How can I remove rust from my TS?
Sasquatch
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
Yesterday, I glued up some LVLs for a mini workbench and placed them on my Ridgid TS with wax paper under the glue line.
Today, when I removed the benchtop, there was rust on the glue line under the wax paper.
I have not had any luck with a search, so I would appreciate if anyone has a good solution for cleaning up the table.
I tried some steel wool and some WD-40, with little luck.
Thanks in advance.
Replies
There's some chemical you can put on, i don't kno what it is, but others do.
hmmmm, your post perplexs me
Evaporust
yeah, that's it
hmmmm, your post perplexs me
A company called Bull Frog (I am not a rep) puts out a rust remover (RM), and what's nice about it, it does not smell like the rust remover purchased at a hardware store. The RM purchased at a hardware store is cheap, smells like rotten eggs buts does an excellent job.
step one: wipe the top down with a damp rag, wipe/poor the RM on table top (put some rubber gloves on first) then rub in with steel wool.
2nd. take a brake and let the RM do its job - 10 to 15 min has been my experience.
3d. Now get yourself a roll of paper towel and a bucket to toss them into and start wiping down the table top. Once the top is wiped down I then use Windex to make sure the top is clean. We are almost complete.
Lastly, get some paste wax and apply a light coat on the table top and buff. I've tried some of the other products Bull Frog puts out and was not satisfied.
Thanks to all. I will look for one of these products
Evaporust won't do the job for you unless you intend to immerse the entire top. A product called Rust Free will do the trick. You can get it from Woodpeckers. Use a scotchbrite pad after you let it sit for about 3 minutes to scrub off the rust.
http://www.woodpeck.com/boeshield.html#1046
The reason most rust removers smell is because they contain Phospheric acid.
Have a good one.
Len
From Evaporust's website.....
What about surfaces too large to soak?It is possible to use Evapo-Rust to remove rust from some surfaces too large to soak. Saturate a fake chamois or other tightly knit material in Evapo-Rust. Place the saturated material on/around the surface, evenly press to make sure the material is in contact with the surface, then cover with plastic to keep the material from drying out.If you spray it on a surface and scrub with a brush or pad, it will greatly reduce the amount of scrubbing necessary to remove the rust.
I used it to restore my 1936 Delta Bandsaw.
http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=40157.1
I have five gallons of it in my shop. I think the stuffs great. In fact, I was the person who originally posted it.
http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=8170.1
Yes, I've tried that and it doesn't work nearly as well.
But back to Sasquatch problem. The tablesaw top is most likely stained by the rust. Rust free will take off the stain.
I mean no disrespect.
Have a good evening.
Len
Great job on the bandsaw! I agree the best way is immersion but I have had pretty good success with a soaked scotchbrite pad on light rust. I've never tried the rustfree, I'll have to give it a look.A good evening to you too!
Len, that band saw looks fabulous!
No matter what anyone says, I think restoring old equipment is more environmentally friendly than making new stuff.
Thanks. I've restored several old machines that have been handed down. The only problem with the old machines is dust collection. Most have none.
Hope you get the rust stains out.
Len
I would avoid the Rust Free product. You can end up with nasty,ugly black spots on your cast iron.
I prefer using 320-400 silicon carbide sand paper with mineral spirits, wipe it dry and polish up with 600 on the orbital sander.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I have made up my mind to try each of these methods on a different portion of the table. Then I will report back on what worked best. Thanks again to all.
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Sandflex Hand Blocks, made by Klingspor. They're a rubber-bonded block impregnated with silicone carbide grit. They come in coarse, medium and fine, and are available from Woodcraft, McFeeleys, Craftsman Studios, etc. They'll rub out rust stains on metal in about 30 seconds (for recent stains) without using chemicals. Like all other methods they do leave a faint ghost stain where the rust has been. The coarse block works on old rust, and the medium on most everyday stains. I use the fine just for a final buffing. As far as I recall, they cost about $10 for the set, though you can buy them individually. I've had mine a couple of years, and hardly made a dent in them.
Jim
You're right, Jim. They are amazing. Not as cool as Evapo-Rust though, transforming rust into black powder.Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
WD40 and fine sandpaper.
I tried WD40 and steel wool, but it did not do much.
I also tried phosphoric Prep & Etch by Klean Strip because it was the only locally available product I have found so far. It worked fairly well, but there are still some black marks.
I was hoping for a solution that completely restores the table. I prefer not to use anything that cuts into the table. The rust I got was just from an overnight seepage of white glue through wax paper, so I believe I am dealing with primarily a surface problem.
I am going to try out the other suggestions as I gain access to the products mentioned.
One thing that surprised me was that the carnauba wax I had used on the table six months ago, and which I opened again today, was almost completely covered with and eaten by some sort of mold!
I don't think you're going to find anything that will completely restore the finish without abrading away the topmost layer. The surface of cast iron is a network of microscopic pores where the individual iron crystals come together. When it rusts, those pores become slightly enlarged, as the oxidation preferentially occurs at those crystalline boundaries. The various rust removers convert the rust into a black oxide, but there's really no way to get down into the pores to remove the oxide that's there. And even if you could, there would still be a slight "shadow" from the fact that the rust has altered the surface topography on a microscopic scale.
-Steve
S, ya should try the Evaporust. I got some from an Auto-Zone store in the paint aisle on the bottom shelf( the staff were NO help till I made them look it up on their computer) and I think Lee Valley now sells it.
Take paper towels folded the long way as wide as the stain and saturate them, keep them wet all day then rub out the black soot(formerly rust) while still wet with 000 or 0000 steel wool, wipe dry and spray with T-9 which is light years better than other stuff. You "might" have a light shadow that will mellow out in time, but no rust.
I use T-9 on two TS, BS,RAS, Lathe, jointer, planner, Mortiser, 3 drill presses a flock of planes and a herd of hand tools that get left in an unheated basement shop with two old wooden garage doors in the foot hills of the Clinch Mts. in East Tenn. for 4 months at a time with not a speck of rust. Paddy
I ordered some evaporust yesterday. It's $21 per gallon plus about $8 for shipping. I hope it works. If I had known it was available at Autozone, I would definitely have gone there. In fact, I was just there two days ago.
With the convenience of the internet, it is also easy to make mistakes!
It is $8 a quart at Autozone so you did OK by ordering it.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
I don't think Auto Zone carries gallons. However, I've heard over at WWA that at least some Harbor Freights are carrying gallons, and also some local hardware stores. One guy got a mail-in rebate form with his that made it $5.98. Personally, I hate mail-ins.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
listen to Bruce.S!! sand paper and mineral spirits . although I preffer wd/40 with the sand paper first (let the top soak over night /real let ) .good luck
the Woodbug Dan
I use a product called Lime-Away. It' readily removes rust in a minute or less without scouring. Afterward rinse with water or damp rags until it's off, and dry immediately. Follow up with wax or a protectant.
Almost anything you try to do to rust damaged cast iron, short of grinding away 1/16th of an inch of it, will only create a larger area that doesn't match the original surface.
A little steel wool or very fine abrasive paper will remove the roughness in the rusted spots, but the staining is permanent. The abrasive will make the surface reflect differently and the only way to hide that is by applying the same abrasive over the entire surface, but it will never look like the factory new surface again and the stains from the original rusting will still be visible. Be aware that any loose abrasive and rust particles that get down inside of the machine don't do bearings and tilt mechanisms any good, neither do the rust removal chemicals.
It's like getting the first scratch on your shiny new car, it happens, get over it. After a while all of the stains blend together and you've got patina. Your idea of trying different techniques on different areas will only create that many more visibly different areas on the top.
It's just a table saw, not the family jewels, go saw wood with it.
John White
Edited 3/4/2008 5:23 pm ET by JohnWW
That makes sense.
I'm glad that you see it that way. I was afraid that I was too blunt and was going to tick you off. Good luck with it.John W.
No problem, friend! I am not looking for the negative in any message. Usually, I try to take things at face value. Beyond that, "there be monsters", as they used to say on old maps depicting the edge of the world.
ifferent techniques on different areas will only create that many more visibly different areas.................
Hey, don't discourage the guy. We want to see if it turns out artsy.
I have a Ridgid TS that some think is junk.. I think it works as well as most I have used (and some quality saws)! OK, so I never used a EURO 10 Hp slider!
I have been there and did that MANY times! Somewhere along the line I thought.. "Give up trying" As long as there are no 'bumps'.. Why bother! Sort of like the grain in a old tree! Gives it character!
If mine looks REALLY bad.. I use my orbital sander with a FINE grit and work on it!
AND I keep it waxed! AND it still happens on occasion. Well, at least my saw looks as if IT' did some WORK!
Hell, I don't look the same as I did as a teenager!
Well, my gallon jug of Evaporust was delivered yesterday. I will try it this weekend, along with some of the other recommended techniques.
I think that the 3650 is a great saw. For the price, I don't see anything that could compare. At my age, I don't plan to invest deeper into a cabinet saw.
What's your choice of paste? I used automotive carnuba wax, but I don't really have anything to compare it to.
Maybe I won't have to use a table saw at all, since my Fein MM arrived on Tuesday. I figure with an investment of no more than $7000 in Fein blades, I can throw out all my other saws and be able to cut anything for up to a year. :)
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