I was reluctant to put out 20 bucks for a top cleaner, but it is worth it.
My saw had been protected with was. Did not hold up very well after a
couple of months when the moist air rolled into my shop one day and I could
see the iron rust before my eyes.
Cleaned it up and bought a can of Top Kote. Much better, but not perfect.
Easy to apply, it worked fairly well, but some rust still came about. No
matter what I used to clean the rust, some spots just did not go away after
scrubbing with green pads or steel wool.
The Top Saver, however, did a fantastic job of cleaning up the table top.
It comes in a kit and even h as plastic gloves that fit my hands. Sprayed
it on, scrubbed with the pad that came with it, then wiped it off. Lots of
gunk came up so I repeated the process. WOW! looks great. Applied a
protective coat, let it stand five minutes and polished it up.
My table saw and band saw both look as good as the day they ere unpacked.
The real proof will be how it holds up over time, but from the initial
application, I'm impressed. --
Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
Well, I'm guilty of never having read the review and never read the
Boeshield instructions. Basically I was the owner of a new table saw (my
first) and just paranoid about it rusting up in Houston.
When I first got it, I sprayed all cast iron surfaces liberally, then took a
terry cloth towel to spread it around and be sure all surfaces were coated.
I did this before quiting for the night and probably left the surfaces
somewhat wet with the Boeshield. It seems to dry, if you leave it. I did
this several times a week for a few weeks, then I got lazy and went for
about a week and a half. Now I get around to it about every two weeks.
I would guess that just about any product would have worked well, the way I
slathered it on there initially.
Anyway, my sense is that the cast iron gets impregnated with the stuff and
then you don't have to apply it very often.
Bob
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Now that said, I may have not put down a proper layer when I first used
> Boshield. So, my question to you Bob and those that use Boeshield in a
> humid area, Did you put down a heavy coat? Do you have to wipe Boeshield
> off before using the saw? My layer seemed to not dry and leave a soft
> residue. How often do you have to reapply? I may give it a try again as
> sometimes in my garage the TS top gets a drop or 2 of water on it.
>
> Concerning how often I reapply TopCote, I use the friction test to know
> when to reapply. If the boards seem to be dragging I reapply the TopCote.
> I do not reapply because of the presence of rust unless that drop of water
> sat on the top over night. Other things that can cause the top to rust is
> damp treated lumber and or treated lumber in general if left setting on
the
> surface over night. I make sure not to leave treated lumber setting on
the
> saw and to wipe the surface off after cutting treated lumber.
>
>
>
> "Bob Davis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm just wondering if the TopCote blocked the effectiveness of
Boeshield.
> I
> > live in Houston, too and have been using Boeshield for several months,
but
> I
> > sure don't have the years of experience you have Leon.
> >
> > Anyway, sounds like you found the trick with TopCote. I'm impressed that
> you
> > only do it only every six months after you get it "seasoned" correctly.
I
> > need to do that as I'm relocating to Los Angeles for a job and will only
> be
> > back here ever couple months or so.
> >
> >
> > Bob
> >
> >
> > "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > Jim, I have used TopCote for about 15 year now and originally bought
it
> > > because it was marketed to make you TS top more slippery. It made the
> top
> > > very slippery. I was satisfied with that product for 12 years and for
> > some
> > > reason decided to try Boeshield on my new cabinet saw. The next
morning
> I
> > > saw rust. I went back to TopCote. I live in humid Houston. If I
spill
> > > water and not wipe it off the surface I still get rust. So now I
make
> > sure
> > > that I do not leave water on the surface. The trick with TopCote is
to
> > put
> > > down 2 very heavy coats at first and I followed up again in another
> week.
> > > Now I apply it about once every 6 months. A can will last me 2 to 3
> > years.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
The first coat to go down on the new saw was Boeshield so TopCote did not
block the effectiveness. As for TopCote or Top Kote, I have never heard of
a TopKote and or it may be the way some people spell TopCote. When a word
or words are misspelled to start with it is hard to remember the correct
way to misspell them... Huh?? TopCote is strictly a TS dry lubricant and
protectant.
Anyway, as I indicated in my post and after rereading the article, it seems
that our conclusions about the TopCote product are very similar. It works
better than most and not very well if water is left standing on the surface
as demonstrated in the tests. Apparently Boeshield does protect for a heck
of a long time with that water bath. 380 hours IIRC.
Now that said, I may have not put down a proper layer when I first used
Boshield. So, my question to you Bob and those that use Boeshield in a
humid area, Did you put down a heavy coat? Do you have to wipe Boeshield
off before using the saw? My layer seemed to not dry and leave a soft
residue. How often do you have to reapply? I may give it a try again as
sometimes in my garage the TS top gets a drop or 2 of water on it.
Concerning how often I reapply TopCote, I use the friction test to know
when to reapply. If the boards seem to be dragging I reapply the TopCote.
I do not reapply because of the presence of rust unless that drop of water
sat on the top over night. Other things that can cause the top to rust is
damp treated lumber and or treated lumber in general if left setting on the
surface over night. I make sure not to leave treated lumber setting on the
saw and to wipe the surface off after cutting treated lumber.
"Bob Davis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm just wondering if the TopCote blocked the effectiveness of Boeshield.
I
> live in Houston, too and have been using Boeshield for several months, but
I
> sure don't have the years of experience you have Leon.
>
> Anyway, sounds like you found the trick with TopCote. I'm impressed that
you
> only do it only every six months after you get it "seasoned" correctly. I
> need to do that as I'm relocating to Los Angeles for a job and will only
be
> back here ever couple months or so.
>
>
> Bob
>
>
> "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Jim, I have used TopCote for about 15 year now and originally bought it
> > because it was marketed to make you TS top more slippery. It made the
top
> > very slippery. I was satisfied with that product for 12 years and for
> some
> > reason decided to try Boeshield on my new cabinet saw. The next morning
I
> > saw rust. I went back to TopCote. I live in humid Houston. If I spill
> > water and not wipe it off the surface I still get rust. So now I make
> sure
> > that I do not leave water on the surface. The trick with TopCote is to
> put
> > down 2 very heavy coats at first and I followed up again in another
week.
> > Now I apply it about once every 6 months. A can will last me 2 to 3
> years.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
thanks Charlie, I thought the test was ridiculous. Rather than test in
a 80 - 90% humid atmosphere, they tested in what amounted to immersion.
If you are going to test something make the parameters somewhat within
"normal". It would be like testing TS blades with petrified wood, "Well
one of them actually made a cut all the way through, so that must be the
best". I am sure that many of the products would have done well enough
for average use.
BRuce
Charlie Self wrote:
> Leon notes:
>
>
>>Anyway, as I indicated in my post and after rereading the article, it seems
>>that our conclusions about the TopCote product are very similar. It works
>>better than most and not very well if water is left standing on the surface
>>as demonstrated in the tests. Apparently Boeshield does protect for a heck
>>of a long time with that water bath. 380 hours IIRC.
>
>
> How many of us actually do a water bath on our saws. Avoiding the times some
> jackass-brain comes in and sets a foam coffeee cup on it, that is, Or a clear
> plastic soft drink cup in the summer, lotsa ice so it will sweat nicely.
>
>
> Charlie Self
> "Health food makes me sick." Calvin Trillin
>
> http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
--
---
BRuce
When I use Boeshield, I spray it on heavy, let it sit for a few minutes and
then wipe it down well with a rag. For things like table saw tops, I follow it
up an hour or a day later with a coat of paste wax. My tablesaw gets light to
moderate use, and I usually don't have to recoat for a year.
David
remove the key to email me.
Leon notes:
>Anyway, as I indicated in my post and after rereading the article, it seems
>that our conclusions about the TopCote product are very similar. It works
>better than most and not very well if water is left standing on the surface
>as demonstrated in the tests. Apparently Boeshield does protect for a heck
>of a long time with that water bath. 380 hours IIRC.
How many of us actually do a water bath on our saws. Avoiding the times some
jackass-brain comes in and sets a foam coffeee cup on it, that is, Or a clear
plastic soft drink cup in the summer, lotsa ice so it will sweat nicely.
Charlie Self
"Health food makes me sick." Calvin Trillin
http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
<BRuce> wrote in message news:1076875972.299006@sj-nntpcache-5...
> thanks Charlie, I thought the test was ridiculous. Rather than test in
> a 80 - 90% humid atmosphere, they tested in what amounted to immersion.
> If you are going to test something make the parameters somewhat within
> "normal". It would be like testing TS blades with petrified wood, "Well
> one of them actually made a cut all the way through, so that must be the
> best".
> I am sure that many of the products would have done well enough
> for average use.
You might want to reread the article as it also indicated what your last
sentence said.
I think its a valid approach to accelerate the results. Consumer reports
does it all the time so they can get results in weeks instead of months.
Bob
<BRuce> wrote in message news:1076875972.299006@sj-nntpcache-5...
> thanks Charlie, I thought the test was ridiculous. Rather than test in
> a 80 - 90% humid atmosphere, they tested in what amounted to immersion.
> If you are going to test something make the parameters somewhat within
> "normal". It would be like testing TS blades with petrified wood, "Well
> one of them actually made a cut all the way through, so that must be the
> best". I am sure that many of the products would have done well enough
> for average use.
>
> BRuce
>
> Charlie Self wrote:
>
> > Leon notes:
> >
> >
> >>Anyway, as I indicated in my post and after rereading the article, it
seems
> >>that our conclusions about the TopCote product are very similar. It
works
> >>better than most and not very well if water is left standing on the
surface
> >>as demonstrated in the tests. Apparently Boeshield does protect for a
heck
> >>of a long time with that water bath. 380 hours IIRC.
> >
> >
> > How many of us actually do a water bath on our saws. Avoiding the times
some
> > jackass-brain comes in and sets a foam coffeee cup on it, that is, Or a
clear
> > plastic soft drink cup in the summer, lotsa ice so it will sweat nicely.
> >
> >
> > Charlie Self
> > "Health food makes me sick." Calvin Trillin
> >
> > http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
>
> --
> ---
>
> BRuce
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> According to the test in the magazine, past wax, and or Johnson's wax is
> inferior to Boeshield as far as protection is concerned.
FWIW when I was walking around the Woodworking Show in KC yesterday taking
pictures and buying stuff. I passed by the very lonely Boeshield booth.
The fella yelled, "take my picture." and I accommodated him.
http://home.mchsi.com/~llhote/wwshow6.jpg
I gave him one of my cards with my websites and he scurried behind the
screen and dug out a 1 oz. sample of the T-9 and gave it to me. I said that
I usually use Johnson's paste wax and he replied that Boeshield is much
better, it was developed by Boeing and they used it to protect aircraft
bodies. I told him it didn't matter to me about aircraft bodies(smarta--
me) but what it does for my Unisaw. He remained smiling and friendly saying
Boeshield is much better and so on. I dunno, the stuff smells just like
injector cleaner..probably because of its kerosene base. For about $13/12
oz, is this stuff really that much better than ole Johnson's? Is there any
study out there that presents more than just anecdotal data? I'll try the
stuff on a section of my saw top and, next to it, a section with Johnson's
and another control section and see for myself.....(my science background
and all that)..
Larry
--
Lawrence L'Hote
Columbia, MO
http://home.mchsi.com/~larrylhote
http://home.mchsi.com/~llhote
"Charlie Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> How many of us actually do a water bath on our saws. Avoiding the times
some
> jackass-brain comes in and sets a foam coffeee cup on it, that is, Or a
clear
> plastic soft drink cup in the summer, lotsa ice so it will sweat nicely.
>
Umm that is how the water gets on my saw except the J-ass may be my wife...
Some times unknowingly her umbrella slings some drops of water on the saw as
she gets out of the car.. ;~(
Larry
For long term protection, BoeShield is definitely BETTER than paste
wax, but if used the way they recommend, it leaves a soft waxy film on
the table saw surface.
I use Boeshield on the pieces parts that are NOT in contact with wood,
and use a mix of Johnson's pastewax plus extra carnuaba applied weekly
to the cast ironi table/tool tops and once you get several coats of
that hard wax on the table top, it does a good job of rust prevention
on tools that are USED. Again, if I lived where the workshop was not
useable for months at a time, I would go with the Boeshield
John
On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 16:47:03 GMT, "Lawrence L'Hote" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> According to the test in the magazine, past wax, and or Johnson's wax is
>> inferior to Boeshield as far as protection is concerned.
>
>FWIW when I was walking around the Woodworking Show in KC yesterday taking
>pictures and buying stuff. I passed by the very lonely Boeshield booth.
>The fella yelled, "take my picture." and I accommodated him.
>
>http://home.mchsi.com/~llhote/wwshow6.jpg
>
>I gave him one of my cards with my websites and he scurried behind the
>screen and dug out a 1 oz. sample of the T-9 and gave it to me. I said that
>I usually use Johnson's paste wax and he replied that Boeshield is much
>better, it was developed by Boeing and they used it to protect aircraft
>bodies. I told him it didn't matter to me about aircraft bodies(smarta--
>me) but what it does for my Unisaw. He remained smiling and friendly saying
>Boeshield is much better and so on. I dunno, the stuff smells just like
>injector cleaner..probably because of its kerosene base. For about $13/12
>oz, is this stuff really that much better than ole Johnson's? Is there any
>study out there that presents more than just anecdotal data? I'll try the
>stuff on a section of my saw top and, next to it, a section with Johnson's
>and another control section and see for myself.....(my science background
>and all that)..
>
>Larry
If you live in Houston (or anywhere along the gulf coast), and have an
non-air conditioned shop, your equipment is subject to very humid, sopping
wet conditions many days of the year. We pay attention to these kinds of
tests, though they may nor reflect reality for most people.
"Charlie Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Leon notes:
> How many of us actually do a water bath on our saws. Avoiding the times
some
> jackass-brain comes in and sets a foam coffeee cup on it, that is, Or a
clear
> plastic soft drink cup in the summer, lotsa ice so it will sweat nicely.
>
>
> Charlie Self
> "Health food makes me sick." Calvin Trillin
>
> http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
According to the test in the magazine, past wax, and or Johnson's wax is
inferior to Boeshield as far as protection is concerned. Do you put the wax
on for more protection or to make the surface more slippery? Seems using
both might be redundant.
"J Pagona aka Y.B." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> When I use Boeshield, I spray it on heavy, let it sit for a few minutes
and
> then wipe it down well with a rag. For things like table saw tops, I
follow it
> up an hour or a day later with a coat of paste wax. My tablesaw gets light
to
> moderate use, and I usually don't have to recoat for a year.
>
> David
>
> remove the key to email me.
>From: "Leon"
> Do you put the wax
>on for more protection or to make the surface more slippery? Seems using
>both might be redundant.
Either, both. My saw was a floor model at a local woodworking store that is no
longer in business. I brought it home and put a coat of wax on the top. A few
months later, I was in the store talking to the owner's wife, and she told me
that she had given it a coat of Boeshield right before I picked it up. So I
bought a can.
Fast forward to a year later. I left a piece of green oak on the bandsaw
overnight. The bandsaw table rusted. As I'm cleaning the rust off of the
bandsaw, I realize that I haven't done anything to the tablesaw top in a year.
So I cleaned both tops and gave them both the Boeshield then wax.
If I had to guess, I'd say that the wax helps keep the Boeshield from being
rubbed off. Just a guess though.
David
remove the key to email me.
After re-reading your post Ed, I see that your focus was on removal - I've
got a couple of tools I may very well try the topCote on since you had such
good luck.
jim bailey
"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jim Bailey wrote:
> > I opted for the
> > Boeshield per the Wood write-up - they said that nothing else came
> > close to the level of protection. I put it on so I guess time will
> > tell. It was about $12 for the aerosol can.
>
> The write up convinced me to get the Top Saver. I may get the Boeshild
down
> the road, but the Top Saver got rid of the existing rust fast and easy.
> Starting from band new, Boeshield may be best, but if you have some rust
> already, maybe both is the best deal. --
> Ed
> [email protected]
> http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
>
>
I'm just wondering if the TopCote blocked the effectiveness of Boeshield. I
live in Houston, too and have been using Boeshield for several months, but I
sure don't have the years of experience you have Leon.
Anyway, sounds like you found the trick with TopCote. I'm impressed that you
only do it only every six months after you get it "seasoned" correctly. I
need to do that as I'm relocating to Los Angeles for a job and will only be
back here ever couple months or so.
Bob
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jim, I have used TopCote for about 15 year now and originally bought it
> because it was marketed to make you TS top more slippery. It made the top
> very slippery. I was satisfied with that product for 12 years and for
some
> reason decided to try Boeshield on my new cabinet saw. The next morning I
> saw rust. I went back to TopCote. I live in humid Houston. If I spill
> water and not wipe it off the surface I still get rust. So now I make
sure
> that I do not leave water on the surface. The trick with TopCote is to
put
> down 2 very heavy coats at first and I followed up again in another week.
> Now I apply it about once every 6 months. A can will last me 2 to 3
years.
>
>
>
>
>
>
Jim Bailey wrote:
> I opted for the
> Boeshield per the Wood write-up - they said that nothing else came
> close to the level of protection. I put it on so I guess time will
> tell. It was about $12 for the aerosol can.
The write up convinced me to get the Top Saver. I may get the Boeshild down
the road, but the Top Saver got rid of the existing rust fast and easy.
Starting from band new, Boeshield may be best, but if you have some rust
already, maybe both is the best deal. --
Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
I'm getting confused between TopCote, TopKote, and Top Saver mentioned in
this thread. OP talked about using Top Saver.
Bob
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jim, I have used TopCote for about 15 year now and originally bought it
> because it was marketed to make you TS top more slippery. It made the top
> very slippery. I was satisfied with that product for 12 years and for
some
> reason decided to try Boeshield on my new cabinet saw. The next morning I
> saw rust. I went back to TopCote. I live in humid Houston. If I spill
> water and not wipe it off the surface I still get rust. So now I make
sure
> that I do not leave water on the surface. The trick with TopCote is to
put
> down 2 very heavy coats at first and I followed up again in another week.
> Now I apply it about once every 6 months. A can will last me 2 to 3
years.
>
>
>
>
>
>
Leon wrote:
> Does that strff have a web site and or where did you get it?
They have a web site, but do not sell directly. I got it at Woodcraft.
--
Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
Jim, I have used TopCote for about 15 year now and originally bought it
because it was marketed to make you TS top more slippery. It made the top
very slippery. I was satisfied with that product for 12 years and for some
reason decided to try Boeshield on my new cabinet saw. The next morning I
saw rust. I went back to TopCote. I live in humid Houston. If I spill
water and not wipe it off the surface I still get rust. So now I make sure
that I do not leave water on the surface. The trick with TopCote is to put
down 2 very heavy coats at first and I followed up again in another week.
Now I apply it about once every 6 months. A can will last me 2 to 3 years.
Wood magazine just did a test of several of the clean/preserve products.
They actually put cast extensions in a homemade 'steam box' with the thought
being (I guess) to accellerate the process - sort of a worst case maybe ?
Anyway, very timely as I was putting my nw Jet TS together today (more in
another thread). I opted for the Boeshield per the Wood write-up - they
said that nothing else came close to the level of protection. I put it on
so I guess time will tell. It was about $12 for the aerosol can.
I'm still not throwing away my Johnson's though.
jim bailey
"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was reluctant to put out 20 bucks for a top cleaner, but it is worth it.
>
> My saw had been protected with was. Did not hold up very well after a
> couple of months when the moist air rolled into my shop one day and I
could
> see the iron rust before my eyes.
>
> Cleaned it up and bought a can of Top Kote. Much better, but not perfect.
> Easy to apply, it worked fairly well, but some rust still came about. No
> matter what I used to clean the rust, some spots just did not go away
after
> scrubbing with green pads or steel wool.
>
> The Top Saver, however, did a fantastic job of cleaning up the table top.
> It comes in a kit and even h as plastic gloves that fit my hands. Sprayed
> it on, scrubbed with the pad that came with it, then wiped it off. Lots
of
> gunk came up so I repeated the process. WOW! looks great. Applied a
> protective coat, let it stand five minutes and polished it up.
>
> My table saw and band saw both look as good as the day they ere unpacked.
> The real proof will be how it holds up over time, but from the initial
> application, I'm impressed. --
> Ed
> [email protected]
> http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
>
>
>