Shopsmith Forums

is also the Barkeeper's Best Friend. Maybe it is the other way around.

After reading someone else's comments here on the forum, I decided to check it out on my Bench Tubes. They have not weathered the years near as well as have the Way Tubes. With a wet sponge and some Barkeeper's Friend I set out to clean and wax the Bench Tubes.

I was flabbergasted at how different they look. Anyone who has Bench Tubes that look old I suggest you try this.

There shall be a can of Barkeeper's Friend in "My Help Kit" from now on.
My photographic skills do not do justice to these pictures. Believe me! Give it a try.

HINT: Use less water than I did. A damp sponge is all that is required.

I have not yet waxed the tubes that I cleaned.

Are these before pictures or after? Or is it half and half?

algale wrote:Are these before pictures or after? Or is it half and half?

The short answer is "yes".

In the first picture, the near Bench Tube is done. In the second picture, the near Bench Tube is done (no wax) and the far tube is partially cleaned.

In the last image, the far tube is done and the near tube is finished on the right end only. The left end near the headstock is untouched.

In the other pictures, the tubes are partially cleaned. Since you had to ask I must conclude that the change is not as significant as I had hoped.

I did notice in the pictures that there are more dents and nicks than I had realized. But, these machines have been ridden hard over the years and I think still look pretty darn good.

DB5 I think mentioned this when he asked if anyone had used oxalic acid on refinishing tubes in another thread last year.

I first heard of it in the context of bleaching wood years earlier.

Oxalic Acid is the key ingredient in Barkeepers Friend.

jeremysavoy was the first I recall who mentioned that it was the key ingredient in Barkeepers Friend in post https://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/view ... 22#p224722 though someone else may have also associated it in another thread.

I mention it as one of the techniques in the Got Rust.PDF I put together last year citing both DB5 and JeremySavoy.

The link above is to a thread titled "Re: rust on way tubes and other parts" which many of us weighed in on.

Everett