Shopsmith Forums

The "feet" of my Mark 510 have begun to rust. This rust then stains my shop's concrete floor.

I am looking for any suggestions on how to resolve this problem.

Thanks in advance

Hi;
If the rust is staining the floor that mean that the rust is getting wet from moisture coming up through the floor or from condensation. You can check for moisture coming through the floor by taping a one foot square of plastic sheet down to the floor on all 4 sides nice and tight. Wait for about 4 or 5 days and check under the plastic for moisture. If the underside is wet the moisture is coming from below. If it is dry then the moisture is probably airborn condensation.
Bill V

This is a subject I am very interested in. I heard of products that can be used to both seal & strengthen a concrete. Would it water proof it as well? I'm looking to do that. At the Home Depot last week, I saw epoxy garage floor epoxies that look to be good too. But I figured I'd ask you guys.

Backhertz;
I believe that the epoxy paint will help if the moisture is from below. However a word of caution. If the epoxy has a gloss finish the the anti skid grit material has to be put in. The combination of the gloss epoxy and sawdust can prove to be very slippery. The other side of the coin is that the finish does make clean up a lot easier
Bill V

i disagree with the above thoughts. if the moiture is coming from below the concrete there is no easy fix. the hydraulic effect will push any finish right off the concrete eventually. the epoxy would keep moisture from the concrete from above however. if you have ever had a wet basement you would know that it is impossible to keep moisture from coming in by coating the inside. water will push any coating you put on the inside off the wall eventually. coating the outside of the wall will prevent it however it is usually not practical to dig up the foundation. basement waterproofing systems that work have one thing in common and that is to let it leak and collect the water and funnel it to a sump and pump it out. they also use mildew proof materials on the walls. BTDT

Would it be possible to line the feet using pipe insulation?

BPR

Thanks for the variety of ideas. I will probably glue furniture grade felt pads on the feet.

Again, thanks!

Have you tried just placing a piece of lumber under the feet? At least the rust won't get on the floor and the feet would be insulated from the floor.

If the Shopsmith has casters, simply keep the machine up on the casters while not in use and only lower it onto the floor when you are operating it. Of course this does nothing to solve the basic moisture problem.