Can't lift grime of table saw

[Joe]

The hairiest solvent commonly available is methylene chloride. Non- flammable, volatile, causes cancers in California. Buy it at your paint store in bodied formulations such as StripEase paint remover. Follow directions. It will cut old roofing tar/cement easily based on my experience. The resulting goop will need lots of paper towels preferably placed in the outdoors trash can ASAP. Buy the smallest amount you can as the stuff does tend to corrode the metal cans if some casual moisture is present. If this sounds too scary, try some of the solvents made by 3M and found at autobody supply stores. The pros that refinish cars have some really heavy duty stuff for cleaning prior to paint.

Joe

[-MIKE-]

LMAO!

[Steve B]

How in the heck did we survive? Lawn darts. Lead paint. Spud guns. Stuff they have taken off the shelves and now you have to pay big bucks on ebay. We've protected the current generation from so much harm and evil and dangerous things.

And look at the results. Now instead of your brother stapling you with the Arrow T50 stapler, they go pay fifty bucks for someone to do it to them.

Steve

[Nonny]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I've always considered that lead paint was a leading cause of our current batch of politicians and the people who elect and support them.

[CW]

No need to pay. I did my own.

[willshak]

Sam Takoy wrote the following:

Lacquer thinner.

[Bruce]

On Fri, 1 Jan 2010 08:14:21 -0700, Max wrote (in article ):

I used gasoline as a degreaser when I was a kid in the 60's/70's. The then 'new' unleaded was like using water. A real disappointment!

[Max]

I read somewhere that it was intended for internal combustion engines. :-)

Max

[Twayne]

Have you tried just a heat gun and putty knife?

Xylene seems to get about anything IME. Pour it on, let it set, pour some more on, scrape, then use medium steel wool. Most hardware stores/paint stores carry it. Very explosive! Keep good ventilation in mind.

Twayne

[Stuart]

I'm a volunteer with a charity called "Tool With a Mission". We collect old, unwanted tools, refurbish them and ship to Africa, where they are used, with some training, to give someone a trade they can get a living out of.

Tools come in, often in a terrible state with all sorts of detritus on them, apart from rust, including paint, tar, glue and who knows what. (Sometimes it's better not to give too much thought to what the goo might be)

My favourite tool for cleaning stuff up is an angle grinder fitted with one of those heavy-duty, twisted-wire, cup brushes. It's not been defeated yet but do wear proper eye protection, (I prefer a full face visor because I don't like the stinging sensation when bits of wire brush hit my cheek) having a piece of wire brush pulled out of your eyeball at the local hospital is a rather unpleasant procedure.

[Stuart]

But do remember that Aluminium reacts with strong alkalies just as it does with strong acids.

[aemeijers]

20 YO Craftsman table is likely to be cast iron, not aluminum. Some of the stuff bolted to it may be, though.

-- aem sends....

[Stuart]

I thought that was probably the case, I'm not sure where I got the idea the top was Al.

Ah, > It may be down in the aluminum, which is slightly porous.

[CW]

The OP said rust. haven't seen much rust on aluminum. BTW, I have never seen a steel top tablesaw.

[aemeijers]

Real table saws, no. When they first came out, sometimes those itty-bitty 'portable' saws (Basically an upside-down circular saw) had heavily ribbed stamped steel tops. Never understood how a saw with a tiny table could be much use for anything bigger than a birdhouse, but they sure sold a lot of them.

-- aem sends,,,

[Steve Barker]

I've never seen one that wasn't.

[Steve Barker]

[aemeijers]

In the old days, usually a good grade of cast iron...

-- aem sends...

[Jim Yanik]

aemeijers wrote in news:PsWdnTGr94LOR93WnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

steel is just cast iron with less carbon. ;-)

table saws have stamped steel extension tables(wings),and a cast iron center section.

[CW]

Go down to your local tool dealer and look around. Jet, Powermatic, Grizzly, Saw Stop, General, et, et, et. Non have steel tops.