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Does any body have good idea how to stop rust staining of ways on my large cnc mill 100" x 44 " travel. It was hauled in winter and got stained 2 years ago .
I steel wooled it & used fluid film on it ,but it still showing rusting this year . I dont run it every day . I can not put dehumidifier in room (open shop area ) .
Does any body have a good answer ??
You have two basic ways. Keep the machine warm or keep it treated.
The machine gets rust due to condensation, which of course occurs when the machine is colder than the dew point. Often what happens is the machine is at whatever the temperature of the building is, then warm moist air moves in and this creates condensation leading to rust. I'm guessing the ways are not mostly over a cabinet or enclosure you can put a light bulb in for warmth.
What I use for prevention is called Rust Check, which is from a Canadian automobile rust protection company of the same name. They sell a spray can of a light oil based chemical treatment which is good for about a year. Spray it on, you can leave it or wipe it off the next day. You can get a liter bottle from them as well. I expect there are similar treatments available where you are, but if not, try LPS3 - I believe it's a similar concept of an oil based chemical treatment and it seems to have a pretty good reputation.
Wayne
Hi Wayne I was thinking of trying a big 400 watt bay light to shine on it . Mill stands 18' high . Mostly i have been trying to run it every day lately . Need to set up oiler some too . Its
a shame to get rust on such a nice big machine . I didnt realize it was happening till i went to run it other day & wow !
Does anybody no if moisture will get under metal way guards that i cant see (havent looked yet ? )
So it's a monster mill, wasn't sure if it was a large light duty machine or what. The light will probably help some, perhaps even enough. It would depend on how much it raises the temperature of the mill. How much that needs to be would depend on the conditions. Heat lamps would probably be more efficient, but I've never actually gone this route. Once I got my shop built, it kept my machines dry. Largely due to much more stable temperatures.
I would recommend looking into buying LPS3 or similar treatments. I've done some testing and the Rust Check product I use works very well. I think spraying down the ways on a yearly basis with a similar product is your best bet.
As far as rust under the covers, it should only happen in really bad conditions - like when a machine is dripping in condensation, and even then it will be much less of a problem under the covered areas.
What coolant are you using? Some of the less expensive ones do not have a rust inhibitor. We run Castrol MB50. Great product.