Maintenance time!

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Woodchipper

Woodchipper

Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
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Location
Cleveland, TN
Just finished drilling drilling four sets of synthetic (my catch-all term) for Slimline pens. I noticed a few spots where CA had dripped on the lathe bed; shame on me. So....I cleaned the bed with acetone. Next was 500 grit sandpaper and then 1000 grit (from Harbor Freight). Wiped the bed real good with a bit more acetone and then an application of Ballistol. This is a lubricant I got a few years ago. It is an oil in a spray bottle. Love it. Decided to do the banjo and the tailstock while I had everything at hand. Banjo and tailstock slide like a hockey puck on ice. Going to turn the pens later today.
FYI, I was in Michael's a while back. The wife stopped at an end cap that had some clearance items. Scored a few sheets of Craftsman sandpaper- 3000, 4000, 5000. Never seen sandpaper that fine.
Remember, one good turn deserves another.
 
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It takes a bunch to keep everything clean and shiny, but it is definitely worth it. I've switched heavily to wet sanding more than ever before and when I was at the Mid Atlantic Turners Expo in Manassas, VA this spring, I came upon a vendor selling waterproof bed lathe covers. They are pretty nice - have magnets in them to keep it in place and are easily cleaned in the wash. Has cut down my messes on the lathe beds significantly - Found here

Kevin
 
I have a dedicate towel for when I'm wet sanding. I just toss it over the lands so any drips fall on the towel (which has been folded several times). When I'm done I toss it back on the shop shelf and it air dries long before the next use.

Still probably about time for me to do a bit of maintenance on my lathe bed. A little sanding, a good clean, and some renaissance wax have always worked great for me.
 
I always find it gratifying to do maintenance like that on my shop equipment. (I am overdue for a general shop clean-up and maintenance session).

I have a scrap piece of hardboard I put down and then I top it with an old flour sack towel to catch any drips of finish and water. My favorite lathe bed cleaner is Eagle One Nevr-Dull, followed by a coat of Beaumont Products, Inc. Trewax Paste Wax. I get both products at our local Walmart. (I might have to get some of those magnetic vent covers like David Bondi (d_bondi) linked to though - it sounds like maybe a more elegant solution than I have. -- Our Menards store has them for about $7 for a three pack of 15" x 8" sheets)".

As for sandpaper, I have a compartment box with little strips of wet sandpaper (about 1" x 3") at 600, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 5000, and 7000 grits. I usually buy this 50 piece 9" x 11" sheet assortment from Red Label Abrasives and cut them down to my prefered size for lathe work. I really like Red Label Abrasives. They are also my go-to for sanding belts of all sizes, including 3/4" x 12" belts that fit on my Work Sharp Ken Onion knife sharpener.

Dave
 
egnald said:
-- Our Menards store has them for about $7 for a three pack of 15" x 8" sheets)".
Click to expand...

One of the things I miss about not being in the Midwest anymore is no Menards here out West!

The one thing I don't miss about the Midwest is the humidity. It is 18% Relative Humidity here in Salt Lake City today. I still do my machine maintenance, but with the humidity so low, I don't have near the issues with blink and it is rusting again.
 
d_bondi said:
One of the things I miss about not being in the Midwest anymore is no Menards here out West!

The one thing I don't miss about the Midwest is the humidity. It is 18% Relative Humidity here in Salt Lake City today. I still do my machine maintenance, but with the humidity so low, I don't have near the issues with blink and it is rusting again.
Click to expand...
Our humidity got all the way down to 60% today - for a little while anyway, but the average for today has been 78% with the peak just after noon at 91%. Water precipitates out on anything that is even remotely cool. It's a good thing my shop is in our climate controlled basement.
 
d_bondi said:
One of the things I miss about not being in the Midwest anymore is no Menards here out West!

The one thing I don't miss about the Midwest is the humidity. It is 18% Relative Humidity here in Salt Lake City today. I still do my machine maintenance, but with the humidity so low, I don't have near the issues with blink and it is rusting again.
Click to expand...
Good old Utah! I'm here in Utah too
 
egnald said:
Our humidity got all the way down to 60% today - for a little while anyway, but the average for today has been 78% with the peak just after noon at 91%. Water precipitates out on anything that is even remotely cool. It's a good thing my shop is in our climate controlled basement.
Click to expand...
Holy cow. 60 as a low for humidity is brutal
 
d_bondi said:
I use a magnetic vent cover.

They are $8.50 for a 2-pack at Home Depot. Just slap one on the ways. Sometimes I put a towel over that as well. Works great!
Click to expand...
David - I never saw those before - and can see why they work so nice. Look like the magnets that a lot of the 'stickers' that I get are made of. Going to pick up a pack.

My equipment is subject to both the crazy humidity of summers in southern NJ combined with the caustic nature of salt from the ocean, which is a few hundred yards from my shop. The movement of the tide plus natural wave motion combines with the wind to literally coat our house and windows with salt haze pretty much within hours of cleaning them some days, so the shop is also exposed (my garage). The salt destroys everything - eats anything aluminum amazingly fast, so I've become way more conscientious about corrosion prevention (iron and aluminum). Adding the water from the wet sanding just activates anything that made it into the shop on the wind, so keeping things covered is pretty much a must. Gonna try your suggestion.

Kevin
 
egnald said:
Our humidity got all the way down to 60% today - for a little while anyway, but the average for today has been 78% with the peak just after noon at 91%. Water precipitates out on anything that is even remotely cool. It's a good thing my shop is in our climate controlled basement.
Click to expand...

Ditto Dave, our humidity is matching yours only because this year has soybeans across the street & dehumidifier gets about 1 gallon per day in addition to what the AC takes out. In the corn years, we wake up to 100% & water runnig off the roof into the gutters. Corn sweats 3000 to 5000 gallons/day/acre. Dehumidifier removes 3 to 5 gallons per day to get it down to 60% in the house in corn years.
 
when wet sanding I cover the ways with puppy pads-https://www.walmart.com/ip/MLINS-Pet-Pee-Mat-Puppy-Training-Pads-Small-Mats-for-Urine-Diapers/16212353103?classType=REGULAR&from=/search Not my idea, saw it somewhere on line. Life time supply as they're reusable depending of course.
 
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