Lathe Maintenance

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texasfootball21

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Messages
274
Location
San Antonio, TX, USA
My lathe (Jet Midi) has accumulated a thin layer of rust on the bed as well as in many other parts of the lathe. The head and tailstock tapers (that's what I call them) have rust on the inside.

If you crank out the tailstock there is rust around the my live center as well as all along the shaft of the tail stock.

How do I get my lathe back in shape? I haven't been turning much lately and it has really been neglected.

Thanks.
 
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I dont know about the rest of the lathe but about once a week I clean the bed with wd40 and papertowels followed by some steel wool.
 
Yep, WD40 every time you have rain. Be sure to do your table saw and drill press as well.

A decent dehumidifier might ought to be in your budget IF your shop stays damp!
 
I use WD40 and 0000 steel wool every couple of weeks and I also cover the lathe and other machines with old bed sheets. Cold nights and condensation are not good for lathe ways.
regards, Bill
 
I typically use TopSaver (I think I got mine from Woodcraft), but I've used WD40 and it works fine. TopSaver is supposed to prevent rust also. Either way, I always follow it up with a coat or two of paste wax. Since I live in Houston, it's really humid, so I try to keep the wax on my tools as much as possible. Another benefit of the wax is that it will make the tailstock and banjo very easy to move.
 
Follow advice already given. But, for the bed, a coat of Johnson's Paste Wax is excellent. Many woodworkers/turners use it on all their cast iron surfaces for protection. A must for every shop that is not in a 0% humidity environment.
 
I wipe down the bed of the lathe, the underside of the banjo and my tool rest with Johnsons Paste Wax every time before I start working on the lathe.
 
For rust try Evap-o -rust. Amazing stuff. My brother who makes brass musical instruments told me about this stuff. He buys older machining tools and says this stuff is amazing for restoring real rusty tools and works really well on a little rust. You can use it with a brush. Read the website, there is a post by some guy who redid an undercarriage of his car and it looks like brand new metal.
It works by molecular changes so rust is remover deep down, not just surface. Then wax everything down and keep it up so no further rust occurs.
I do a thorough cleaning of all parts of my lathe every month and use a small piece of tarp to cover the bed when I am wet sanding to prevent rust from occurring.
 
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