Wd40 and steel wool will polish it up. Then put some good wax on it and it’ll help prevent some rusting and help the wood slide on it better. It’s cast iron so aside from breaking it you can’t damage it to much, I’ve even read about guys that’ll matching it smooth after years of abuse

 

Light rust is removed easily with a scotch brite pad. Follow up with:

Cheers,
Brad

 

Other than looks, its not going to hurt it.

 

Use WD40 and a kitchen scrub brush to get rid of the rust. Spray on the WD40, wipe it on with a shop towel, leave it sit for 5 minutes, then scrub lightly until the stain/rust is gone. If you use steel wool you'll abrade the surface more. Use another shop towel to wipe off the gunk.

Use mineral spirits or isopropyl alcohol to take the WD40 off.

Then use paste wax or Boeshield to make the table nice and slick to reduce friction, and to continue to protect the table. Johnson's is great but discontinued. I saw Minwax at Lowe's the other day, it's probably the same thing.

 

Not to worry.

 

Shameless self promotion. Here is a video I made about cleaning and protecting metal tool work surfaces.

Cleaning and waxing a table saw

 

I use silicone spray on all surfaces. I spray the surfaces and let them sit until I use them next. The next time I use that tool I removes as much of the silicone as I can with a dry shop paper towel. I started doing this when I lived in a very humid climate. The surface is like having ball bearings on the surface. At one time I used wax but I think the silicone spray works better because it seems to go deeper into the porosity of the cast iron.

 

I have used the WD40 and let it sit for a while. I then go over the the cast iron with 600+grit wet dry sand paper or emery cloth to clean it up. Go over the entire surface uniformly to keep the table flat, shouldn't require much pressure. After all that, wipe with mineral spirits and apply 2 coats of a good car wax (carnauba wax).

Then smack the contractor up side he head and tell him not to do that - ever! (may want to do this step first, your choice)

Be mindful of the oily rags/paper towels. According to the folks at WD-40, rags saturated with their product can spontaneously combust if not cared for correctly.

 

I have used the WD40 and let it sit for a while. I then go over the the cast iron with 600+grit wet dry sand paper or emery cloth to clean it up. Go over the entire surface uniformly to keep the table flat, shouldn't require much pressure. After all that, wipe with mineral spirits and apply 2 coats of a good car wax (carnauba wax).

Then smack the contractor up side he head and tell him not to do that - ever! (may want to do this step first, your choice)

Be mindful of the oily rags/paper towels. According to the folks at WD-40, rags saturated with their product can spontaneously combust if not cared for correctly.

Aerokroil and Silikroil will work. Make sure all is removed so it won't keep wood from taking stain. I use Camela oil on my planer, jointer, bandsaws, and table saw. It lubricates but doesn't get into the wood to mess up finishes.

 

My process for cleaning cast iron tops is:
1. Rust remover, any brand, if the rust is bad.
2. Sanding with random orbital sander. Move through the grits like like polishing out a fine finish. The goal is to make the blotches disappear, and to create a uniform looking appearance. Not that this matters at all. But this is mostly about looks, right? Or as dbray45 says, use 600 grit and hand sand. Or steel wool, which I don’t use because I don’t have it in the shop.
3. Waxing, polishing, buffing, like you would a car. In fact, car waxes work great. Any wax works great. Never tried silicone spray because silicone can wreck lacquered finishes…but if you use water base, why not?

 

I just repaired a band saw that had been left out in the rain until the table was orange. I started with vinegar and some 120 grit sand paper. Then I switched to some 220 grit and kept wiping it down with vinegar. When I finished removing all the rust I used a lanolin based spray on rust preventer. In the past I have used paste wax but it does not last very long in our Hawaii weather conditions.

 

After removing the rust the best thing I have found for coating and protecting the cast iron tops of tools is CRC 3-36.
It was tested by Fine Woodworking and found to be one of the best products to use on cast iron. I also use on a variety of other tools like garden pruners. Much better than Boeshield or wax. Personally I don't want wax than can transfer to the wood and possibly interfere with the final finish....keep wax and silicon away from unfinished wood.

 

Then smack the contractor up side he head and tell him not to do that - ever! (may want to do this step first, your choice)

Sadly, I didn’t notice until he’d left. Which is probably for the best as I would have (over?)reacted by firing him on the spot. Still…who does that?!

 

To repair the damage and to prevent any future damage; make a slurry out of the contractors blood, sweat, and tears, using #0000 steel wool, polish the table surface, clean well and sanitize, move to the WD-40 and new steel wool. Finnish with the protective coating of your choice. Post this repair schedule in large type in a conspicuous place in the shop.

 

Speaking for the contractors, sorry about the marks,

but if you thought your bandsaw table needed saving or was even really damaged, it puts you in the category of clients

that may be screened out for future work.

 

i go to the auto parts store and get some chrome wheel cleaner paste then rub it in with a rag. Wait a few minutes and buff it out with a clean rag. Keeps all my cast iron tops clean and rust free. Won't get on the wood

 

It looks like there is a bit of topography to that rust. I'd start with a WD40 soak and then use a sharp razor blade to remove the big stuff. A popular approach. Then use the method of your choice from there; mine would be fine steel wool with more WD40. I wouldn't use coarse grit abrasives for this particular problem.

 

Spent a good amount of time on carriers at sea. All of our equipment in my shop had corrosion issues with rusting work tables. We'd use a DA sander and light weapons oil at least once a week. They got wiped down and sprayed fresh at the end of each shift. Of course we were using them for metal working the aircraft parts so we had no worries about using oil. One thing I will say is that using a scotch-brit type pad can and does cause corrosion as they are aluminum impregnated mats. It causes dissimilar metal corrosion. Steel wool is best for the home or small shop use and I'd say use what your gut tells you to use regarding a surface protectant.

 

Spent a good amount of time on carriers at sea. All of our equipment in my shop had corrosion issues with rusting work tables. We'd use a DA sander and light weapons oil at least once a week. They got wiped down and sprayed fresh at the end of each shift. Of course we were using them for metal working the aircraft parts so we had no worries about using oil. One thing I will say is that using a scotch-brit type pad can and does cause corrosion as they are aluminum impregnated mats. It causes dissimilar metal corrosion. Steel wool is best for the home or small shop use and I'd say use what your gut tells you to use regarding a surface protectant.

There's an interesting idea. The pads appear to use aluminum oxide, same as much sandpaper, which basically already oxidized, and it's mainly the aluminum that would corrode in a galvanic reaction, not the iron.
Got any info source?

Cheers, Jay