Rust Removal

[Coop]

Not sure where to stick this so please feel free to relocate it. One of my brothers has a Delta Unisaw and a Jet jointer that he wants to sell. Both have been neglected over the years and have some surface rust. I used the search bar for rust removal and don’t find anything recent. Using Google, Evapo-Rust shows up most often but it looks like it is best when small parts are soaked in it which obviously not an option. Anyone have a suggestion? 

Edited March 12, 2024 by Coop

[wtnhighlander]

Ken, I have seen Evapo-rust saturated towels used to cover large flat surfaces. Really soak it in an let it sit for a day or three. Cover with plastic to keep it moist longer.

[legenddc]

How bad is the rust? I was shocked at how much cleaner my cast iron surfaces got after hitting them with some WD-40, a Scotch Brite pad and some elbow grease. I had some spots of rust that just came right off. 

[Tom King]

I use a variation of Jack's method.  I don't cut the corners off the Scotchbrite pad and use a 15 amp side grinder with a wire cup wheel.  Works great and fast. Pictures of my old Delta 8" jointer took just a few minutes.  Be sure to wear old clothes because you get wrapped up with rust.

 

[Coop]

On 3/12/2024 at 7:40 AM, legenddc said:

How bad is the rust? I was shocked at how much cleaner my cast iron surfaces got after hitting them with some WD-40, a Scotch Brite pad and some elbow grease. I had some spots of rust that just came right off. 

I’ve used this method before and I’m afraid this ts top is a little beyond that. 

[legenddc]

Tom's method above might work. Just saw a WoodWhisperer video where he did a similar process but stuck the scotch brite pad on a random orbital sander. I imagine the grinder would be much faster.

[Mark J]

A cheap quarter sheet sander might be a better choice than a more valuable ROS.  Fits the square pad and has a bigger more coarse motion.

[Tom King]

I use an ancient Black and Decker 15 amp side grinder that I found in a building here.  It does get nasty and I didn't want to use one of my good ones.  The quarter sheet sanders have a tiny orbit.  It would be really slow.  I would buy a cheap 4-1/2" grinder if there is much to do and a wire cup brush.

Jack Forsberg knows as much about reworking old woodworking machines as anybody.

Notice the reflection of the fence on that old jointer in my picture.  That jointer had been untouched in a storage building here for 30 years.

[Farlassi]

It's also worth noting that Evapo-Rust has a gel formulation that even works on vertical surfaces. It works pretty well for something that smells nice and doesn't burn your fingers.