Crispy said:
Well i paid for it a fortnight ago, but today picked up my brand new Harvey RT-800 router table for my table saw, with free rust.
Its the last 3 words that upset me the most, I dont know whether to complain, or suck it up, but in the mean time, other than wax or wd40, how should i stop it expanding?
I probably should do a post in another section on this and the table saw its self, as i think if i buy anything else it will only be the router fence, and then the company i went through i will never use again, as ive had to chase them every time i purchase stuff...but i guess you get that some times.
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If the table did not come covered with oil, then the blame belongs to the manufacturer.
Cast iron, if left clean, will form iron oxide in less than 8 hours. Check your rotors on your front brakes some time. You drive it for 20 miles or so and when you get out of the car the rotors glisten.
But if it is a rainy day, in just a few hours left undriven, the rotors will be covered with a thin layer of iron oxide (rust).
The cleaner the surface is, the faster it will rust. The rotors are almost perfectly clean of any lubricants after you step on the brakes the first time in the morning. They get scrubbed clean.
So if the surface of the cast iron table did not feel oily when you took possession of it, then the manufacturer is at fault. They should have prepped the surface with rust inhibiting oil or a modern version of cosmoline.
Fine steel wool with oil is probably the best way to clean up small areas. Large areas should be cleaned with a flat plate with abrasive. A thick sheet of glass with Emory closet glued on is a cheap alternative. Glass is generally very flat. Emory cloth cuts steel reasonably well.
Back in the 1980s - 90s, I worked for a company that produced millions of galvanized hooks per month for the plastic hanger industry.
One of the retailers wanted black hangers with black hooks. There was no really viable finish available for the quantities we were using. The customer decided to go with black oxide plus rust inhibiting oil. The problem with that was that the oil would soil the garments that hung on them. So the client decided to go with black oxide plus oil, with most of the oil tumbled off using corn cob media.
When the customer deduced to go with that finish, I said, “There is rarely a 100% guarantee on anything, especially in our industry. But I will give a 100% guarantee that these hooks will rust.”
The owner of the company I worked for was furious with me. He thought I was trying to kill the deal. But 6 months later he was in a better mood when all the hooks were rusting and we were not responsible for the result.
In the meantime we worked with a vendor to create a new finish that became the industry standard.
But if the table seemed clean when it arrived, then it was ripe for corrosion.
