OT Best way to protect bare metal surface for use in woodworking ?

Tom has an excellent suggestion. However, when I worked as a machinist, we used a dry silicon spray for that purpose.

We needed a material that did not attract or entrap dust.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

One does NOT want to get silicone on any wood that is going to be finished (stained, varnished, oiled).

A classic approach is paste floor wax, e.g., Butcher's.

Try a woodworking newsgroup.

"Sheet metal surfaces"

Not wood. Which does not rust in any case.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

You put the silicone on the steel table (the only unpainted surface on a woodworking machine), then push wood across the table and you have silicone on the wood.

Best way depends entirely on your app, which you have not clarified. Teflon coated, gold plated, powder coated, oil, wax, paint, zinc, chrome, brass, burnt oil, any might be the best in your case.

Any product for the purpose would have the same result.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

A thin layer of cabinet grade plywood.

That prevents rust?

Blueing?

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

You are as stupid as ever. All the other methods given in other posts will contaminate the wood. With the plywood cap in place, you can treat the meta l with anything you want without the contamination problem. Just as a good condom would have prevented your dad from contaminating the gene pool.

What part of the band saw? Steel, stainless, cast iron, pot metal, saw blade, etc???? It helps to know what you're trying to protect. Also, some of the coating methods I suggested below are not appropriate for some flavors of steel.

Cold bluing or passivation is probably the easiest, cheapest, and least protective method of protecting steel. The problem with wood working machinery is that it will abrade away the surface coating, expose the underlying steel, and proceed to rust. Hot bluing is more durable but requires multiple layers of bluing:

If you want better protection, I suggest:

1. Nickel electroplating.
2. Black chrome plating over nickel.
3. Powder coated paint.

If you need the surface to absorb oil for lubrication, I suggest Parkerizing:

Nickel plating, you can probably it do yourself at home. The others, I suggest you send the unspecified band saw part to a plating shop and have them plate it.

For powder coating paint: or ask at your local automobile paint shop.

If you don't mind re-coating the steel part, try one of the rust inhibiting sprays or coatings. For example:

Also see: