Cast Iron seems to be rusting, even with floor wax applied.

[Brendan Plavis]

I have been libreally applying a liquid floor wax to my cast iron tabletop. Although it seems to have accumulated some rust in the machining marks. Now, there was a little since it had been sitting on the Lowes floor since 07(had an ad for a contest from then attached.) But it seems to be rusting more. Tell me this want a bone head move.... :eek:

[Joe Scharle]

The liquid in the floor wax is water???
Just make a slurry with WD-40 and Barkeepers Friend and rub the rust out with a ScotchBrite. THEN....Paste Wax and buff out with an old T shirt. Or us Bioshield, but lightly and buff quick.

[Brendan Plavis]

Muy Bien Gracias Señor... Thanks... I didnt realize that there was a way to buff it out.... And I will get some paste wax.... bonehead father got that even after I asked him to get regular Paste Wax.....

Thanks for the info.

[Tom Lowry]

+1 on paste wax. I live on the coast and it keeps my cast looking good.

[Karl Brogger]

I've been using parrafin wax. I think its in the canning aisle at the grocery store.

Rub it on, buff it a bit with a rag (more or less to get all the missed spots), take #0000 steel wool and buff it. Finish off with a clean rag.

Works awesome, takes a bit to put on though. I've been using Zepalon, or Topcoat inbetween waxings. Usually lasts me a week or so before the table starts getting "sticky" and I have to hit it again.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I recommend Top Coat. Easy to apply, and last a really long time.

[Brendan Plavis]

Gracias Amigos..

[Eddie Darby]

T9 from Boeshield will soak into the metal, removing/loosening up the rust, and protecting the metal from further rust.
Then cover the T9 with TopCoat.

[Ron Jackson]

I just use plain old Johnson's Floor Wax (paste), to avoid any silicone, or other chemicals that might contaminate my projects. Has worked wonderfully for years. As a side note: Several years ago, I begin seeing rust form on all of my tools in the shop. I'd never had the problem before, and couldn't figure out what might be causing the sudden change. I posted on a forum and asked if anyone had a similar experience like mine. One woodworker asked if I had a swimming pool....and if so, where I stored my "chlorine" for water treatment. "Bingo"! Although I didn't have a pool, I had an aerobic septic system which required chlorine tablets. I was storing the five-gallon pail underneath a counter in my woodshop. Removed the offending agent, cleaned and waxed my machines, and never have had the problem again.

[Neil Brooks]

Hey, Brendan-

What's the humidity (Low, Avg, Hi) where your shop is ?

Mine runs a pretty constant 43-46%.

It seems that <50% knocks out MOST rusting issues, and -- from a metallurgy standpoint -- <35% knocks out ALL of it.

Any way to get the humidity down, at all ??

Even a cheap CL or Sears dehumidifier ??

Just a thought.

Neil
Johnson's Paste Wax Guy

[Myk Rian]

After applying the paste wax, (furniture wax with no silicone) I use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt it into the surface. Then I buff it up.

[Prashun Patel]

I was storing the five-gallon pail underneath a counter in my woodshop.

Ron, that's interesting. Why do the chlorine tabs cause rusting?

[Tom Lowry]

Chlorine is very corrosive. I have to be careful what I leave in my pool pump house.

Nice tip Ron, I'd have never thought of that.

[Ron Jackson]

You're right, I would have NEVER thought that the tablets put all of my machinery at risk, but I assure you the results were hard to correct ! Yep.....the chlorine is particularly corrosive . AND, I may or may not have been really prudent about making sure the storage cannister was completely closed and sealed. I'm told by one of my chemical engineer friends, that the same thing can happen to unprotected metal surfaces in your garage (autos, lawn tools, ect.) So, I switched to sealed containers of bleach for my aerobic system.