Preventing rust on cast iron table

[Steve Jensen]

I've read here and in my manual that floor wax can be used to prevent a cast iron work surface from rusting. I stopped by Walmart and another grocery and couldn't find anything specifically labeled "floor wax". I did buy some SC Johnson "Brite 1 step". It was next to the clear acrylic stuff. Will this work or did I look in the wrong place? I was on the cleaning isle.

[Larry Nall]

I've had good luck with plain old Johnson's paste wax.

[Scott Long]

I also use Johnsons. I can safely say that there are alot of people the use the same thing.

[Steve Jensen]

I looked for that. Where do you find it?

[Jason Beam]

I found mine at Home Depot or Lowes in the area where they have the floor cleaning supplies (brooms, chemicals, mops, etc)

[Ron Jones near Indy]

My Johnson's came from the grocery.

[Bill Huber]

I got mine at Westlake Hardware in the the Fort Worth area.

I am sure you could find it at other good hardware store.

[Lee Schierer]

Any good paste wax can be used SC Johnson paste floor wax used to be very common. Most homes don't use it any more so it is getting harder to find. One can will last a long time. I use a 0000 steel wool pad dipped in the paste wax to clean and apply the wax to my cast iron. I keep the steel wool in the wax can between uses. I buff the top after the haze appears with a clean rag.

The wax will wear off over time, so regular applications will be needed. Your localle and amount of use will dictate how often you need to clean and rewax. High humidity areas need to be cleaned and rewaxed more often.

It will not protect your cast iron from condensation caused rust due to temperature changes. There are other products you shold use if you are going to store your saw for any length of time.

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Steve.

I have been using "Top Saver" on my cabinet saw. It does a good job in general, but a drop of sweat still penetrates and causes a spot. Top Saver with a scotch-brite cleans up the spot. But then I sweat cleaning up the first spot only to make a second one. :confused: This could be an endless loop.;)

Define: Loop. Loop see Loop.

[Ron Blaise]

Works great, it's cheap but getting hard to find. I usually strip & wax mine 3 times a year (our humidity is high). No rust!

[Ted Miller]

Car wax is fine, teflon car wax is even better...

[Al Willits]

Ace hardware usually carries Johnson's wax.
I was using that and switched to some stuff called Topsaver, couple of coats and it seems to last longer than wax and much easier to apply.


Al

[Jim Becker]

Car wax is fine, teflon car wax is even better...

Many car waxes contain silicone...which you do not want anywhere near your woodworking/finishing areas. It's best to avoid any form of car wax as they do not always indicate on the label everything that is in it.

[Lee Schierer]

Car wax is fine, teflon car wax is even better...

No offense, but most car waxes contain silicone and silicone can cause fish eyes in finishes. Better to stay away from it around wood working.

[James Carmichael]

I use MinWax from the BORG since I haven't been able to find Johnsons around here.

I'm thinking of trying one of the T9 products since my garage is not air conditioned and our triple-digit Texas summers have me dripping highly-corrosive sweat in no time.

Forgot to mention, I find the Minwax next to the finishes in the paint section.