Thread: Prepping cast iron sawbench for waxing

When I was an apprentice I cleaned the adhesive off the disc with turps which still left a greasy feel so metho was then used to remove this as I guess it evaporates completely? I however have commonly used petrol for cleaning oily car parts.
Other nasty stuff that would work in order of toxicity are prepsol (doesn't remove paint) thinners which does and acetone which removes paint and melts plastic.
Rubber gloves and good ventilation recommended.
H.

Thanks c.o, I will the metho a go. Petrol?? No thanks, although I used to do the same as you and clean greasy car parts with it

Metho from the super market or hardware is not what it used to be I would go with acetone

Thanks China , I had forgotten it contains over 10% water, which is why Neil is so adamant that you don't use it with shellac flakes, but rather use Industrial Methylated Spirits.

Originally Posted by Dengue

After I hit the surface rust on my tablesaw with WD40 and a 3M Scotchbrite scouring pad, what is the best liquid to totally remove all oily residue before applying wax ?

Turps, kero, metho or some other liquid?

I run the belt sander over the bench top, that removes any marks or deposits. Then rub Ubeaut Traditional wax into the top and buff, about every six months. I find wd40 and the like a waste of time.
Jim

Hi Jim, that is interesting! What grit do you use on the belt sander, and what do you use to clean the table after sanding but
before applying the wax?

Do you find the cast iron is wearing away with the sanding, or that the table is uneven?

Originally Posted by Dengue

Hi Jim, that is interesting! What grit do you use on the belt sander, and what do you use to clean the table after sanding but
before applying the wax?

Do you find the cast iron is wearing away with the sanding, or that the table is uneven?

Hi Dengue, I use an old 120# belt and there is no need to "clean" the surface before adding the wax. The table did have some variation in the surface when it was new. I judiciously sanded these out checking often with a straight edge often until it was pretty close to being flat. I wasn't to pedantic, I am working with wood after all.
Now, I run the sander quickly and lightly, diagonally and finally parallel with the saw blade, over the surface, usually only to remove bits of gunk from wood or glue spots and apply the wax. I think I will have to live to be 300 to see any noticeable wear in the surface. Again, I only use the weight of the sander to do the job lightly.
Jim

Originally Posted by Dengue

After I hit the surface rust on my tablesaw with WD40 and a 3M Scotchbrite scouring pad, what is the best liquid to totally remove all oily residue before applying wax ?

Turps, kero, metho or some other liquid?

If I do any heavy rust removing I clean up with acetone and clean white cloth, I repeat until no black/brown is picked up by the cloth, I then wax, if rust is only light I don't bother too much with the acetone, just wipe then wax.


Pete