"Phil Anderson" wrote in message
...
That's my best guess also, Leon. Up here in the Pacific Northwest (Bonney
Lake, WA) we just had a ton of rain. Then, it warmed up to an
unseasonably 55-60 degrees. I hadn't been out in the shop for about two
weeks. When I went out and uncovered my tools (unheated, un-insulated
shop) everything looked good but the bandsaw. I always cover all my tools
with a cotton painters tarp. I neglected to cover the bandsaw, which,
coincidentally, was closest to the large shop doors. Although coated with
Topcoat, it had rust totally covering the table. I think all the rain and
then the warm temperatures caused steam to form in the shop, probably
more-so closer to the larger doors. The rust comes off really easily with
a razor blade, so no harm done, but it was a sobering sight.

I find that my sweat or a drop of water will cause rust on my TopCote
covered TS top if I neglect to wipe it off before it dries. IIRC TopCote
which was originally developed by the guys now making and marketing Empire
products. Again IIRC when I first started buying TopCote, 1989, it was
marketed as a product that made the TS top more slippery and made no mention
of preventing rust. I discovered that after using the product that I was no
longer having rust problems after 5 years of fighting rust. I think that
nothing will permanently stop condensation from forming rust but IMHO
TopCote requires the least amount of effort for the most amount of
protection.