This goes back a few years but some of the guy's in the group got a very
nice sampling of Slipit products to try. The then sales manager was a real
hoot and hung out here giving some advice along with a helluva sense of
humor. Long story short - I did a test using an old 4" planer bed divided
up into 3 sections and two sections had a rust inhibitor applied - Johnson's
wax and Slipit After about 3 months, rust begin to appear on the Slipit
section while none appeared on the wax treated surface. After about 5 months
the Slipit section was totally wasted and the waxed section was starting to
show a very noticeable film of rust. I didn't have any Topcote at the time
or I would have tried it.

Slipit was not advertised as a rust inhibitor at the time and probably still
isn't since it's waxed base and will absorb moisture over time as does paste
wax. Slipit does go on nicely and I used it until I ran out. Probably would
have purchased more had it been available locally but not seeing any real
big advantage to it other than a slightly easier application than paste wax,
I went back to using the wax.

When Woodworkers Warehouse were still in business, I would pick up a can of
Topcote or the other well known spray (that I can't remember the name of..)
and while a bit on the pricey side, they do work well from my experience.
On a hot humid day, if drops of sweat hits the tablesaw and it's only been
waxed - rust will start showing in about 30 min. If I used the high-priced
spread stuff - no rust.

With any of these products, including wax, proper application is key and two
coats is the minimum to get good protection. How long it lasts depends on
how much you use the tool but I'd say a monthly application for a hobbyist
user should do it.

As I recall, Tom Watson was going to do a test that involved coating his
cast iron with several coats of shellac but I never did read the results.
There are other products out there that are better than wax but again if
applied properly, it will provide temporary protection. You may have to
renew it weekly but it's not expensive to do so and only takes a few
moments.

Bob S.


"RonB" wrote in message
news:ATzHe.109818$oK.99210@okepread02...
I use the finer scotch-brite pads or 0000 steel wool depending on the
amount of rust. On very rare occasion a little naval get for spot cleanups
(you have to get all of it off).

For protection I have been using Slipit, available from Grizzly. In
comes in aerosol, gel or a spray-on liquid form. A Grizzly salesman
recommended the gel and it works fine. Depending on tool use I apply it
4-5 times a year. At that rate of use the 1 quart can will probably
outlast me.

RonB