Rust Prevention on Cast Iron

[printcom]

I have got a few bits of machinery with cast iron tables which suffer with surface rust at this time of year, I have tried to keep them clean and coated with lubricating wax but it doesn't seem to last more than a few weeks then the rust comes back. Has any one got any suggestions on how to protect these surfaces.

 

[awemawson]

Shell Ensis preservative oil

http://southernlubricants.co.uk/aqadmin/media/uploads/50ed9efbb92af/Ensis Fluid SX.pdf

 

[dan.taylor.1]

Might also be worth doing it in a warm environment and using a propane torch to warm the ways before oiling to drive any water off before trapping it in with the oil.

Dan

 

[MattF]

Try a hard wax. Something like a vehicle wax.

 

[voipio]

The only real way to stop rust is to stop water condensation in the first place. Keeping your hardware above the dewpoint is the key. Dry heat and/or dehumidification (one or the other, or occasionally both) plus stopping humidity getting there in the first place are the ways to do it. It's definitely worth the effort.

There was a thread here recently about using dehumidifiers and the like.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=44095

 

[printcom]

Thanks for the info chaps.
I am afraid de-humidification in my unheated barn is not a viable option.
I am mainly interested in what coatings are available to protect the surface.
At the moment I am cleaning with a bit of WD40 and a scotch pad or wire wool and then coating with Liberion lubricating wax. While this allows me to use the woodworking equipment without staining the wood it doesn't last long and I have to remember to redo it regularly. A bit of grease on the metal working machinery is not a problem.