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Thread: Advice needed: long term storage of midi-lathe bed extension

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    East Texas
    Posts
    230

    Advice needed: long term storage of midi-lathe bed extension

    I've moved and am trying to fit my woodworking tools into a 2 car garage. I haven't used the full length of the extended bed on my Delta midi lathe in a long time so I've taken it off and want to store it in my attic, possibly for a long time.

    Is there anything better/cheaper than cosmoline? I'm less worried about cleaning it off than keeping rust away.

    Currently I'm thinking about spray cosmoline but I don't have any experience on this topic other than removing it.

    thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    6,529
    Cheaper would be a good coat of JPW.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Millstone, NJ
    Posts
    1,590
    I'd say spray it with some kind of oil and bag it air tight.

  4. Get a can of grease from the auto supply store.....the kind like they pack wheel bearings with. Smear a heavy coat over the bed, and place some blue shop towels over the grease. Store away. It will prevent rust and can be easily cleaned up with mineral spirits when you get ready to use it again.
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  5. #5
    Buy the cheapest can of spray grease you can, then give the extension a good coating of it. After you spray the extension, put it onto a large garbage bag and seal it closed. Then put it in the attic, and never worry about it rusting again. I put a small cast iron old cheap lathe in storage this way years ago, and stored it in a damp unheated basement of a two story shop. It was stored there for 8-9 years, and it never showed a sign of rust.

    Len

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Len Mullin View Post
    ...spray grease...
    I also use spray grease to protect cast iron and steel. I use Zep 2000 - it comes out of of the can as a fairly low viscosity liquid then gets thicker as the solvent evaporates. I buy it by the case since I use it a lot around the farm. I have three lathes in a storage shed with no rust. I don't put them in a plastic bag.

  7. #7
    Wouldn’t boeshield work too?

  8. #8
    I am out there in that I would mask off the painted parts of the bed extension, then prime and maybe paint all the exposed metal surfaces with spray bombs. A little work with some acetone on those surfaces will remove the paint. No different than greasing the H out of it but easier to handle when you have to move it around but not ready to use again.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    cleveland,tn.
    Posts
    385
    I would add that plastic gets brittle with age use cloth bags like old pillow cases when saturated with grease it will last a long, long ,time.

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