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Tried restoring a 1950s table saw with a wire wheel instead of sandpaper
Picked up an old Delta Unisaw off Craigslist in Philly for $150, figured i'd clean the rust off the top with a wire wheel on my angle grinder. Ended up gouging the cast iron surface in a few spots that took me hours with a flat file to smooth out. Anyone else find a better way to strip rust from old machines without ruining the surface?
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juliaa6514d ago
Yeah the_daniel hit it with the scotchbrite pad idea. That's what I do now after wrecking a jointer table with a wire wheel years ago. You gotta go slow but it's way safer. I soak a green pad in Evapo-Rust and just scrub in circles. Let it sit wet for 10 minutes then scrub again. Do that a few times over an afternoon. The rust turns into this gray sludge that wipes right off. Leaves the original mill marks alone too which is nice for keeping the surface true. Took me a whole Saturday on my Delta band saw table but zero gouges.
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the_daniel14d ago
Tbh I just read a thread on Garage Journal where a guy swears by Evapo-Rust and a scotchbrite pad for old machine tops. Says it takes longer but you don't risk gouging anything. Might be worth a shot if you're okay waiting a day or two.
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