Ever leave paste wax (wiped on thin, but NOT wiped off) on your cast iron tool tops (jointer, TS top etc.) in between projects? I know I won't be starting anything else for a few weeks and I noticed a tiny rust spot on my jointer. It was previously (a week or two prior) treated with paste wax (wiped on and wiped off) and the rust still got me. I live in NC where it does get a little humid in the summer months.
Yeah, it will get on your wood.
Use TopCote and forget about rust.
Yes, but I found Boeshield works better. So does Top Cote.
The idea would be to wipe it off before you start your next project. Mineral spirits should help get most of it off.
Expensive and I wonder if it protect with the same longevity as paste wax in between projects??
Those are expensive alternatives.
Yes but it works, wax doesn't.
There ain't no free lunch.
Lew
Ahhhh, dog-gone it!!! :(
No. they are cheap in actual use. A can lasts for a couple of years and, more important, it works better than wax. Your money, your tools, you can wipe anything you want on it. Bacon fat will work too and save even more money.
Expensive? Not for what it does. Does it last, I have had 2 cans last 6 or
7 years.
That's not been my experience. I've been known to apply Top-Cote a couple of times a day under heavy saw use. Other times I can go several days without another application. I can't say I ever gone more that 4 or 5 days without an application. Well....unless I'm on vacation.
Mike O.
Then I would say you are wasting the product. What do you consider heavy use? I recently cut up 15 sheets of plywood into probably 100 + pieces in one day. I did not apply before or after the job.
Sometimes I'll cut 150 pieces of casing for a house full of doors and I'll need to re-apply the product before I'm finished. The same thing if I'm cutting stiles and rails for a kitchen. While you may think I'm wasting the product I can certainly tell the difference after re-applying the top-cote. Maybe I just prefer less friction.
Mike O.
Of course. I could tell the difference if I applied Top-cote after every cut of a piece of wood, but I'd be wasting a lot of money on Top-cote and even more time applying the stuff when I could be doing something more productive.
35 years ago when I bought my first table saw, Top-cote didn't exist and it never occurred to me to use a paste wax, but I managed to cut a hell of a lot of wood without realizing that I was suffering from friction fatigue. It's your choice of course how often you apply the stuff, but conversations like this make me realize just how lazy our society is becoming.
I thought we were talking about how to prevent rust.
The ultimate goal: The wood cuts itself. :-)
Since I make my living standing at the saw (and have for some time) I prefer the top to be as slick as I can get it. While you may consider that to be lazy I consider it to be more safe and in fact more productive. I've used about everything over the years and if I find something that works better than Top-Cote, I'll be the first to switch.
Mike O.
LOL...inferring societal laziness from the way a guy lubes his table saw! Someone should call Jon Winokur.
Tope-Cote's what we use (liberally) too. Great stuff.
JP
You've intentionally misinterpreted what I said. I use Top-Cote too, but even with heavy usage it's never been necessary to reapply it several times a day as he claimed to be doing. While it certainly does make it easier to slide wood on an iron surface, it's not the absolute necessity that you consider it to be. In another words it's a waste of time and effort to make things a little easier in the end. The only real gain as far as time and effort goes is in your mind. Your prerogative.
Sun, Aug 12, 2007, 12:09pm .@. (GarageWoodworks) doth queryeth: Ever leave paste wax (wiped on thin, but NOT wiped off) on your cast iron tool tops (jointer, TS top etc.) in between projects? =A0
This is related, kinda. I live in NC too.
I keep my wondernine handy. I check it every few days or so. It's been fine normally, but a couple of weeks ago, I pulled it out and, gasp, it had rust. Took it apart, used a cotton (mostly) sock with a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil on it, and took care of the rust. Checked, daily, for a couple of days, no prob. Than about the third day, gasp, a small bit of rust starting again. Again, sock, oil. Apparently somehow something wet got on/in the holster. Hmm. Cut the sock off about halfway, a bit more Marvel Mystery Oil, slid the piece inside the sock, then in the holster. Had to loosen the strap a fraction to get it to snap properly, but have had no recurrence of rust. And it smalls nice too.
I find that a drop or two of Marvel Mystery Oil on my router bit bearing, before use, seems to greatly improve its life expectancy also.
JOAT I do things I don't know how to do, so that I might learn how to do them.
- Picasso
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