Cast Iron Top Protection

[Mark J]

I know it's been discussed in the past and I should do a search, but I'm feeling lazy.  What do you all do to protect your cast iron tops?

I have a bottle of Boeshield and a can of CRC 3-36.  I could easily get some paste wax, or some other product.  I'm looking for easy and infrequent.  And I don't want it to mess with subsequent finishes.  

[Bankstick]

Lightly sand with extra fine sandpaper, wipe off and apply a past wax.

[pkinneb]

Paste wax twice a year fall /spring. My shop is climate controlled if it wasn't I would do it more often. Takes me about 20 minutes to do all the surfaces in the shop 3 sanders, 2 BS, and the TS.

[RichardA]

Paste wax, my choice is Johnsons paste wax, works fine on all the cast iron, planes,  table tops and my assembly table and clamps.

[Tom King]

I've used the 3-36, since whenever that test came out in FWW, and have had very good luck with it.  Some of my machines sit in an un-conditioned building, and they're holding up fine.  I started out with an aerosol can, but switched to a gallon to fill pump sprayers, so the sprayed mist is very controllable.

[Mark J]

For the wax users, how about Minwax Finishing Wax?  Or should I keep on looking for Johnson's?

Tom, how often do you have to reapply the CRC?

[Chet]

I also use Johnson's paste wax.  I get it at my local ACE Hardware.

Renaissance is another wax that a lot of folks use.  You can get both at amazon also.

[Mick S]

I use Johnson's. Renaissance is considerably more expensive and Johnson's does just fine. I've used 3-36 and still do at times, but it's kind of oily until it sets up. 

[..Kev]

Another Johnson's vote..  Like stated above, my shop is climate controlled so, I do it about twice a year.

I've used Renaissance in the past and didn't notice any difference from the much less expensive Johnson's.

[gee-dub]

Been using Johnson’s for many years.  If your local store doesn’t carry it, online is easy enough. Buy online and free ship to store at many suppliers if you don’t do Prime,

[pkinneb]

Johnson's as well.

[Tom King]

2 hours ago, Mark J said:

For the wax users, how about Minwax Finishing Wax?  Or should I keep on looking for Johnson's?

Tom, how often do you have to reapply the CRC?

I don't keep up with it, but not more often than every several months, or after we use a machine, and know we won't use it again any time soon.  In that FWW test, it lasted Way longer than any wax.  I had used wax for years, but not since I started using 3-36.  If I know it might be a year, or more before we reuse a machine, I don't wipe it off, but just spray a heavy layer on.  It's not hard to wipe it down, even after that, when we do use it again.

edited to add:  It does have a solvent smell to it, so that I don't think I would want to use it in a basement shop.  It's not That bad, but I'd say some worse than WD40.