Cast Iron Wax

[Snap Marc]

Always wondered what the best wax is for use on solid cast iron table tops. I have heard people mention Johnson's Paste Wax, but I can't find it anywhere. I just bought some Crystal Clear Bowling Alley wax from Woodcraft. It is 100% "exotic" carnuba with no silicone. The owner said it's great stuff. But is there something better?

I did use WD-40 to remove all of the cosmoline. It worked like a charm.

[Thom2]

Always wondered what the best wax is for use on solid cast iron table tops. I have heard people mention Johnson's Paste Wax, but I can't find it anywhere. I just bought some Crystal Clear Bowling Alley wax from Woodcraft. It is 100% "exotic" carnuba with no silicone. The owner said it's great stuff. But is there something better?

I did use WD-40 to remove all of the cosmoline. It worked like a charm.

Johnson's Paste Wax is the 'standard' ... I personally use Butcher's Paste Wax as does the wife at her place of employment (she works for a major door/face frame manufacturer)

[LCHIEN]

johnson's paste wax is commonly found in the floor care products section at supermarkets, and hardware stores. Anything that's pure wax with no other additives is good, JPW is well known to be pure wax.

[goslin23]

I found some at HD. If I'm remembering correctly, it's in the section with the cleaning products.

[THyman]

I found some at HD. If I'm remembering correctly, it's in the section with the cleaning products.

They also sell it at Lowes with the cleaning supplies.

[SARGE..g-47]

Johnsons.. Butcher's Bowling Alley.. Boeshield T-9 which is basically paraffin (candle wax) with propellent.. Renaissance wax from Highland WW!

Note.. the Renaissance is expensive and comes in small quantity can. But a very little goes a very long way. You wipe it on and don't waste time wiping it off as it will harden quickly. Very quickly.. and once hard it's the hardest coating wax I have seen on the market.

[bthere]

Minwax is available at HD and Lowe's if you can't find Johnson's. A little bit more expensive, but sometimes it can be hard to find Johnson's. I do know that Highland Hardware always has it on the shelf.

[GaryA]

so, I need to do some major fall maintenance on my cast iron, and I'm ready to buy some product. I bought the Topsaver sample kit (which had a tiny 1.5oz bottle of the actual Topsaver in it) - it worked incredibly! I was thinking about getting a bigger bottle (about $18 for a 14oz bottle on Amazon). But, many of you also talk about Boeshield T9. And I've heard great things about Rennaisance wax. Wondering if the Topsaver would be enough, or if I should get the Boeshield or Rennaissance, and apply it after the Topsaver or rotate between them (or not at all?). The Topsaver claims to do it all, whereas the Boeshield & Rennaissance wax are just for waxing, not cleaning, correct? I do have some rust staining that I want to get out of my TS top.

Important note: I live in very humid Florida, and the shop (today) is not climate controlled

[schloff]

Has anyone cold blued their iron? As in gun blue. I heard about doing that a couple of years ago, and it made perfect sense. It's more permanent than wax, and would probably look really cool against the Powermatic yellow.

I know it won't change anything about the top except the weatherability of the metal, and the color. But for some reason, I'm still hesitant to do it. Maybe because it's permanent???

Any comments?

[cabinetman]

Note.. the Renaissance is expensive and comes in small quantity can. But a very little goes a very long way. You wipe it on and don't waste time wiping it off as it will harden quickly. Very quickly.. and once hard it's the hardest coating wax I have seen on the market.

Johnson's Paste Wax is the same way. I put it on and wipe it off. Don't let it dry.

[cgallery]

Has anyone cold blued their iron? As in gun blue. I heard about doing that a couple of years ago, and it made perfect sense. It's more permanent than wax, and would probably look really cool against the Powermatic yellow.

I know it won't change anything about the top except the weatherability of the metal, and the color. But for some reason, I'm still hesitant to do it. Maybe because it's permanent???

Any comments?

I've been told there isn't that much rust protection in hot bluing, and even less in cold bluing.

[John Hunter]

I use Johnsons and Boeshield T-9. I get the Johnsons at Lowes and the T-9 at Woodcrafters.

[GaryA]

so, I need to do some major fall maintenance on my cast iron, and I'm ready to buy some product. I bought the Topsaver sample kit (which had a tiny 1.5oz bottle of the actual Topsaver in it) - it worked incredibly! I was thinking about getting a bigger bottle (about $18 for a 14oz bottle on Amazon). But, many of you also talk about Boeshield T9. And I've heard great things about Rennaisance wax. Wondering if the Topsaver would be enough, or if I should get the Boeshield or Rennaissance, and apply it after the Topsaver or rotate between them (or not at all?). The Topsaver claims to do it all, whereas the Boeshield & Rennaissance wax are just for waxing, not cleaning, correct? I do have some rust staining that I want to get out of my TS top.

Important note: I live in very humid Florida, and the shop (today) is not climate controlled

Anybody on best way to get the rust stains off?

[ssmith1627]

My shop isn't climate controlled either to keep the humidity down -- and it's bad here in Tennessee. It's a daily frustration because I can SWEAT with the best of em. I can hardly make a cut on the saw without dripping on the top or on the tube that the fence locks to. If I don't notice it and wipe it up right away, it's a new rust spot. I even tried wearing a headband one day to stop the dripping but got quite a few laughs from my wife.

Steve

[Black wallnut]

Has anyone cold blued their iron? As in gun blue. I heard about doing that a couple of years ago, and it made perfect sense. It's more permanent than wax, and would probably look really cool against the Powermatic yellow.

I know it won't change anything about the top except the weatherability of the metal, and the color. But for some reason, I'm still hesitant to do it. Maybe because it's permanent???

Any comments?

As already mentioned there is zero rust prevention with blueing, and actually blueing is a type of rust. The bluing it is purely a surface treatment and would be prone to rapid wearing. A good coat of wax will prolong and may prevent any wear but it will not take very long to wear once you wear the wax off. This might be a good way to have a tell tale sign of when to rewax.