Shopsmith Forums

Has anyone tried chroming the tubes or using another alloy that is more rust resistant? It seems like the one selected by SS is pretty poor in the rust resistance category.

Nothing at all?

I don't quite understand the rust issues unless people are parking their Shopsmith outside in the rain.
My 1983 model Shopsmith still has 100% rust free tubes. It has always been kept in my garage or a basement.

Well, I got a used one, so it came with a little character. My guess is it sat for a while before owner two purchased it. I cleaned it up and it works fine now, but...
I am quite sure if I leave it in my garage for a few months it will rust.
Since there are already some marks on it, I might consider replacing the tubes. I may also have to store it in the next month for an undetermined amount of time. Might save me some problems if I toss/sell the old tubes.

What part of the country are you in? People in AZ and Texas are always amazed that a firearms will rust under any circumstance and people in Florida always seem surprised there is a product that will protect a firearm for months at a time without being reapplied. In SW Ohio I end up in the middle. Woodworking tools use similar materials. Without some sort of finish I am quite sure cold roll steel will fingerprint shortly. I am not even sure what the tubes are at present. They may be a stainless alloy for all I know. Most of the rest of the machine is painted of greased.

The way tubes are pretty rust resistant. The bench tubes, not as much. You can see this on machines that have been left out in the weather for a while. The bench tubes will be much more rusted than the way tubes.

The bench tubes did take the brunt of it with some actual pitting. The way tubes really aren't all that bad. I am curious as to my options though.

Since nothing is designed to slide on Bench tubes, whatever your budget allows.
From least expensive Note:all of them require thorough cleaning)
clean as best you can and keep 'em waxed (Most common)
Rattle can Paint
Higher end paints
Powder coating
Plating

Clean them up and keep them waxed regularly and you shouldn't have a rust issue in the future. For me, I bought a set of four used tubes in rust-free condition on E-Bay for something like $50-$60 with shipping and replaced my rusted tubes...it was worth the $$ to me to save me the time and hassle of cleaning them to an acceptable state (mine were well rusted from several years on non-use and storage in a backyard shed). Lots of great advice on this site, however, on cleaning up the tubes you have, so take my route as the 'lazy' route and know that cleaning up the tubes you have is not an insurmountable challenge. Since I put on the 'new' tubes, I've waxed them every couple of months with MinWax and had zero issues with rust. Same for my main and extension table and other aluminum parts - I removed the oxidation and waxed them and they look much better and no further issues, as well as being much easier to slide wood on etc. I also cleaned up and waxed all table and SPT posts etc. and same result - much better looking and much smoother operation.

When you anticipate long term non-use, liberally wax the tubes and do not polish/buff. When time to use it, apply a fresh coat(it will dissolve the dried coating) and buff. Remember to coat 'under the headstock' as well.

My Goldie tubes are a half century old and endured almost a year in a temporary shed setting(think frame with plastic sheet covering). Only one leg got damaged(a leak kept it 'damp').


Three cheers for JPW!

For longer term storage, Penetrol.