take pains not to have stagnant, damp air.
I have fans going continuously.
Blowing across the overall room and into corners where things are stuffed.
It makes a huge difference.

 

[elav]

On a similar topic, what do people use to remove slight surface rust?

 

[brandonphuong]

I personally use beeswax thinned with mineral spirits. Makes great shoe polish too.

 

[Icky1911]

I had a similiar problem with my tools and as soon as I insulated my garage the rust went away..is your garage insulated?

 

[Shadowdog500]

I use Johnson's paste wax on my drill press and table saw. Johnson's paste wax will not get into the wood and screw things up when you try to stain the wood later.

I use mobile I oil in a squirt oiler on my metal lathe.

If you already have rust on the surface of your drill press or table saw. Just put some mineral spirits on a green scotchbrite pad and put a jitterbug sander on it. It will clean the rust off in seconds.

Chris

 

[Cryptic1911]

gotta keep the temp up.. if you let it chill / warm in there with the weather, it will make condensation and rust everything

 

[john11139]

Thanks for the info. Part of the problem is the rise and fall of tempature. Bulding is 50 X 80 so cant heat it all the time. Too large to run a dehumidfier. Will try some of the suggestions you fellows made.

 

[Tamper84]

Another suggestion. Is when you are done with the lathe/mill/ drill press what ever. Is that you oil it, and use a flannel sheet to cover it up. A guy in Florida told me that, he said it works for him.

 

[d.mcfarland]

The dehumidifier should help to an extent, but I would still just wipe some new motor oil on the bare metal surfaces once in a while. You can basically wipe it off with a clean towel after and it will still do it's job with just the thin layer.

 

[onewaydave]

I was glad to see the camphor comment. I was told by some old timer that machinists would keep a piece of Camphor wood in their boxes to help keep rust down.

Ok, from me; install Central air and heat and maintain a constant temperature, cosmoline everything, move.

My garage is part of the house's central HVAC. Here in NE Kansas, if I open the garage door the garage sweats up in about 0.002 seconds. It only happens in the spring because of the difference in temperature and the humidity. I figure Ohio would be about the same.

My shop is not central HVAC. I use liberal wax and light a fire in the wood stove if the humidity is up and the temps are fluctuating a lot. I still get rust.

Dave.

 

[Aberdale]

I heat the shop to the high 40's and use a dehumidifier.

Proper way oil (Vactra #2) will remain on the ways far longer than penetrating oil.

+1 here.

My shop is insulated. I heat it in the winter, and keep the doors closed in the summer. If humidity hits the mid 80% range, I run a dehumidifier. Controlling the environment eliminates condensation, which eliminates rust. Even running a small fan to keep the air moving makes a big difference.

I really don't have to keep bare surfaces oiled or waxed. I have never had rust on any of the machines.

'dale

 

[zkling]

As A_P and a few others have stated. Seal up the shop good, and invest in a dehumidifier or window ac unit. Both will do the same. Remove moisture from the air. Needs to be kept to around 50% humidity.

Keep machines warm. If kept cold, warm moist air can condense on them and cause rust.

Keep machine tools oiled and wood machines waxed with johnsons past wax. Throw a bag of desiccant in each drawer of your tool box it you have it bad enough.

Keep machines wiped down of finger prints. Some peoples skin oil is very acidic and will cause rust.

Also keep dust off of metal working machines, the dust can hold moisture and cling to the surface.

 

[Fueler]

Gibbs brand for me. Amazing stuff that works on a lot of things you would never think of until you try it.

http://www.gibbsbrandlubricant.com/

 

[darkk]

Johnson's paste wax seems what everyone recommends.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^X2

 

[yhprum]

As said a simple cover will stop condensation from forming, which would stop condensation/dew from forming during temperture changes.

 

[ZRX61]

I find living in the Mojave Desert works just fine

 

[Big-Foot]

Small fan running 24 hrs a day to keep the air moving. Has worked for me for more years than I can count and I have a lot of bare steel in my shop.

I do use WD40 or JB80 on my lathe bed and drill presses. No real issues to speak of..

 

[justanengineer]

As said a simple cover will stop condensation from forming, which would stop condensation/dew from forming during temperture changes.

^^^This + a light coat of oil. At the least, a big piece of cardboard will do a lot to keep the condensation from forming. If you notice, the outside top surfaces of a machine tool always rust first, bc thats where the condensation forms first. If youre getting rust internally on a machine or inside your toolbox, Id seriously think about conditioning the shop air.

 

[Diverbill45]

I switched over to using this about six months ago and it's the best thing I've ever seen so far.

It's the only thing I've used that keeps my expensive tube bending dies from rusting up.

 

[yhprum]

I also recently started using olive oil cooking spray at 99 cents a can. I dont know the long term results, but it is working.

 

[c7fx]

I switched over to using this about six months ago and it's the best thing I've ever seen so far.

It's the only thing I've used that keeps my expensive tube bending dies from rusting up.

I use that on my truck to snowblower and everything in-between.

 

[Big-Foot]

I also recently started using olive oil cooking spray at 99 cents a can. I dont know the long term results, but it is working.

Any chance that stuff could go rancid or attract bugs?

A buddy of mine swears by spray on Lemon Pledge furniture polish for his equipment.. I just don't need it in my shop. Air movement alone is usually enough..

 

[eriksalo]

Boeshield T9 was designed by Boeing for this exact application. It has been around for a long time but I believe is still the best. I use it for all my machine tools, my dad used it, my grandfather used it. Here's a link to a Wood magazine article that shows a fourteen product comparison.

http://boeshield.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/stoprust.pdf

Summary: "There’s only one choice for protectant as far as we’re concerned: Boeshield T-9. After 24 hours in the wet box, the wing Boeshield T-9 section treated with T-9 was almost as clean as when it went in."

Surprised that more people didn't recommend this. It's in every professional shop I've visited.

 

[eriksalo]

I should add that I use a small amount of Johnson's paste wax on tools before use to make the work slide smoothly.

Johnson's isn't nearly as good as T9 for rust inhibition (since it doesn't do any etch) but it is better for a nice smooth action.

It's fine to use T9 as a base and then Johnson't as an overcoat. At least that's what I do.

 

[holden94]

I am writing not so much with known solutions but more from empathy. Living in NH our weather is not exactly stable. My shop has a poured floor and little natural light. If you breathe heavy (which I often do around tools) it'll find somewhere to condense and rust. Like your shop John, mine is too big to heat or dehumidify. Fans do seem to help but with a constantly cold floor, and the ridiculous humidity in the summer there's just no stopping it. Of course if I leave the large doors open for air flow then the black flies and mosquitoes will drain you of blood before you can say "Holy way lube batman!" I am going to put in some big windows to try and get some sun on that slab.

I actually do have something constructive to say. I purchased two electric ceramic infrared heaters this winter. They each heat a 12X12' space and I placed them over the bench. They DO NOT heat the air but the objects in front of them so all my tools stayed nice and toasty. They are incredibly energy efficient and my bill did not go up much at all-maybe 8-10 bucks. I am hoping that they will keep my tools warmer this summer and not result in so much condensation. Life is just one big experiment! Please let us know what worked for you.

 

[Boiler]

Only shop equip I've had is a table saw. I put a coat of automotive paste wax on it every year or two.

My wife or mother in law set a sweating drink on it one day and it rusted enough that I didn't get it fully removed. But it didn't get worse.

The number one thing is gradual temperature changes. If you go into a cold garage and fire up the salamander, expect rust after the cold metal condensates in the warm air. When I sold my table saw to my brother in law, he turned it into a rusty mess on the first weekend by heating up his cold barn

 

[volaredon]

I have the same issue, I am hoping that getting my 100K BTU Modine unit heater finally functional this coming winter, will go a ways towards solving my rust and condensation issues, up til now I have been heating with a kerosene salamander just when I am working out there and cooling to ambient in between times working out there in winter; my plans are to keep 40* all the time and ~55*ish when I want to work out there across the whole winter. keeping it above freezing out there all the time will be better than warm up/thaw, then freeze again