Rail and Wheel Maintenance

[bakerkr]

I'm trying to figure out a way to keep my rails and wheels clean. Anyone have any ideals?

Thanks,
Kevin

[Gary Campbell]

Kevin..
Due to the salt in the air here my rails were rusting terribly. I used a hard wicking felt angle cut with a V-groove in the bottom to rub on the rails. I keep them saturated with RD-90 and every now and then give them a shot of White lithium grease, which coats the rails. The block is wedged in and rubs on the wheels to keep them clean too. I used 4.
Gary

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[Gary Campbell]

Kevin..
I found a picture of the back side.
Gary

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[bakerkr]

Gary -

As usual you are always one step ahead. Couple of questions, where do you get RD-90? I found the grease at McMaster-Carr, but no results for RD-90. I also found the wick there as well, I'm guess I can just fold or roll the wick to get it wedged in, mark for the V cut and I'm good. I have the PRTAlpha, so I have a different setup, but I'll take your ideal and run with it.

Thanks for the help.
Kevin

[Gary Campbell]

Kevin..
Its made by Sprayway. Just a WD40 upgrade. I get it at sparkleauto.com. You shouldnt have to fold the felt... I ordered a block that was 3/4" X 2" X 30" and did the cutting on my bandsaw. Good luck.
Gary

[Gary Campbell]

Kevin..
Its made by Sprayway. Just a WD40 upgrade. I get it at sparkleauto.com. You shouldnt have to fold the felt... I ordered a block that was 3/4" X 2" X 30" and did the cutting on my bandsaw. As far as being ahead... I read posts on this forum all the time and realize how far BEHIND I am. Good luck.
Gary

[dray]

Heya guys..

I thought WD 40 promotes rust?
I was always told to never use it on any of my guns or reels because it dilutes grease and will promote rust. People use it as a lubricant but I dont, I normally use it as a solvent or to clean rusty surfaces not to keep it from rusting.



http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070812190359AAM7ScD


Anyways..
Im in Costa Mesa Ca, a couple miles from the beach, not real salty here but I use silicone spray its dry to the touch, lubricates and doesnt collect debris.

[bakerkr]

Gary -
Thanks for the info, I ordered a 1" x 1" x 30" block from McMaster-Carr. The way you have setup your bot is far ahead of at least me.

Danny - Would the silicone spray work with using it on a wick?

Kevin

[Gary Campbell]

Danny...
I dont recommend WD 40 for this use. Most of these products are just mineral spirits and a parifin like compound. Even tho WD will offer some protection, left untouched it will evaporate in a short time. We use it on all our guns and reels as a water displacement, cleaner and lubricant in between daily use, but never for any longer term storage protection. We even keep a gallon to imerse any saltwater dunked reels into before disassembly. I do use WD with a surface conditioning disc to derust the cast iron tops on table saw, shapers etc then we coat with mold wax, but it barely lasts a week before the orange fuzz comes back.
Kevin...
RD-90 seems to have a higher oil content and I use it to saturate the wick and that helps keep the grease soft and coating the rails. Since it is applied fairly often to the point of saturation...it seems to work. It is very salty here...we are about 150 ft from the water and always have a breeze. If you look in the 1st picture you can see rust on the top of the bolt. That picture is less than 30 days after assembly of the Bot... most are rusted more now.
Gary

[bill.young]

I've added this info to the wiki in the "ShopBot and Accessories" Maintenance section...

http://shopbotwiki.com/index.php?title=MaintenanceMain

Bill

[harryball]

You guys might want to check out a product called Fluid Film. It works well as a treat and leave on for corrosion protection. It is a little messy looking but holds up well preventing corrosion. I've used it on everything from boats to farm equipment. If you apply a little to those rusted bolts and other non-working but rustable surfaces and let it dry it'll stop the progress.

[bleeth]

The best silicone based product I have found is Boeshield. It was developed for Boeing and works great. I use it on hinges, in locks, and to protect surfaces that will not come into contact with material I plan on finishing. There is another product that is industry specific for woodworking called top-cote from Bostik. It is also excellent and keeps saw table tops free of rust as well without transferring anything to the product that makes finishing a chore. WD-40 and silicone will totally screw up the finishing process if it gets on your product. Tiny amounts will give you fish-eyes and large areas that are affected can gator terribly. They also make a product specific for cutting tools called dri-cote. I always keep a can handy as it removes built up adhesive and resin from cutting edges and bearings without drying them out. One can also use pure Carnuba wax on things like rails but I stopped using it on my tables. Since my whole life has been spent by the ocean in high humidity areas this subject is something I pay close attention to.

[Gary Campbell]

Robert..
I ordered a gallon of Fluid Film, it sounds like a great product.
Dave.. all mentioned above is right on! but we try to hide all the spray cans with any silicone in them, due to the amounts of lacquer we spray. We also use Sprayway 801 dry woodworkers lube on saw, jointer, shaper etc. cast iron tops. A quick spray lasts over 500 lft using the power feeder. And no fisheyes.
Gary

[harryball]

I put Fluid Film in a sprayer and coat farm equipment, tractors, boat out drives after use, trailer wheels, bolts and body, truck underbodys... anywhere I don't want rust. It does eventually wear off but I find about once a year takes care of it and it does wash off if need be. In the shop I put it in places like inside the table saw on screw adjusters etc... never where it will contact wood. I don't really consider it a lubricant so much as a rust stopper.

Testimonial: We took our boat on a trip to the Bahamas, when we returned I rinsed the outside of the boat and once dry I coated the outdrives and any exterior bolts and applied a good bit in the bilge. About a month later we met up with part of the group that went with us and they reported battling rusting and corrosion on their boats... we had none.

Robert

[myxpykalix]

I have not used this on my Bot but i use it on my Legacy ornamental mill. Its called Dyna-Glide and its $12.00 can. It lubricates the rails on the legacy and makes the carriage run pretty slick and prevents rust.

http://legacywoodworking.com/products.cfm?product=12


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