clean cast iron before waxing?

[jim mills]

Is it necessary? I'm getting black marks on my wood after waxing the planer bed, and I am wondering if it is wax buildup. Do I need to strip the old wax off first, and if so, what do I use? Thanks

[Jerry Miner]

If the wax is dirty, like with bits of rust or something, then the dirt will likely transfer to the wood.

I scrub my table top with mineral spirits and a green Scotch pad, wipe clean, then wax (paste wax) and buff.

[glenn bradley]

I do just what Jerry does.

[Erik Loza]

If the wax is dirty, like with bits of rust or something, then the dirt will likely transfer to the wood.

I scrub my table top with mineral spirits and a green Scotch pad, wipe clean, then wax (paste wax) and buff.

+2 ^^^^^^

Erik

[jim mills]

yep, wax in can is pretty dirty. I will try MS, then scrap the dirty layer of wax off the top of the can, then try again.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Green scotch pad and MS....

(see a pattern here ? :D )

[Erik Christensen]

I do none of that - I am lazy - just add more wax when needed. Any wax transfer to the wood being machined has never been an issue for me - wax does not penetrate and I always have to scrape/sand anyway - no wax goobers have lasted past that part of the process. YMMV

[Robert Engel]

Don't use wax use Boeshield.

[Prashun Patel]

"...after waxing the planer bed"

Dumb question alert: It's dirt, right? Not black marks from your planer's rollers, right?

[jim mills]

If i rub a scrap of wood on tje planer bed, i get black marks on it

[Tom M King]

After cleaning by Fosberg method, coat with per FWW test article, http://www.amazon.com/CRC-03007-Multi-Purpose-Lubricant-Corrosion/dp/B0013J1U60/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431376699&sr=8-2&keywords=crc+3.36 leaves no extra residue, attracts and marks off nothing. Lasts longer than wax too. I haven't used anything else since I tried it.

[Bill Adamsen]

I too use mineral spirits and then rewax. I also clean both the metal infeed and outfeed rollers with Toluene or paint thinner.

[Martin Wasner]

I do none of that - I am lazy - just add more wax when needed. Any wax transfer to the wood being machined has never been an issue for me - wax does not penetrate and I always have to scrape/sand anyway - no wax goobers have lasted past that part of the process. YMMV

That's what I do.

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

Same thing Jerry said. :)

[Matt Day]

After cleaning by Fosberg method, coat with per FWW test article, http://www.amazon.com/CRC-03007-Multi-Purpose-Lubricant-Corrosion/dp/B0013J1U60/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431376699&sr=8-2&keywords=crc+3.36 leaves no extra residue, attracts and marks off nothing. Lasts longer than wax too. I haven't used anything else since I tried it.

Tom, that link is dead and I'm curious what you are referring to. Thanks

[John K Jordan]

I have a Robland/Laguna sliding table on my PM66. Their instructions for cast iron: rub talcum powder into the metal with a blackboard eraser once a week. They say this fills the pores and keeps out moisture. I've been doing this and it seems to work great.

The hard thing was finding pure talc without perfumes and medications so the table won't smell like a baby's bottom. I finally located some on Amazon sold to billiards players.

JKJ

[Bill Graham]

Tom, that link is dead and I'm curious what you are referring to. Thanks

http://www.amazon.com/CRC-Multi-Purpose-Lubricant-Corrosion-Inhibitor/dp/B00192EX10/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431392557&sr=8-1&keywords=CRC+3-36
(http://www.amazon.com/CRC-Multi-Purpose-Lubricant-Corrosion-Inhibitor/dp/B00192EX10/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431392557&sr=8-1&keywords=CRC+3-36)

[Tom M King]

Pump spray bottle of CRC 3.36

[Wayne A Hall]

The best wax I have ever used:
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/renaissancewax.aspx

Bought a can of it years ago and it has lasted and lasted and lasted and.........

[Guy Belleman]

I scrub with boeshield and then johnsons paste wax. Also, use the other methods mentioned above. I find my biggest corrosion culprits are drops of sweat and condensation from temperature change. To fix, wipe down top when down and lay down a thin sheet of painters plastic, getting out the air between top and plastic, takes care of the problems.

[jim mills]

The suggestion to use talc is intriguing. Anyone else tried this?