Surface Rust

[Robert Engel]

I use my random orbital sander with 220 grit and some type of lubricant. Caution: this can make the pad on the sander degrade.

So now I use the same setup but with a piece of scotch brite pad.

A mild abrasive flap disk and 4" grinder also works well.

I don't like using wire wheels.

You can also pretreat with vinegar or Evapo Rust. Caution: do not use Ospho!!!

[Jack Frederick]

I have used my RO Polisher with WD-40 & 220 and 320 grit pads followed up with Johnson's paste wax. As noted the oil has deteriorated the polishers foam base, but I got a couple years out of it and it does a very good job. Given your climate and uninsulated/heated I think the oscillating fan is a very good idea. I wonder if opening the cabinets of the cabinet and band saw would help as you would then have air movement "around" the tables?

[William Young]

I wonder if opening the cabinets of the cabinet and band saw would help as you would then have air movement "around" the tables?

That reminds me of an article I read quite a long time ago about protecting smaller hand tools, etc, from rust when in an uninsulated shop. They built or modified a cabinet or set of drawers by putting a light bulb somewhere inside in a safe location. Turning it on during seasons of the year when condensation is a problem provides enough heat to keep condensation from occurring on the tools.

Having said that, keeping your small tools in an enclosed spaces may be enough to keep condensation away. Before I had an insulated shop, I had problems with exposed surfaces, but tools in cabinets or drawers remained dry. The cabinet and the still air inside provides some insulation; sometimes enough to do the job.

[Nick Decker]

I use my random orbital sander with 220 grit and some type of lubricant. Caution: this can make the pad on the sander degrade.

So now I use the same setup but with a piece of scotch brite pad.

Bingo!

My situation is a fairly new saw with random rust spots. Nothing heavy, just persistent. I used a green scotch brite, which acts like hook and loop on the RO pad. No lubricant of any kind. The whole top took maybe 15 minutes and it's spotless.

I did spend a little longer on some areas that I had used a wire cup wheel on with the grinder, just to even them out to match the rest. I'd reserve the wire wheel method for heavily rusted stuff.

After running the Scotch Brite, I went over it with an acetone rag until no more black residue showed on the rag. I've got a coat of T9 drying on it right now, will finish it off with wax tomorrow.

Thanks, Robert, I think this nailed it for me.

[Mike King]

Plain white vinegar works about as well as oxalic acid on mild rust. I'm not sure how the cost compares, but a gallon of white vinegar at the grocery store is pretty cheap. It also works pretty well at restoring/sharpening old dull/rusty files and rasps.

https://youtu.be/5Bkdej_z1HI

[William Hodge]

Before I went into woodworking for a job, I had a garage shop in a neighborhood in suburban New Hampshire. The shop was attached to the house by a breeze way. I didn't heat the shop, and in the spring warm moist air would come in, and rust the table tops, innards, and everything in the shop. I would spay heavy oil on the machines and cover them with special blankets treated with rust preventative stuff. However, every spring, my prize Craftsman saw would have a coating of rust on the table.

On a Saturday morning in May, after it had warmed up, I would wheel the saw out into the driveway and go to work. The first step was to grind the rust off with a series of use 120 grit ROS pads mounted on the nose bearing of a chain saw. Being 2 cycle, the saw could tilt sideways to get parallel to the table surface. Next I would go with WD-40 and 220 grit paper on the ROS pad. The Scotch Brite pads on the ROS pad, then Scotchbrite pads of finer grade with a ROS. Finally, I would take paper towels and WD-40 and clean all the sandpaper grit and Scotch Brite pad particles and bar and chain oil off the saw table, sides, and insides.

As everyone knows, WD-40 will not prevent rust. You need wax for that, good wax, applied the right way. This was my favorite part.

I would get out my Sony Walkman and put in my Percy Sledge tape "When a Man Loves a Woman" on repeat. That one song went over and over on the tape, left over from my younger days. I would put the headphones on, crank it up, and sing along, really loudly, and wipe down that table with my wife's Brazilian Booty Wax (32 oz container).

I never thought much about what my neighbors thought about me out there in the driveway. They did think about me. As much as I thought Isounded like Percy Sledge, they thought I was a noise problem.

"Well, this man loves a woman
I gave you everything I had
Trying to hold on to your precious love
Baby, please don't treat me bad!"

The neighbors did indeed think about me. I don't know what they disliked more, me singing or using the chain saw, but they got together and bought me a dehumidifier, and set it up in my shop without even asking me.

It worked. The humidity stayed below 45, and the excess heat from the dehumidifier was just enough to keep the relative humidity a little lower. I aimed the warm air at the saw.

The neighbors taught me a lesson in machine care, more than machine maintenance.

William Hodge

[William Young]

https://youtu.be/5Bkdej_z1HI

Mike. Thanks for the link. Very interesting experiment. I'm not a chemist and I was both surprised and not surprised. I am not surprised that acetic acid (vinegar) was at the bottom of the list as it is relatively mild stuff. I was surprised at the results with phosphoric acid. I have used it numerous times with seemingly better results. However, most of the time my efforts are in removing mild surface rust and/or soaking rusty pieces over several hours. I have also soaked rusty pieces in vinegar over night with good results. There were a lot more bubbles and the vinegar turned into a brown gunk; contrary to what happened in the video experiment which stopped after an hour. More importantly, pieces came out fairly clean. Of course, vinegar is pretty safe to use and is readily available.

[Matt Mattingley]

My favourite for surface top is Evapo-Rust. I soak paper towel and clean up with varsol with green scrubby and paper towel dry(about one hour between applications with a dish green scouring pad). Then apply wax.

[Stan Smith]

My house was partially burned from the Carr Fire last July. There was a lot of smoke and intense heat in the shop. Plastic drawers and tool cases partially melted and soot was all over everything. I've been doing research on how to clean my tools including a TS, lathe bed, band saw, and other metal parts. Did you know that chemicals in smoke can cause damage to metal and electronics. Read this article

http://www.er-emergency.com/2011/06/...d-electronics/

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I've watched some other youtubes also. I was surprised that, after 5 months, my scms would no long slide because of rust! I'm going to try the grinder w/wire brush, then scotch bright pads with ROS. Going to use Fluid Flow to start and probably wipe on poly to finish and/or maybe Johnson's wax. I really appreciate this forum and the nice folks who are always willing to help. I am replacing my scms, but I really don't even want to think about replacing all of my tools. The heat in my garage shop was 2500 deg. F. I'm posting this with hopes that someone else will discover what damage smoke can do to metal couple with intense heat. I'm no chemist or expert, but finding suggestions for this chore has not been easy. Thanks again for the info.

[Wade Holloway]

So sorry about your loss. Good luck with your rebuild, I wish you the best.

[Kevin Beitz]

After you get your top the way you want it protect it with a can of Slipit.

[Stan Smith]

Thanks for the kind words.

[Stan Smith]

This is an update of my learning experience. There's a youtube on rust removal tests.. The guy tests different rust removers using heavily rusted railroad spikes. He got the best results with Eastwood rust remover with the spike submerged in the liquid over night. I've been trying Bull Frog, Fluid Flow, Evaporust, and Eastwood. I got the best results with Eastwood. I bought a gallon but it cost $34 with shipping. The rust comes back very fast regardless of what cleaner I've used. I also used an ros and rubbing compoud by hand. I used Johnson wax, but some rust returned in just a few hours. I've order some T9 Boeshield spray. I've mainly used the various products on my lathe bed, bandsaw, and table saw, but my other tools, that were exposed on the pegboard or work bench will have to be treated as well. The nice shiny finish on my lathe tools is now a dull gray. I know, I know it's the cutting edge that really matters. We have a lot of rain here this winter, but the humidity is very low in the summer.
I just ordered a new DC system from Rockler. I've spent a lot of time trying to get my tools in useful shape. Sorry to ramble but hope my terrible experience might help someone else. I should have cleaned everything as soon as the evacuation was lifted, but our whole house had to be cleared so that was the priority. We have just finished going through over 200 boxes of belongings that were supposedly "cleaned"but contents , from kitchen to garage, were all mixed together.

[Wade Holloway]

Stan I am not sure but I think I remember someone telling me the problem about rust from smoke and fire is the acid that is in it. If so you would have to neutralize the acid before the damage will stop. Maybe someone will step in to correct me if I am wrong. Good luck.

[Jack Frederick]

I haven't used the ROS before, but have used my Dewalt RO Polisher a lot for cleaning the table tops. It is a slower rpm. I have to get a new pad for it however as the WD destroyed the old one. I use a 320 grit and WD-40. I've used cup brushes on grinders in the past and use only a light gauge wire brush. It is all still a lot of work on a badly rusted surface but it is nice seeing it come up. I finish with Johnson's paste wax