TopSaver

[Paul Douglass]

I bought a bottle of TopSaver by Empire Manufacturing to try. I'm pretty disappointed in the results of my using it. It is suppose to be a "rust remover/lubricant/surface sealant/conditioner" I tried some on my jointer top. One thing I could not get it to do was remove any rust and the rust I have is very minor. I followed the instruction and it had no effect on the rust I have on my jointer top. Maybe you need LOTS of rust!?:confused:

[Jerry White]

I've had EXCELLENT results removing rust from cast iron surfaces with TopSaver. Can't imagine why you would not have good results, too.

[Jay Brewer]

Ive had great results also, actually its the best I have used, maybe let it sit on the stain a little longer.

[Jules Dominguez]

Steel wool removes superficial rust quickly and easily. The stuff you apply to prevent rusting doesn't have to be a miracle product that also dissolves rust.
I live in the Atlanta area, and I've been using CRC Table Guard for probably a couple of years now in an un-air conditioned or heated basement shop, and haven't had any rust since I started using it. I also use the Table Guard on some of my hand tools.
There have been several posts on the subject, and I believe there are several products that work, including plain old Johnson Wax.

["Gary Brewer"]

Hi Paul: Did you get the kit with the abrasive pad and wipes? After you spray it on you need to rub it with the enclosed pad ( just a scotch brite pad ). I use a jointer push block dedicated for this purpose on top of the scotch brite pad. Then wipe up the mess with papertowels. The block makes the rubbing a lot easier. TopSaver works great and is by far the best rust remover I have tried. Make sure you are using the "TopSaver Rust Remover" solution and not one of their other products. I have cleaned up quite a few very rusty steel tools with it. The film left helps protect it from rust. For a very rusty top you might have to spray and rub several times.
Good Luck,
Gary

[Jim DeLaney]

I bought the kit, and had the same results/opinion as Paul. I felt like I'd gotten ripped off.

WD-40, with a Scotchbrite pad works just as well, or better, for me.

[Bruce Volden]

I too have not experienced good results! I "Saved" my table and band saws with it late in the winter. Come spring when the frost went out and the shop got humid, I had "stuff" growing on the cast iron. Although it did come off easily I was not happy with it's performance. I went back to my baby powder~smells good too! :D


Bruce

[Fred Craven]

The guy at Woodcraft recommended it, he said they were using it on all their floor models now. Well, with a lot of scouring, it did clean the table up; however, my table saw top is NOT smooth, it has the less common grooved surface. Although the rust is gone, even with a wire brush I can't get some of the staining out of the grooves.

I think the product would be fine for smooth tops.

[Frederick Rowe]

I bought TopSaver for a Unisaw restoration project and compared it to WD40. Frankly, the WD40 worked just as well, and I think it is the Scotchbrite pad which is responsible for removing rust. I also applied it per instructions post rust removal, buffed it out, and found it did not leave the table as slick as paste wax; perhaps close but not superior.

I have concluded that ToSaver does work, but is not a miracle product by any measure. It's not cheap and while I wouldn't say avoid it, I'd recommend trying WD40 with appropriate Scotchbrite pads first followed by wax. If for whatever reason you get persistent oxidation, then try it or Boeshield.

[Eric Gustafson]

How about that TR6 which is also used to protect tablesaws? Any luck with that?

[Paul Douglass]

To be honest and fair, I didn't use scotch brite pad, I used steelwool. But I thought it would have the same affect.