Cast Iron Scratches

[mikesandy]

I noticed that many of the cast iron tabletop cleaners state that you should use an abrasive pad to clean off any rust from the top. I have also read several forum posts stating the same and to use a finish sander with an abrasive pad.

My question is doesn't this scratch the cast iron and if so could that cause any problems? I have cleaned my new 3650 table and I have several dark areas on the tabletop, but no matter what solutions I try I am not able to remove them with a rag.

[BadgerDave]

The "abrasive pad" of choice for me is one of those flat kitchen scouring pads that is made for use with teflon coated pans. The one I have is yellow in color. Using that type of pad in conjunction with a minimal amount of WD40 and my ROS makes quick work of removing rust from CI. I recently used this method to remove some rust spots from the base of my floor DP. The base didn't have any scratches on it when I was finished.

[imported_Bob D.]

Enco has scotch-Brite pads at pretty good prices, most are about $0.80 each for the 6x9 size.

Check out their current sale at:

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INLMPI?PMPANO=0323775&PMKBNO=1277&PMPAGE=62

or, if you buy them by the pkg (20 pads), they are even less:

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMKANO=56&PMPAGE=62&PARTPG=INLMPI

[gator]

I'm not really trying to flame, but, did you buy a saw (tool) or a display item for your den? A tool, especially a tablesaw, will get many scratches(and dings and discolorations, etc) when used. I look at every scratch or mark on my saw table (and bandsaw table and router table and planer and jointer) with fond memories of the things I have made over the years. In specific answer to your question, no the scratches will not affect the use of the tool. Use it and make sawdust, furniture, and scratches and most of all, enjoy the process.

gator

[K. L. McReynolds]

My TS 2424 is often a workbench/assembly table---paint/finish spills, glue, and a bit of rust now and then---unheated shop.

150 grit on the ROS and a coat of wax----good to go.

[Frank_ca]

hello,
i just saw the postings here. i understand that he wants his ts looks good. i know that the saw will have scratches and i guess that is not his point. u do not understand people they say you shoul have them on you saw, so you remeber work you did. that just shows that they are not taken care of there tools and i do not wnat to know how there work look like. sorry but thats how i see it. my saw does have scratches but only little once and i can not tell what kind of work i did.
you are right take care of your saw and tool and it is more fun to use them

[Gofor]

Might want to try auto polishing compound with a wool bonnet on a drill sanding pad to remove stains. For tougher stuff, try rubbing compond. Light stuff can be removed with soft scrub and a "dobie" pad (that nylon coated sponge sitting by the kitchen sink).
Remember to clean up all the residue and rewax 'cause it will take off any protectorant you have on it.

[WoodWorker]

Hi, I'm new to all this but I before I do something, purchase a power tool, up-keep of equipment, I do my homework. I have found that this site is great for doing just that. With the purchase of my first table saw, the TS 3650, about alittle less then a year ago I have purchase many books and subscribed to many woodworking magazines. As for caring for the top of your table saw or for that matter any power tool surface I use my ROS with 180 - 200 grit sandpaper. Then 00 steel wool over the entire surface followed by 0000 steel wool over the entire surface. Followed by 0000 steel wool with a good automotive paste wax to protect the surface. Let dry and buff with a clean soft towel. Not forgetting to do the miter slots or the front and back rails. After doing this a few times, not all at once though, you just about can make out your complection. It may sound like alot of work but look at what you paid for it and what in return you are getting out of it. I think the time spent on the up keep is well worth it.

Doug

[BadgerDave]

Most automotive paste waxes contain silicone which can adhere to wood and cause problems(fisheyes) when you apply the finish to your wood. If the wax you're using has silicone in it, you might want to change your choice of wax to something like Johnsons Paste Wax or Minwax Furniture Wax.

[WoodWorker]

Thanks for the tip BadgerDave, I'm looking into it right now and have sent an email to the manufacture. I will put a post here when I get a response.

Doug

[WoodWorker]

BadgerDave, FYI, Turtle Wax Platinum Series Ultra Gloss Paste Wax does contain silicone. I will have to change to something else like Johnsons Paste Wax or Minwax Furniture Wax. How about the DuPont Teflon spray?

Doug

[VASandy]

After reading all this and some other information in magazines, I decided that upkeep on tools is a good thing!! The tools represent a significant investment for me, and are as important to me as a working car. I think the tools deserve the same amount of time from me in maintenance as the car, and more so if I use them more.

I just finished the cleaning and polishing of all of my cast iron table tools. They look great, the little scrubber pads did great (I'm the woman of the house, so I had to chastise myself for taking the cleaning pads from the kitchen without replacing them!). Then I waxed them all with Johnson's paste wax. This really makes a great difference!! They look good, but the benefit is really that wood slides easier over the surface. I like having my tools in good operating shape.

Thanks for the tips on this procedure!!! :)

[Gofor]

Woodworker: Teflon is as bad as silicone as far as coatings. If it gets on your work, the finish will fisheye or won't stick.:(

[WoodWorker]

Thanks for the reply Gofor, thought I would ask the question just incase someone, not me, else might use it on their CI tops. I will be purchasing some Johnson's Paste Wax in the morning for my table saw top. Anyone have any ideas on removing wax, Turtle wax or other automotive wax, from the CI top before applying the Johnson's Paste Wax?

Thanks

[gator]

hello,
i just saw the postings here. i understand that he wants his ts looks good. i know that the saw will have scratches and i guess that is not his point. u do not understand people they say you shoul have them on you saw, so you remeber work you did. that just shows that they are not taken care of there tools and i do not wnat to know how there work look like. sorry but thats how i see it. my saw does have scratches but only little once and i can not tell what kind of work i did.
you are right take care of your saw and tool and it is more fun to use them

I don't think I said, nor was I implying, that you should not take care of your tools. I perform monthly maintenance on all my big equipment, including waxing the table tops and lubing the moving parts. But, that said, I have seen too many comments over the years on the forums I visit by people who 'obsess' over the tools. Paint scratches, that screw tip that jussssst peeped through and put a scratch on a table top, that time when I wasn't thinking and drilled through the workpiece and put a dimple in the top of my 2½" thick hard maple bench top (every piece cut and laminated by yours truly), the hunmdreds of feet of material fed through the router table causing minute scratches on the phenolic plate, the stain spills, and etc etc etc. There is no need to obsess over little shhhhtuff. Keep the equipment in good operating order and use it.

gator

[ryan.s]

hello,
i just saw the postings here. i understand that he wants his ts looks good. i know that the saw will have scratches and i guess that is not his point. u do not understand people they say you shoul have them on you saw, so you remeber work you did. that just shows that they are not taken care of there tools and i do not wnat to know how there work look like. sorry but thats how i see it. my saw does have scratches but only little once and i can not tell what kind of work i did.
you are right take care of your saw and tool and it is more fun to use them

I agree, the better you take care of your equipment the longer it will last. The fine scratches may not effect how the equipment works but over time as those scratches get deeper and deeper it will definitely effect how the saw operates.

[JimDon]

Hey Woodworker,
Good question on how to get the old wax off. Couple of options -- mineral spirits works well. Paint thinner on a rag also works well (DOn't let these get on plastic surfaces however, just on metal surfaces. They may harm some plastics. Even 409 cleaner will take off a light coat of wax. If you've got some light rust you want to get off quickly, try some Barkeepers Friend. It is a very fine powdered abrasive that bartenders use to clean off their bar tops. Is available in most grocery stores and the like that have a good selection of cleaners and abrasives. It also works well on countertops at home. Test in inconspicuous area first. Hope that helps. Jim D.

[JimDon]

Woodworker,
Almost forgot. NEVER EVER EVER use gasoline as a cleaner or solvent, or wax cutter. Fumes filter down quickly and even if you're using in an attached garage, fumes can filter down to basement level where there may be standing pilot lights. Remember gasoline fumes are the big hazard, not the liquid gasoline itself.
Jim

[Gofor]

Have been monitoring this thread for a couple of days and finally had the time to do some "tests" on a couple of spots on my 3650 table/wings. Two of the spots were small and fairly dark stain. One was a light surface discoloration. I did not use an abrasive mat or sandpaper because of stated concerns about scratching. I did try some steel wool as the steel in the wool is softer than the cast iron.

1. Despite a recommendation I made a month ago, I found that auto rubbing compound has little affect on the stains. My bad!:o

2. 0000 steel wool and WD40 will clean up light surface rust

3. Bar Keepers Friend cleanser applied with a damp rag cleaned up the light stains immediately, and even cleaned up one of the darker ones with just a rag and elbow grease . Using it with steel wool speeded up cleanup on the darker stains and left no marring on the surface (my saw still has the factory machined finish,. I have not polished it out as some have). I did not have to remove the wax I had on the saw as the cleanser took it right off. It helps to let it set a few seconds (5 - 15) to let the oxalic acid in it to start working before agitating it with the rag or wool. A note of caution, tho. The first place I cleaned, I wiped all the residue off with a damp rag. Everything was fine until the dampness dried, leaving a light cost of flash rust. After seeing that, I immediately applied wax while the surface as still damp from the final wipe. No problems using that method. (After I was done I rewaxed the whole surface and could not see any comparative difference in the areas I had cleaned).:)

Please note that The Bar Keepers Friend is designed as a metal cleaner (pumice cleanser with oxalic acid used in many metal polishes as opposed to pumice with bleach like Comet).

Summary: The Bar Keepers Friend worked best but leaves the surface vulnerable to flash rust as the rinse water dries. Applying a sealer coat of wax before the surface dries, or immediately fully drying with a dry rag will prevent the flash rust. As most metal polishes use oxalic acid, and most are just buffed off after they dry, rinsing probably is not necessary, but I don't like leaving an acid residue on a metal surface unless I'm going to paint it (a slightly acid surface helps adhesion for most coatings).

Hope this helps.:)

[ron burton]

Dont want those dings to scratch the wood as it runs across the table is a good readon to get them out.. recently had to knock an edge off where the Miter slot runs as it was leaving a scratch on the Cherry I was cutting.

[Mountaineer]

After putting my new TS3650 together this week, I was ready to wax it, I had it covered with a tarp in my building, I thought I had left enought grease on it to hold off the rust, but after uncovering it, there was 3 nice hand prints in light rust, I read over the forum and I went out for supplys. I opted for : 3M™ Scuff Pads, WD40, and Bar Keepers Friend. Along with my ROS, I followed what was the norm for removing rust. BKF + wetted with WD40 + the ROS = A nice finish w/o rust. :-)
Finished with Johnsons Paste Wax.

Thanks!

[bigangelman]

An old timer that taught me a lot always used a piece of grizzle. So you have a nice big steak, cut off the fat and save it for the table saw. After using the saw just give is a quick wipe with the fatty edge of the grizzle. It doesn't interfear with any finishing later on and does a good job of keeping rust off. He kept chunks there for months never a problem until he got a new dog, this one would jump up on the bench and find it. Then he had a reason to have another steak!.

Tom

[Bert648]

Ok, so i will chime in now with a method I use. I live in a very humid area. Wax alone will not stop the rust in my area. I use the same cleaning method as many others. Scotchbrite pads (equal to 00 steel wool) with WD40. Works great. I then apply a coat of Penatrol. You can get it at most any hardware or paint store. It is a penatrating oil and sealer used in the Marine Industry and by many metal Industries to protect aginst rust. Also can be used on wood for outdoor use. Actually it has a lot of uses. One quart will last a lifetime. It takes 24 hours to set. If you have a little build up. You can go back over it with that same Scotchbrite pad that still has a little WD40 in it and smoth it out. Then put a wax coat on it. This stuff protects my CI for a long time. BTW, you can get a fish eye remover additive for mineral spirts if you have that problem. Do a google search on Penatrol. You will be amased at the uses for this product.