Shopsmith Forums

I'm in Houston where there is much heat and humidity. I want to make sure my Shopsmith does not get rust on it. I now use Minwax paste wax but wonder if spray-on lubricants such as Bostik top cote would work better and protect hard to get to places on Shopsmith. I'd appreciate any advice on products to use.

Here is Florida we are faced with the same conditions and perhaps our humidity is a little worst.
I have found Johnson Paste Wax to give me the very best results. I have tried nearly everything on the market including the Top Cote and while they work and work well, I am more satisfied with the Johnson Paste Wax.

Understand this is very subjective I have no scientific data to prove or disprove any of this.

One thing I really like on non wear surfaces like the bench tubes is Flood Product Penetrol. It is a paint additive that when applied to metal dries to a very hard, very durable, very long lasting protection against rust. It is fairly inexpensive sold in the paint dept of the Big Box stores and I have painted hand tools with it that were exposed to 24/7 365 days of outside (read this as having been lost) and they show no sign of rust or discoloration.

I also have applied it to my jointer and cast iron band saw table and so far it has held up and seems to be working fine. I keep experimenting with it and seeing how it stands up. Only thing is testing takes so long since the Johnson Paste WAX lasts for years with slight touch up and buffing from time to time.

I'm in Houston as well and am liking JPW so far. For paint I am using POR-15, it is expensive in limited on color choices but things will never ever rust again. I am going to check out the penetrol though, i would like to find something that i can add to paints from HD that i have matched to the original SS colors that will make them more damage resistant.

apexsunguitars wrote:I'm in Houston as well and am liking JPW so far. For paint I am using POR-15, it is expensive in limited on color choices but things will never ever rust again. I am going to check out the penetrol though, i would like to find something that i can add to paints from HD that i have matched to the original SS colors that will make them more damage resistant.

I'm not sure Penetrol will accomplish that I think it's intent is to increase paint flow properties. But it also has the unique property of being a very rust resistant clear coat. An old timer that was in Home Depot one day told me about it. He painted it on his cast iron tablesaw tables to prevent rust. I haven't found a problem doing that but I haven't put it on anything high usage cast iron table surface yet to see how it wears.

I coated some steel parts with Penetrol and left them outside for a few months with no rust occurring a few years ago. I still have a problem with getting the surfaces to be non-sticky after using Penetrol. However I still use the Penetrol on steel parts that I want to keep from rusting. I keep wipping the parts over time until it appears the Penetrol does dry.

It is very good product to use when spray painting metal parts. It allows me to do several paint coats without sagging and getting fish eyes or bubbles in the paint. I need all the help I can find as I am a very poor painter.

billmayo wrote:I coated some steel parts with Penetrol and left them outside for a few months with no rust occurring a few years ago. I still have a problem with getting the surfaces to be non-sticky after using Penetrol. However I still use the Penetrol on steel parts that I want to keep from rusting. I keep wipping the parts over time until it appears the Penetrol does dry.

It is very good product to use when spray painting metal parts. It allows me to do several paint coats without sagging and getting fish eyes or bubbles in the paint. I need all the help I can find as I am a very poor painter.

I have never had the sticky problem. Mine has always dried smooth and slightly slippery. Yes Penetrol does have the tendency to make amateur painters look like they know what they are doing. But don't tell anyone