Boeshield T9

[Dave McGeehan]

I've noticed many newer posts recommend using Boeshield T9 for rust prevention and few mentioning Top Cote. Is T9 a better product? I've used Top Cote on my cast iron tops, hand planes, irons, etc with good results. Are there added benefits using T9?

Dave

[Chris Padilla]

I use the T9 first and then put a coat of Slip-It on top of that. The T9 works great for rust prevention but isn't very slippery.

A product like Top Cote or Slip-It is much more slippery.

Note that I only do this for cast-iron table surfaces like on my TS, BS, etc., but I don't use anything on my handplanes.

[Homer Faucett]

Top-Cote is almost worthless, IMHO, for preventing rust. I bought a can of this when I got my Sawstop, as the dealer did not carry Boeshield T-9, which I had used without trouble on my contractor saw before that.

I have some pictures of what happenned to the saw after being "protected" by Top-Cote. I polished and cleaned off the rust, and I even ran a side-by side comparison using T-9 on most of the saw, with Top-Cote on only one wing. As far as I'm concerned, don't waste your money on Top-Cote--use paste wax if you are going to coat over T-9. I'll try to post some pictures of my experiences with Top-Cote. They're pretty dramatic.

[Walt Caza]

Hi Dave,
My experience matches Homer's, T-9 to prevent rust, TopCote to make
slippery. I will always keep T-9 on hand, I doubt I will spring for TopCote again.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=71406

I really like the mineral oil for chisels and handplanes, that tip serves me well!
Walt
:)

[Jerry White]

In my humid environment, I have tried several different products for rust prevention on my cast iron surfaces before finding one that works. I found Top-Cote to be pretty much ineffective for rust prevention.

I now use Boeshield T-9. After removing all the rust, I apply a thick coat of the T-9 and let it set overnight, then wipe dry. I then apply paste wax and buff for a slick surface. Works well for me.

[scott spencer]

Never used Top Cote, but have had good results with T9....I do follow T9 with a coat of wax to reduce friction.

Wood Mag ran a test a couple of years ago and found T9 to be the most effective at rust prevention of all the products that were available at that time. Dunno if anything new has come along since, or if others have emerged that they didn't test.

[jason lambert]

Every show I go to and people I talk to use t9 I also use it. Just t9 and some paste wax and it is perfect. There are other good things I tried but none of them where any better but than again I only get a littel rust.

[Louis Rucci]

I used T-9 on my 16" drill press column over 3 yrs ago. I keep a fairly large plastic bag over it, but it only covers half way down to full height. As I'm only storing it for now, so far, no rust on the exposed parts of the column.

[Andy Pratt]

I'm a big fan of the T-9, prior to using it I was getting rust spots every few days on the TS/BS/Jointer. I applied T-9 8 months ago, have not reapplied since and have not seen a spot of rust on any of my surfaces since. To torture test it, I wiped saliva on a small corner of my cast iron bandsaw table and left it to sit 8 months ago. Never even wiped it off, much less dried it. After a couple weeks I had a slight discoloration I wouldn't have noticed on it's own, more like a patina on an old hand tool, so that should give a pretty good idea of it's protective ability. The rust remover solution is top notch as well, just be careful not to apply too much as it's very strong and will etch the surfaces with spray marks if you don't wipe it as they instruct (easy to follow instructions, but you do need to follow them). Haven't used top-cote but probably will based off everyone's comments here, of using the two in combination.

Andy

[Jerry Thompson]

I applied Top Coat to several of my hand planes and within a few days there were rust spots on them. I did not miss any areas do to the cost of the planes I was very careful.
I live in Fl and the humidity is very high most of the year. I tried T-9 and no more rust. That is all I will use from now on.

[William Addison]

Interesting that so many of you don't find that Top Coat works for you. I thinks it's much better than T9 or anything else I've tried. The difference may be in how I use it, I apply it after I'm through using a tool for the day and it prevents rust very well. I have found wax to do no good at all.

I live on the Texas Gulf coast a couple of hundred miles south of Houston and we not only have very high humidity but the trade wind seem to promote rust. I also live only about a half mile from salt water and any unprotected metal will rust within hours. My shop isn't air conditioned and I not only drip sweat on to things but the moisture from my hands causes rust.

Any of you that have not used Ospho and a maroon scrub pad for removing rust might want to try it.

[Homer Faucett]

Interesting that so many of you don't find that Top Coat works for you. I thinks it's much better than T9 or anything else I've tried. The difference may be in how I use it, I apply it after I'm through using a tool for the day and it prevents rust very well. I have found wax to do no good at all.

Well, I've applied Top Cote according to the instructions after I was finished using the table saw at the end of the day. One week later, there was rust on the saw top, without me using the saw in between that time. If you have to use the product every day, I don't find that impressive. I only have to use Boeshield T-9 every three months. I find it hard to believe that a daily waxing of your tools would not equally protect them.

I don't live in a salty environment, but here in Indiana, when the late winter/early spring sets in, my unheated barn does draw moisture. Boeshield works well here, Top Cote has been abysmal, even when used very heavily.

Top Cote was a big waste of money for me, and I told the Top Cote folks that I thought hair spray would probably work as well as their product does. I am simply not impressed.

[Tom Henderson2]

I've noticed many newer posts recommend using Boeshield T9 for rust prevention and few mentioning Top Cote. Is T9 a better product? I've used Top Cote on my cast iron tops, hand planes, irons, etc with good results. Are there added benefits using T9?

Dave

Boeshield was developed by Boeing as a corrosion preventative for aircraft landing gear, wheel wells, etc. It is basically a waxy material with sovents, etc to make it apply as an aerosol. The intended application was as a thick film which acts as a barrier.

If you apply it, then wipe it off, you are just leaving a very thin wax film behind. So that is no better -- and no worse -- than paste wax.

On the other hand, if your tools are not going to be used for a few months then spraying a thick coat of Boeshield onto the top and leaving it there, then it will provide a lot more protection. But if you can't see the film... it isn't doing anything that ordinary paste wax will do.

I'm not knocking it -- it is good stuff. But just don't think that it is anything more than wax and solvents.

-Tom H.
Ventura, CA

[Eric Larsen]

A related question:

I used some "Rust Free" (made by the same guys as Boeshield) today. Bits of my TS table are now very shiny, but most if it is still covered in a layer of gray "machine shop" grime. (I scored my TS from a machine shop.)

Does anyone have any suggestions for removing 20 years of oily, metal particle gunk? (Not rust, just a thin layer of dinginess.)

[Jerry White]

Eric,

I tried the Boeshield Rustfree and it seemed to have a corrosive effect that I did not care for. I have had very good results with Empire TopSaver on rusty and "gunked up" cast iron surfaces.

http://empiremfg.com/products/otc/ts/index.html

I use TopSaver according to directions as a initial treatment (it may take more than one application). Then when I have thoroughly cleaned with the TopSaver, I go to the Boeshield T-9 method I posted above for maintenance.

[Steve Sawyer]

Does anyone have any suggestions for removing 20 years of oily, metal particle gunk? (Not rust, just a thin layer of dinginess.)

When I need to clean metal, I always use a highly concentrated solution of Simple Green. I've used it to remove "cosmolene" from new machinery and machine shop grime from used stuff. Use a stiff brush or scotchbrite pads, scrub and rinse well.

You MUST apply some kind of rust inhibitor IMMEDIATELY after this treatment as the metal surface will be completely unprotected. I usually use T9 only for hand tools. For drill press columns, jointer and table saw surfaces etc. I use some Johnson's paste wax. If I'm working with a freshly cleaned or stripped/electrolyzed surface, I'll mix a bit of mineral spirits with the paste wax and smear a good coat all over the surface using my fingers to work it in, and let it sit for awhile before wiping it off and buffing. After that I'll regularly re-apply paste wax (once a week to once a month, depending how much I've used the machinery) and buff.

As to T9, I never experience any rust problems on my chisels, plane bodies, plane irons, etc. etc. I always apply a coat with my fingers and buff dry after cleaning or sharpening, and it seems to work great.

[Dave McGeehan]

Last week I applied Top Cote to my hand planes because I noticed a few very small spots of rust on their soles. I'd like to try T9 as per these posts. Must I remove the Top Cote first? What would I use to remove it?

Dave