Talc as Rust Protection

[Unisaw A100]

Is it anything as creepy as "waking up with The King"?

UA100

[Andy Dingley]

Car wax ? bad idea. Your finishing attempts will be contaminated by silicones, yea unto the seventh generation.

[Andy Dingley]

No, this is quite unreasonable scare mongering. In no possible way does "a lot of talc" contain asbestos.

Talc and asbestos are both amphibole minerals (a whole lot of minerals are amphiboles - if it's a calcium / magnesium silicate, chances are that it's an amphibole). _Some_ talc deposits have associated asbestos deposits with them. _Some_ talc minerals have been mined from these deposits, leading to contamination with asbestos.

In _ONE_ infamous case, a study of the talc filler used for making children's crayons was found to contain a miniscule, but detectable, level of asbestos. Cue instant hysteria from the "Think of the _CHILDREN_" brigade. This trivial and insignificant case has been blown up out of all proportion ever since.

If you're selecting talc to make cosmetic grade talcum powder, you didn't use these deposits anyway. You wanted something that milled finely, and the last thing you need is some tough old fibre in there.

Got any houseplants ? Any of them potted with vermiculite (those white spongy granules, to improve water retention) ? You'll get more asbestos exposure from those than you will from talc. In the waords of that great sage, John Otway, "Be careful of the flowers 'cos I'm sure they're gonna get you, yeah"

Now flame away. I'm so chock-full of asbestos I'm fire-proof.

[WoodMangler]

Unisaw A100 did say:

And tell him to read the FAQ before posting. Unless, of course, he's all-knowing. In which case he can start posting immediately.

[bridger]

Andy-

not all car waxes have silicone. I think the trend in automotive products is away from silicone. one advantage of automotive paste waxes is that they seem (to me) to be formulated a bit harder than furniture waxes.

[Andy Dingley]

I knew commenting to a tablesaw wax thread was a bad idea...

I _know_ they don't all contain it. What I don't know is how to _prove_ they don't contain it. I don't even let silicone grease into the wood workshop - it's just far too much trouble when silicones show up where they shouldn't.

[bridger]

; ^ )

read the label.

absolutely.

but the fact that it's sold for automotive use is no indicator that it contains silicone. also,don't assume that products sold for non-automotive purposes _don't_ contain silicone. I've seen it in the damnedest of places- spray cans of it for lubricating electrical equipment, for instance...

[Bill]

[Maxprop]

An old-timer once told me that he used talc on his cast iron saw table, so I tried some pool cue talc. And with good results. Talc repels moisture, but without the potential residue of oil. I've used it on all my cast iron saw tables and on my drill press table for years. It helps materials to slide on the table, it allows my cutoff sled to slide more easily in the groove of my table saw, and it has prevented corrosion. I replenish about every two months or so. I haven't tried it on the ways of the lathe, mostly because the headstock, tailstock, and banjo all slide on them. For those I use medium machine oil with good success, aside from the oil/wood dust residue that builds up. FWIW.

Max

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Mg3Si4O10(OH)2, Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide

I wonder if it would be too abrasive for that application anyway? I know talc is one of the softest mineral, but over time . . . . . .

[Michael Daly]

Now is "it" the car wax or the talc?

Mike

[AAvK]

There, now from your actual experience I am learning something. Thank you! What kind* and brand* and model* of lathe is it?

Alex

[Unisaw A100]

Now let's also consider he knew what was in the FAQ before it was ever posted.

How do he keep it all straight?

UA100

[Andy Dingley]

I managed to ruin a few batches of home-brewed oil finish until I spotted the problem.

I was using an ex- chemistry lab stirrer hotplate for heating my oil. At some past time, this must have been filled with a silicone oil, as a bain marie around the flask being heated. The remaining traces in the bowl were enough to "creep" into the inner flask I was using and wind up in my oil finish.

[Larry Jaques]

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 01:14:54 +0100, Andy Dingley calmly ranted:

I fear that Mr. Barss may be putting lots of that crap into poor, unsuspecting students' minds on a daily basis, to their detriment. I have at least 4 of his emails in my killfile and just added another one this week, when he came back with a new one. His info seems as valid as that of BAD and Joe Woody Woodpecker's.

More info here:

all now know that inhaling organic substances into our lungs is muy peligroso, but the USGS points out that inhaling large quantities of asbestos fibers is even more dangerous to smokers. (People who are already killing themselves. Doh!)

Another dire hazard in working with plants is the exposure to another deadly chemical: Dihydrogen Monoxide. Scary stuff, and it's more deadly than asbestos. More here:

MOST installed asbestos is not the deadly type, nor is it in everyday contact with anyone's lungs, but the guys testing for and removing it are making MILLIONS. What a scam!

Other famous and current scams in the USA: WMDs, Santa, Tooth Fairy, Sandman, Easter Bunny, Welfare, Social Security, Homeland Security, Shrub leadership, Global Warming, Gun laws, War Against Drugs, It's For The Children, Fair & Balanced Media.

Can -you- add some to this list?

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[Fred the Red Shirt]

Talc is primarily magnesium tetrasilicate and provides electrowhateveritscalled protection for iron. AFAIK, 'moisture intrusion' is not an issue.

The iron pillar at Qutab Minar, India has been preserved for about 1700 years by traces of magnesium compounds on it's surface and in the soil.

[Fred the Red Shirt]

Has asbestos ever been a legitimate health concern other than though exposure by inhalation?

If your kid inhales a crayon, asbestosis would seem to be the least of his worries.

[Swingman]

It ain't the first time.

[Jim Polaski]

That's why I use Bowling Ally Wax or "Butcher's Wax" that is in a can at nearly every hardware store. I have a 50's era Craftsman TS which I bought used and waxed the table regularly. No build-up to speak of with this wax, which I also use on instruments. For reasons too long to mention , I haven't used the shop for several years and when I stopped I waxed the saw and today there is nary a spec of rust or anything. And our basement isn't AC, so in the summer when it's hot/humid, the floor sweats from being 4 feet below grade and the saw is fine.

[Jim Polaski]

Talc is hazardous because if you get a quantity of it in the air, mixed with oxygen, it can be an explosive mixture! Just like a grain elevator. You may remember your chem. teacher putting lycopodium powder in a container and lighting it...well, talc can do that too! I'd also suppose that talc in the air in large quantities, should you drop a can of it, byt the fan in the shop for example, could affect breathing if you had no mask on, supposing the mask would stop particles that small.

That's why it's hazardous.