When you use a ROS, what grit should you use and should the paper be for metal or will one for wood work?
When you use a ROS, what grit should you use and should the paper be for metal or will one for wood work?
WoodsShop
I don't have much trouble with rust, but sweat drops mark the cast iron quickly. When I notice a haze of discoloration on my tools I use a fine sanding sponge, then wax. Sponges are sturdy enough to stay flat, and easily clean up with soap and water.
Each time I enter the shop I see a round ring on my DJ20 Jointer from a soda can someone set there when it was new 30 years ago. No idea who did it, but I constantly use it as a 'what not to do' example to 'guests'.
I used to have a Delta 14" bandsaw (used) from the 70's which had a darkly colored table that looked like a seasoned frying pan. I don't know what was used on it, or if it was the way the cast iron was made, but it NEVER showed a sign of rust. Had it for 10 or more years, and don't remember ever waxing it. Paid $200 for it at a garage sale, sold it ten years later for double. Sold it because it only had 1/2 HP.
Last edited by Rick Potter; 08-03-2021 at 1:48 PM.
Rick Potter
DIY journeyman,
FWW wannabe.
AKA Village Idiot.
yeah I don't have any rust. Do they make those scothbrite pads for ROSs?
WoodsShop
I think this may be one reason why the CRC 3 36 product works so well for me. Immediately after removing the Cosmoline, I saturate the surface with the CRC product, which is very runny, and work it hard into the pores, and just let it sit there til the next day, when I wipe off the excess and apply several coats of paste wax. Never a problem with rust (unless I have to reapply due to some “mechanical” scrape etc.)
Back in the day, cast iron was left outside to "season". It was a method of stress relieving the casting with temperature cycles over a long period. The casting would be a huge pile of rust that just a light pass on a milling machine would remove. If the casting was porous, the rust would be 1/8" thick. There is usually a fair amount of graphite in the iron mixture for machine castings. This grey iron machines easily and adds some rust resistance.
When I got my J/P combo machine, I stripped off the cosmoline with mineral spirits, and I literally watched it rust in real time. It started creating black spots instantly. To be fair, I think I had a little citrus cleaner on my rag, so maybe that did it? To this day, despite all kinds of effort, that machine will rust if you look at it wrong.
I have a bandsaw from the same company, and that tabletop won't rust at all. I have it very close to the garage door, and it looks as good as the day I got it. Same shop, same rust prevention efforts, same everything. But the results are miles different.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain
- After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
- It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain