How do you keep the rust on your lathe to a minimum?

Domodude17 · Jan 12, 2018

I am rebuilding a SB 9A, which will eventually live in my brother's pole barn. It is fully enclosed and will soon have heat, but the heat won't be on unless someone is out there working. I know the obvious answer to this question is "keep everything oiled" (which I plan to try to do), but are there any other things people do as added protection? I was thinking about keeping it covered with canvas tarps or something. Thank you

Danny VanVoorn · Jan 12, 2018

Keep it oiled and throw an old bed sheet or something that can breathe over it to keep dust off of it. Covering it with something water proof is probably a bad idea unless there is a drip over head. I had an old mill in an unheated garage; for a few days one winter the temps rose into the 50's and water was beading up on the table. I thought that was a problem and found some rags and wiped all the water I could off of that table right down to the bare metal. A couple of days later I was out there and couldn't believe what I saw; the entire table top was coated with rust! Apparently I wiped all the oil off that the cast iron had soaked up over the years keeping it protected. I tried everything, wire brush, LPS, even rubbed motor oil on it with a rag but the table was still discolored from the the rust. I wound up using that mill like that without a problem but was always disappointed with what I started.
Dan

gadget73 · Jan 12, 2018

If you can keep the machine a little bit warm it will help. A sheet over it and a drop light (with a standard bulb) laying on the bench under the ways should do the job. The cover has to breathe but keeping dirt and air movement to a minimum will be a help.

If the place is insulated that also will help slow down temperature swings. My lathe is in an un-heated workshop off the front of my house. I get some heat leakage through the wall of the house, enough to usually keep it above freezing but thats it. Ceiling is all insulated with R19, walls are concrete block. The temperature swing is slow enough out there that nothing "sweats" even in the swampy NJ summer. I do keep the window and door closed to make the temperature changes as slow as possible though. If the window is open through the day everything gets wet.

crazycuda · Jan 12, 2018

I found on my old 570 broach if I place a piece of 3/8 plywood (not flake board) on the table where the wood sits there will be no rust. Around the edge of the wood well thats another story. I wound up cutting strips of ply wood to place over the ways and a bigger piece to lay over the table. They are now kinda oil soaked with way oil but so far after 3 years no rust has returned and the machine has gotten wet enough it look like it was washed.

Dobermann · Jan 12, 2018

The boating people use a device called a "Golden Rod" which is a warming device without the high temps possible with an incandescent light bulb in a drop light fixture. They come in various sizes but I would think it wouldn't take a lot of watts put under a canvas cover over the lathe to stave off the condensation problems. I have continuing problems with condensation on my lathe and mill during the winter due to the wild temperature changes. The best defense for me is to run a dehumidifier in the shop where the tools are located.

This past summer while we were not here I put pieces of printer paper over all the cast iron surfaces of lathe, table saw, mill drill press, band saw, etc and then soaked the paper with engine oil. The result was clean surfaces when I pulled the paper off when we got back in town. The oil-soaked paper makes a wonderful fire starter for the wood stove.

Technical Ted · Jan 12, 2018

One of the worst things is a sudden temperature change from cold/cool to hot/warm especially if there is much humidity! I have a 10' high basement ceiling and big double doors so I can drive in to work on my vehicles and I keep my tractor there in the winter for plowing snow. I had to put an overhead garage door inside and completely close off this section or when I opened the doors in the summer (especially when it was muggy out) my equipment would look like someone watered it down with a garden hose! It usually never gets above 60 degrees down there in the summer if I keep everything closed up. Think about a glass of cold/ice water sitting on your table when it's hot and muggy. Condensation runs right off the sides and that's exactly what was happening to my machines. Problem solved as long as I keep that inner overhead door closed and keep the temperature constant.

Ted

thomasutley · Jan 12, 2018

Woodworking distributors like Rockler sell tablesaw/shaper covers that emit a rust-inhibiting vapor underneath. They last five years or so and seem to work well. Same principle as the anti-corrosion paper high end tools are shipped in.

jonok · Jan 12, 2018

I find that my machine tools rust when I don't use them...

That being said, a magnetic heater stuck to the base will keep things warm enough to avoid condensation.

medsar · Jan 13, 2018

I live in an area with a ton of humidity. Keep it oiled with the proper oil (ways and such). For the other surfaces (like the mill table), use Starrett M1 oil. It does a very good job at displacing water and preventing rust.

Yan Wo · Jan 13, 2018

Move to Utah.

m-lud · Jan 13, 2018

I use a product called Fluid Film on my mill and drill press and will on my lathe. It can be purchased from oriley's. It comes in a spray can and has lanolin in it. That's an oil from sheeps wool. I spray a light coat and wipe it down with a rag. It is a good product. It is sold as a rust preventative for metal. It doesn't leave a sticky film or inter fear with oil being added for lubrication

John Strange · Jan 13, 2018

Short of sitting outside near the ocean, or in the line of fire under a leaky roof (or god forbid, in some kind of environment where steam is being generated!) I think the worst is like Technical Ted described above.

I wrestled something of this same type of condensation scenario nightmare while racing with the arrival of winter to dissemble and drag my machine down it into a dry, climate controlled basement.

Before I was able to move the final bed and underdrive motor casting components, they were forced to endure a cool and exceptionally rainy month in combination with hot cars being pulled into the small garage and parked overnight.

In my case this proved to be the perfect recipe for occasionally producing the kind of soul crushing rust summoning condensation that looks like a supernatural indoor rain phenomenon has occurred.

I fully accept the possibly neurotic overkill of slathering copious amounts of oil on every square inch of machine once, or sometimes even twice a day, but in hindsight I’m glad I did, because not only did the oil prove to be a fairly inexpensive and readily available form of effective protection, but it was also like peace of mind in a bottle.

jim rozen · Jan 13, 2018

1) canvas tarp to cover the machine.

2) 100 watt trouble light tucked under the bed.

3) keep the machine lubed normally, maybe a bit extra way oil.

check the 100 watt lamp periodically to be sure it's running.

gtr1999 · Jan 13, 2018

mllud22 said:
I use a product called Fluid Film on my mill and drill press and will on my lathe. It can be purchased from oriley's. It comes in a spray can and has lanolin in it. That's an oil from sheeps wool. I spray a light coat and wipe it down with a rag. It is a good product. It is sold as a rust preventative for metal. It doesn't leave a sticky film or inter fear with oil being added for lubrication

I use FF as well and it seems to work well. I spray all bare metal parts and either leave it wet or just wipe it down after 30 minutes.

texasgeartrain · Jan 13, 2018

I like to get the inside of my shop dry, instead of dank and damp. Living in the Houston area we are warm to hot most of the year. I run the a/c when I'm working regular in there, when I'm not, I only need to run it a few hours every few days to keep humidity down. Up north, You'd probably have to run a heater and a/c more regular. Unless maybe a dehumidifier, with drain hose outside.

If your machine or parts may sit weeks or months, then I'd put a thin film of grease on exposed metal. Won't run off like oils, won't run up the electric like other options.

Monarchist · Jan 14, 2018

jim rozen said:
1) canvas tarp to cover the machine.

2) 100 watt trouble light tucked under the bed.

3) keep the machine lubed normally, maybe a bit extra way oil.

check the 100 watt lamp periodically to be sure it's running.

Two lower-wattage incandescent sockets wired in series, eg: run at ~ 60 volts each, and you get less light, higher "percentage" of heat, far longer service life, and lower risk of overheat.

Oh..

4) Store the rust in a separate container. Apply only as needed.

Prevent "condensing" humidity, there may actually be a shortage of it.

iwananew10K · Jan 14, 2018

Don't forget the rodents...and I mean the 4 legged ones.

little vermin will eat all your wiring and then recycle it in a pool of piss on your bed ways...and that €€£% is CORROSIVE.

jim rozen · Jan 14, 2018

"Two lower-wattage incandescent sockets wired in series, eg: run at ~ 60 volts each, and you get less light, higher "percentage" of heat, far longer service life, and lower risk of overheat."

Exactly 100 percent of all electrical power put into any incandescent lamp, or combination of lamps wire in series, parallel, or
series-parallel, is converted to heat. So the idea you would get more heat and less light with two in series, simply wrong. The
only possible reason to do this is that lamps run on less voltage have a longer run life. Of course, now you have two in series,
and if one goes out, then they both go out. So possibly *less* reliable.

If you want less heat, put a 60 in there. But check it once a month to be sure it's still lit.

Conrad Hoffman · Jan 14, 2018

My Logan lives in my unheated garage. I just keep it rubbed down with way oil and have little trouble. One thing though- if the garage is cold and it warms up outside, NEVER open the garage door. Water will just run off the machines for hours. Then you're committed to staying out there for however long, with towels and oil, to prevent the inevitable rust.

m-lud · Jan 14, 2018

[video]http://download854.mediafire.com/q5t43ac3mtug/87hp9szolxajf0l/CE3458+Parts+Manual.pdf[/video]

This is a link from http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/16-barn-sbl-restoration-begins-242994/ The link is right at the start of the thread. Second post by Old Machinest.

This link is south bend printed material. The information is about the third or forth page.
It says to oil it down and cover with a canvas tarp. I also like the light bulb idea also. 60 watts should be plenty. I keep my welding rods dry with a 40 watt in an old metal locker. Humidity here in the Midwest is brutal.

How do you keep the rust on your lathe to a minimum?

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