It seems to me that my mill table and lathe ways are always grungy gray compared to the almost silvery shiny surfaces I see on forum photos.

Scrubbing with a kerosene soaked rag is all I have ever done to clean these surfaces, it helps a bit but its not great.

Today I used some 1200 grit emery paper backed by a file, with some kerosene - that made a huge difference on an obscure part of the mill table that is almost never used. Compare the top two "beams" of metal in attached photos, in the improved photo they reflect far more light compared to the lower beams.

I don't think I will damage the mill table if I do the whole lot with 1200 paper but happy to be told off if that's a silly idea. Mill is 30+ years old and has had previous owners.

Am aware that some people rub their cast iron surfaces with fine stone.

What do you do to clean and maintain mill table and lathe ways ?

Bill
Attached Images




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