Best prep for new jointer bed

[Bill Fitch]

OK, just got my new G0490 jointer. I know I won't get to it for a while, the biggest reason is I have no 240V yet in the garage... In the mean time, I want to get it cleaned and setup. So here are a couple questions for a noob like me:
What is the best thing to clean the cosmolene off with? Grizzly recommends an orange cleaner and I have seen other recommendations for paint thinner or mineral spirits.
Is it worth treating the exposed metal with Boeshield?
Can I wax the top? Does wax ever have harmful affect on the wood, such as prevent it from absorbing stain or other finish?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

[tyler mckee]

OK, just got my new G0490 jointer. I know I won't get to it for a while, the biggest reason is I have no 240V yet in the garage... In the mean time, I want to get it cleaned and setup. So here are a couple questions for a noob like me:
What is the best thing to clean the cosmolene off with? Grizzly recommends an orange cleaner and I have seen other recommendations for paint thinner or mineral spirits.
Is it worth treating the exposed metal with Boeshield?
Can I wax the top? Does wax ever have harmful affect on the wood, such as prevent it from absorbing stain or other finish?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

I heard wd-40 works good to remove the cosmoline. have not tried it. Spray it on heavy, let is sit a minute, and go to work with a plastic scraper and some paper towels. I just wax all the exposed areas with a plain old paste wax, no automotive waxes because they may have silicone and that can affect your finishing.

[Myk Rian]

Boe-shield or furniture paste wax. No silicone!!!
I spread the wax on heavy and use a heat gun to melt it into the surface, then buff it up.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

In machine shops we used a scraper and kero.
WD40 is pretty much exactly that. Read the MSDS. It'll shock you what folks are paying for a spray can of deoderized kero.


I've gotten 240 in a pinch from separate 120 VAC outlets - separate as in they each drew from different breakers. Ran a table saw that way for years before I re-built my shop.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I've gotten 240 in a pinch from separate 120 VAC outlets - separate as in they each drew from different breakers. Ran a table saw that way for years before I re-built my shop.

:eek: No! No! No!

Aside from the code problems, that's a BAD idea because the breakers aren't tied together - one of your 120 lines can trip without tripping the other. A 240V breaker will interrupt both lines if either trips.

Don't do that! Ever! Even temporarily.

[Michael Heffernan]

I have cleaned all my new machinery with kerosene, a plastic scraper and plenty of rags. Take your time and get all the cosmo off and out of the nooks and crannys. It will take a few applications until the rags wipe relatively clean. Whatever you use, make sure to dispose of the rags properly. Soak them in a pail of water until trash day.
As for sealing and lubricating the top, as others have posted, paste wax or Boeshield are good choices. A couple coats of either one, dried and buffed will do it.

[Bill Fitch]

I have never used Boeshield. Is this something to use instead of wax, or is this a treatment for underneath the wax?

Thanks,
Bill

[Lee Schierer]

I have never used Boeshield. Is this something to use instead of wax, or is this a treatment for underneath the wax?

Thanks,
Bill

I don't care for Boeshield as it seems to get sticky after a few days. I would highly recommend spraying it on and leaving it if you plan to store your cast iron for some time and not use it. Regular waxing with ordinary paste floor wax will make your wood slide on cast iron. There are no side affects when staining that I've seen. Nonetheless you should buff out the wax after it dries so the layer is very thin and you don't leave lumps of wax on the surface that cold affect the waterborne finishes.

[Rick Metcalf]

Bill,
I just got the same machine a few months ago. Most of the cosmolene should still be pretty soft and require nothing more than wiping off. I used an orange citrus cleaner to get the final film off and waxed the tables immediatelt with two coats of paste wax. If you got the spiral cutter, wipe most off with a few clean rags and then get a bunch of Q-Tips to get into the nooks around the cutters. Use clean Q-Tips dipped in the cleaner to get final film off. Bioshield works well on the cutterhead to protect the steel on the cutter head spindle. Hope this helps and get that 220 wired up so you can enjoy your purchase.

[Doug Shepard]

I bought a big spray bottle of cleaner/degreaser at the Borg the last time I had a new machine that needed setup. I think it worked better than either the WD40 or paint thinner I tried using in the past. After everything was cleaned off, paste wax.

[John Harden]

I have never used Boeshield. Is this something to use instead of wax, or is this a treatment for underneath the wax?

Thanks,
Bill

Boeshield is by FAR the best anti-corrosion stuff out there. Wood magazine did an awesome review way back in issue 154. Basically, they tested cast iron extension wings treated with various coatings in a high humidity environment. Wasn't even close. Boeshield beat out top cote, paste wax, WD-40 and everything else by over a huge margin. If I remember correctly, Johnson paste was the worst performer.

Boeshild is a parrafin wax based product with no silicone and was developed by Boeing for use on aluminum skins and parts on aircraft to inhibit corrosion.

It works down into the pores of the metal and forms a barrier that is incredibly resistant to rust and other corrosives.

Trick is to follow the directions. If you fail to wipe it off after application, it'll attract dust no different than if you put on too much paste wax, WD-40 or whatever.

I've used it for over 10 years on all my woodworking and mechanics tools, hand planes, motorcycles, garage doors, etc., and it is outstanding. (No, I don't work for them:D). Works as well on iron and steel as it does on aluminum, particularly those items exposed to the weather.

Cosmoline will come off pretty easy with liberal amounts of mineral spirits, WD-40 or something similiar. Personally, I prefer WD-40. Seems to work as well as mineral spirits and smells a lot better. Also safer to dispose of the rags.

Regards,

John