tool restoration question craftsman tabel saw

[sluggerknuckles]

hello everyone and thank in advance for your comments.

This site has inspired me to start restoring some tools that I had from my grandfather.

My question is how do I remove the pits from rusted metal. I stripped down the the base of the saw and there is a lot of pitting. I have the same problem with the radial arm of the shopmaster I am refurbing.

I have seen people use DA orbital sanders to clean up the pitts with 150 and 250 grit paper. I do not have a DA sander so what else is there that I can do?

Thanks
Phil

 

[Outlawmws]

It depend on where the pits are located. If on a painted surface, clean the pits well with phosphoric acid, clean that out well and dry (mild heat, just enough to see the moisture "bleed" off), then fill with a spotting putty or other reputable filler for metal. then prime and paint.

If on a bare metal finished surface, do the above, then you have to decide how badly you want it out. Some will fill with JB weld, and then block sand smooth, but take it easy as you don't want ripples in a table saw top for instance.

 

[ndnchf]

You will never remove pits unless you sand/grind down the entire surface. Pits are places where metal used to be. Electrolysis is one of the best ways to remove any active rust from inside the pits. Do a search for electrolysis, there is a lot of info out there. If you have a battery charger you can make a simple electrolysis tank for a few dollars.

 

[bggrnchvy]

Are talking about actual pits, aka voids, meaning a glorious lack of material? Or are you refering to spotty oxidation on the surface?

As mentioned voids have to be filled or the surface has itself has to be brought below the bottom of the voids. Reality is that the casting itself probably has more than a few voids internally, I'd just leave them as character.

As far as removing oxidation a palm sander and some 000 steel wool go a long way on light removal. I had to use #1 recently and even then it took a lot of effort to remove a heavy layer.

 

[ckadams00]

Slugger - a lot of help available on this site, we'd love to see your saw back in working order.

Some photos would be a great help!

 

[darkk]

I just ran a DA sander over the rusted surface of my vintage Jet table saw top surface, waxed it up with some Johnson's paste wax and called it as day