Lubricant for Kapex, Routers, Etc....

[ForumMFG]

I have a question regarding lubricant for the tools in your shop.  I've never really used to much lubricant before but I bought a can of Top-Cote.

I sprayed it on the shafts of my OF1400 and Kapex.  I'm really thinking I either used the wrong lube or used it in the wrong places.  All it did was make it worse.  I sprayed some on and waited for it to dry and then I wiped and polished it off.  Does anyone have any information about this lubricant? Where to use it, where not to use it?  How to correctly apply it, how many coats, how to correctly remove it polish it?  All of this information is on the can but you know how that goes.

If I was not suppose to use it on the shafts of the OF1400 and Kapex, what do you recommend?  Should I some how remove what I put on before I apply the correct stuff?

-Dave

 

[Neill]

I have a question regarding lubricant for the tools in your shop.  I've never really used to much lubricant before but I bought a can of Top-Cote.

I sprayed it on the shafts of my OF1400 and Kapex.  I'm really thinking I either used the wrong lube or used it in the wrong places.  All it did was make it worse.  I sprayed some on and waited for it to dry and then I wiped and polished it off.  Does anyone have any information about this lubricant? Where to use it, where not to use it?  How to correctly apply it, how many coats, how to correctly remove it polish it?  All of this information is on the can but you know how that goes.

If I was not suppose to use it on the shafts of the OF1400 and Kapex, what do you recommend?  Should I some how remove what I put on before I apply the correct stuff?

-Dave

Dave,

I am pretty sure that this company makes a number of products.  I believe that the Top-Cote may be more of a spray plastic coating that dries with a smooth skin.  Works great on cast iron table tops as a rust protectant and smooth surface for the materials to slide across.  It is this skin that may be causing your problem.  Since the Kapex and plunge routers have such tight tolerances, you might be thickening the shafts and other parts that you are spraying the product on.  As far as removing it, you might want to try some WD-40, mineral spirits or just look at the label.  They must say something about it.

If you look at Lie-Nielsen's website, they recommend Camelia Oil.  I bought some at Woodcraft and it seems to work pretty well.  L-N is now also selling Jojoba, which has similar properties but is a bit thicker.

Neill

 

[Rick Christopherson]

The slides you mention here are oil-lite bearings, so you do not want to used WD-40 as this will degrade the lubricant already impregnated in the bearings (as per Festool service). The recommended lubricant is a thin oil, like sewing machine oil. You apply it to the shafts, work the shaft to get the lubricant into the permeable bearings, and then wipe off the excess.

The Kapex bearings are different because they are recirculating ball linear bearings. The type of lubricant is less critical, but the procedure is about the same.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I'm of the opinion that no lubrication is needed at all. It will generally do more harm than good.

The bearings that are important are well lubricated at the factory and the moment they need extra lubrication is the moment you want to send in your machine for a factory service check.

And like Rick said, certainly never use WD-40 on your tools. WD-40 has some strong chemical agents in it, is mostly suited for an all-metal environment and can possibly corrode non-metal elements, including the factory applied lubrication.

 

[Neill]

I'm of the opinion that no lubrication is needed at all. It will generally do more harm than good.

The bearings that are important are well lubricated at the factory and the moment they need extra lubrication is the moment you want to send in your machine for a factory service check.

And like Rick said, certainly never use WD-40 on your tools. WD-40 has some strong chemical agents in it, is mostly suited for an all-metal environment and can possibly corrode non-metal elements, including the factory applied lubrication.

Alex,

My comment to Dave was not to use WD-40 as a lubricant but rather as a cleaner to get the gunk off he mistakenly applied.  I understand that it leaves much to be desired as a general purpose lubricant. It supposedly does displace moisture so it is more appropriately used as a protectant. WD-40 also seems adequate as a solvent particularly for many types of adhesives.  Of course you must be mindful of the base surface that you are applying it to.

Neill

 

[ForumMFG]

My OF 1400 started rusting just weeks after it's first use and its not as easy to plunge as it once was.  The Kapex never seemed to slide as easy as I thought it would so I figured I would trying something.

 

[tbellemare]

Do you guys have pools? I have a friend with a pool and his stuff rusts like crazy.

We finally figured out (we think) that because he was storing chlorine in the same area as his tools, they were rusting radically, (we think).

Tom

 

[ForumMFG]

There is not a pool close by.  My tools are in my garage which is not climate controlled.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

The stainless steel posts should not be showing signs of rust, but if they are, this is something that needs to be looked into further. However, what wouldn't surprise me is for you to see "staining" on the stainless steel post at the position of the oil-lite bearings if they have been left sitting. This should not be permanent, but at first glance may appear to be rust. It is actually just oil and contaminate leaving a mark. If it doesn't just wipe off easily, then I would investigate this further.

 

[AlexThePalex]

My OF 1400 started rusting just weeks after it's first use and its not as easy to plunge as it once was.  The Kapex never seemed to slide as easy as I thought it would so I figured I would trying something.

Rusting? Seriously?

Aren't such parts as the slide bars to be made out of rust proof material? If you got rust on such a part, especially on a machine that you only have a couple of weeks, that means immediate RMA. You can't plunge with a rusty router and no amount of lube is gonna help you.

But I find it hard to believe that your brand new OF1400 would rust just like that.

 

[Brice Burrell]

I remember my OF1010 when it was still fairly new had what appeared to be rust on the plunge rods and the plunge action wasn't as smooth as it was earlier. As Rick said it was just contamination that cleaned up pretty easily and with a lite oil the plunge action was smooth as can be again.

 

[JJ Wavra]

I have trouble with rust on all my tools. I got rust on both of my plunge router's rods, 1010-1400.  I even get rust on my carving tools.  It is likely something in my hands.  I saw people when I was in music who would go through the plating on there clarinet keys in a year.  I also met someone who can not wear a watch as the metal on the back eventually wears away.

JJ

 

[Rick Christopherson]

The stainless steel posts should not be showing signs of rust, but if they are, this is something that needs to be looked into further. However, what wouldn't surprise me is for you to see "staining" on the stainless steel post at the position of the oil-lite bearings if they have been left sitting. This should not be permanent, but at first glance may appear to be rust. It is actually just oil and contaminate leaving a mark. If it doesn't just wipe off easily, then I would investigate this further.

Oops.... I have been contacted by the Mystical Tool God........you may know him as "David!!"  

I think David may have mentioned this to me once before, but nevertheless, I was mistaken in that the plunge posts on the router are not stainless steel as I had mentioned. They are tool steel.

For removing the wax coating that the previous poster mistakenly applied to his posts, David suggests using mineral spirits (I agree, as I have used this on similar applications).

If the posts have some rust on the surface, my preference is to use a coarse scotch pad. David agrees with the scotch pad, but he goes even further and says that for faster results you can use 1000 or 2000 grit Platin that has been wetted with oil. (Platin is a festool abrasive, but I am not familiar with it.)

When polishing the posts to remove any surface rust, make sure to sand radially around the posts, and not in line with the posts. You will notice that the original machining on the posts is radial.

After the posts have been polished, make sure to clean them thoroughly to remove any residual metal dust. Then apply a light oil to them. David had told me several years ago not to use WD-40, but I forgot that he also said not to use 3-in-1 oil either. (I couldn't mention brand names in my manuals, that's why I forgot about the specific oils not to use.) With the posts oiled, plunge the router/tool several times to spread the oil into the bearings, and then wipe off the excess.

For the person experiencing frequent rust, David suggested performing this oiling operation frequently, or apply some oil to the posts before putting the tool away in its systainer after each use.

David went on to say a few other things, but when he started rambling on about tennis shoes, barnyard foul, and the police, I kind of lost where he was heading.....

David is probably going to take me off his Christmas list for that one.

 

[ForumMFG]

My OF 1400 started rusting just weeks after it's first use and its not as easy to plunge as it once was.  The Kapex never seemed to slide as easy as I thought it would so I figured I would trying something.

Rusting? Seriously?

Aren't such parts as the slide bars to be made out of rust proof material? If you got rust on such a part, especially on a machine that you only have a couple of weeks, that means immediate RMA. You can't plunge with a rusty router and no amount of lube is gonna help you.

But I find it hard to believe that your brand new OF1400 would rust just like that.

Yes, It is in fact rusting and it started only a couple weeks after it's first use.

Rick,

Can you recommend a oil to use?

Thanks for everyones answers and help with trying to figure this out.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Dave, you can use machine oil or any light weight oil, just not the multipurpose products listed. If you have oil for pneumatic tools, you could use that.

 

[Les]

I use gun oil. I haven't had any problems with sawdust sticking or the rods rusting.

If you continue to have problems it could be similar to my problem. Acid in your body. When I was an apprentice Tool and Die Maker, everything I touched which had been finish ground, rusted. You could see my finger prints in the rust.

 

[ForumMFG]

Thats funny you bring that up, I was in the hospital on Tuesday of this past week having my stomach scoped.  I had been having heart pains and to rule out that it was my heart causng the pain, they did this test.  Sure enough the doc said I had a bunch of small ulcers and that it looked like my stomach was beat up.  Maybe if my stomach is creating a lot of acid then maybe the rest of my body is as well and thats my problem?

 

[Spike]

I use

/www.jigaloo.com/us/e_home.php

So slippery you can barely hold the can. Lasts a crazy long time, attracts zero dust. My Kapex rails slide with zero effort.

 

[larrysee]

Taos, from their website, "...silicone-based lubricant..." and is mostly methylene chloride and perchloroethylene. I think I'd be careful around your wood and lungs (use it outside?).

Regards, Larry

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Taos, I really don't think you want to use that, especially on anything with an oil-lite bearing. The methylene chloride is a solvent, and the perchloroethene is dry cleaning solution. These are the two primary components in your lubricant and make up between 40% and 90% of the product.