I comitted a crime with my table saw

[DCarr2]

So i have one of those much sought after unisaws by rockwell. And the top of it has suffered some abuse iver the years as a catch all for just about everything in the ild shop due latgely to its placement and the fact that the outlet it was plugged into stopped working for some unknown reason.

As such the top is rusty with surface rust and dirty

How would i go about cleaning this to like new again?

 

[ssdave]

Scotchbrite maroon pad.

 

[ar2stp48]

Razor blade style scraper followed by scotchbrite with Kroil or WD40

 

[Mintgrun]

I am a huge fan of razor blades to remove rust.
Shaves it off in fine brown dust.
Keep the angle low enough so that it does not chatter,
or it leaves shiny marks.
Otherwise, it takes it back to a nice dark shiny surface.
Don't use a blade that has any dings in it, or it will scratch it all up.

 

[James-W]

I have used an orbital sander with some really fine sandpaper in it. Worked really good for me, but I did go thru quite a bit of sandpaper.

 

[Thumper68]

Clean the top with something like simple green or purple power, follow that up with a scotchbright and wd-40, I have used the scotchbright on my 1/4 sheet sander to speed things up.

once clean coat with something like boshield.

 

[CrashmanS]

If you have a velcro orbital sander, stick a red scotchbrite pad to the bottom of it.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[Duker]

If it's lite to medium surface rust these work well..... https://tinyurl.com/RustEraser


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[mike93lx]

I have used an orbital sander with some really fine sandpaper in it. Worked really good for me, but I did go thru quite a bit of sandpaper.

I just cleaned up my bandsaw table with an RO sander and a ton of wd40.

The rusty paste made a mess of the sander, so i wouldn't use a nice one. Good reason to have a cheap harbor freight one on hand.

 

[gungatim]

what everyone posted is exactly what I did to my uni. when I got it at auction, the top was solid rust. spent a couple days scraping, ROS with maroon scotchbrite, lots of wd-40.

finished it up using a piece of granite wrapped in fine sandpaper (1000 grit then 3000). shines like a mirror now. I use johnsons paste was on it and NEVER leave a piece of wood sitting on it when you leave the shop!

 

[softailgarage]

Reading the title, I was expecting pics of a ****** tablesaw with limbs strewn about...oh well

 

[rlitman]

I am a huge fan of razor blades to remove rust.
Shaves it off in fine brown dust...

That's a good idea, but I'm too cheap to waste razors on my cast iron top.
I just use a gasket scraper. If it gets rust spots, it gets scraped until smooth.

Eventually it patinates to a nice browned finish that is fairly rust resistant.

 

[thehorse13]

I had the same issue while rescuing a 1950s Craftsman table saw. Here is what I did and it worked perfectly.

1) Cleaned the entire surface with Simple Green and a shop rag.
2) Using 200 grit sandpaper and a directional (not orbital) sander, I ran it up and down the areas that could be sanded with the machine.
3) In the guide channels, I hand sanded the rust out.
4) Wiped down all exposed surfaces with a very fine coat of WD-40.

This process is extremely cheap and highly effective.

 

[Eric29]

My table saw had to be in storage for a while and rusted. I used this:

Boeshield 3-Part Tool Care Kits and Lubricant

http://www.rockler.com/boeshield-3-part-tool-care-kits-and-lubricant

Got it at Rockler but I'm sure that there are other places to get it.

 

[Mintgrun]

haha, too cheap to use razor blades.
I simply sharpen them. I have a little box the used ones go in, because I am too cheap to throw them away! It's funny that razor blades are seen as disposable, when they are sharpenable.

Diamond abrasives are wonderful. It literally takes a few seconds to freshen up a blade... which may be less time than it takes to walk over and grab a new one.

Shaving rust leaves it in a neat little pile of dust, as opposed to making a huge mess, or a ton of dust in the air. I put that dust in an old pill bottle, hoping to use it if I ever get around to glazing the pottery I have made. (too cheap to waste good rust dust)

I like shaving the rust off because it does not cut into the cast iron. Sandpaper, on the other hand, can easily remove marks left by the machining process. It is too aggressive for me, aside from possibly wet sanding with 400 grit (or so) once finished with the razor.

I too appreciate the 'nice browned finish'.

 

[rlitman]

haha, too cheap to use razor blades.
I simply sharpen them. I have a little box the used ones go in, because I am too cheap to throw them away! It's funny that razor blades are seen as disposable, when they are sharpenable.

Diamond abrasives are wonderful. It literally takes a few seconds to freshen up a blade... which may be less time than it takes to walk over and grab a new one.

Shaving rust leaves it in a neat little pile of dust, as opposed to making a huge mess, or a ton of dust in the air. I put that dust in an old pill bottle, hoping to use it if I ever get around to glazing the pottery I have made. (too cheap to waste good rust dust)

I like shaving the rust off because it does not cut into the cast iron. Sandpaper, on the other hand, can easily remove marks left by the machining process. It is too aggressive for me, aside from possibly wet sanding with 400 grit (or so) once finished with the razor.

I too appreciate the 'nice browned finish'.

Ok, I'm man enough to admit it when you've got me beat. And that's saying something, considering that I just cleaned up my bench with a magnet to separate the iron filings from grinding dust. Can't say I've ever saved rust though.

I'll sometimes sharpen utility knife blades (just not the ones that have a thin coating for the edge material), and I'll never throw out the "disposable" blades in my industrial knife (a leathercraft/carving tool), but snap-off blades just get snapped, and razors get tossed.

I use disposable razors for stuff like removing stickers from glass, or times when I want a thin blade I can nearly wave at something to cut it. For removing rust, sharpness is not all that important. You just need a blade without any nicks that will scratch.

Yes, scraping is easier on the iron than abrasives (even scotch brite). Steel wool, is also safe to use on rust (0000 steel wool can even be safely used to remove light rust from blued guns, so long as it is used dry). Even a wire brush is harsher (though a wire brush is still safer than an abrasive).

 

[Cope]

Once you have it cleaned, put a coat of Min-Wax or Johnson's furniture wax on to protect it in the future.

 

[Mintgrun]

"Even a wire brush is harsher (though a wire brush is still safer than an abrasive)."

Ah yes, and "wire brush" can mean a lot of things.
Coarse or fine, brass, steel, or stainless steel.
Wire brush, or wire wheel.

One pet peeve of mine is seeing rust that has been burnished with a brush.
Or a surface that has taken on a texture, due to a high rpm wire wheel.

On a bench grinder, I find I need a coarser wire wheel to knock off thicker rust (with light pressure), then follow that with a fine one to finish the job... or get it ready for a next step.

A small wire wheel put in the drill press at ~500 rpm is very effective too, but not for tables....

I have to disagree about the need for a blade to be sharp, to shave rust. I usually touch mine up a few times while doing a larger surface. I do agree it does not need to be sharp like a knife. A ninety degree angle would even work, but 'sharp' edges really speed up the process.

I think that is where we can get into trouble. Trying to speed up the process too much and reaching for power tools, when they are not really needed.

0000 steel wool is awesome stuff. Messy, but awesome.
-Tom

 

[Zeke]

I use an abrasive block:
https://workingbyhand.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/removing-rust-abrasive-methods/
I also use one from the kitchen store that is used on commercial griddles.

 

[rlitman]

I use an abrasive block:
https://workingbyhand.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/removing-rust-abrasive-methods/
I also use one from the kitchen store that is used on commercial griddles.

The thought of an abrasive on a griddle makes me sick/sad.
I use a piece of stainless chain mail to remove stuff burnt onto my kitchen cast iron.

 

[gungatim]

they actually make abrasives specifically for griddles. they are like drywall screens and used pretty regularly in the restaurant biz...I have substituted the drywall screens on my 36" restaurant griddle in my shop (I like to cook burgers and breakfast in there) and they work pretty good....never thought of using them on the table saw though. may try them next machine I need to restore and see how they do. we use a flexible handle with the screens and lots of water back in the burger flipping days...

 

[CKS1955]

I use a razor blade for the rust, Klingspor sanding block, then Bar Keepers Friend for stains, 3M maroon pad and then Boeshield T-9, followed by Johnson paste wax. I keep all my cast iron tables covered.

Jay

 

[My Old Tools]

I have done them about every way there is. The last one was a Powermatic 66 top. I bought it out of a barn and it was pretty rusty. I had a big plastic tub wheelbarrow that it would fit in about 1/3 of the way down. I turned it into a temporary electrolysis tank and dropped a piece of square tubing through the throat for the anode. It cleaned up really well.