You’ll get a lot of answers on this one. I just spray mine down with
WD40 and cover it with a plastic grocery bag. (bet that’ll get some
response too. . .)
My rolling mill is almost 20 years old and nary a spot of rust. I
have always covered it with a canvas coin bag I soaked in oil
(lightly). I keep it covered when not in use and oil the rollers after
each use. I live in Houston, Texas the most polluted city in the
nation and one of the wettest. works for me. Frank
Dear Aileen, I use an old towel on one and part of an old tablecloth
on the other. I did use plastic shopping bags at one time but found
that they “sweated” with condensation caused (I think) by changing
temperatures. I also hang a a strip of oily cotton long enough to hang
over the top roller and tuck in between the rollers on both sides. I
hope this makes sense. Kind regards Rex from Oz
Aileen…suggestions for covering up your rolling mill when it’s
resting…I use a gallon size plastic zipper baggie which slips
nicely over my mill and allows me to see how much dust it is not
collecting. Other people choose a carton of appropriate size and
invert it over their mill. A cotton or flannel drawstring bag over
it will protect it as well. Just keep those rollers clean and
coated with a thin film of oil and ‘that puppy’ will be your
lifelong companion. Enjoy it! Dee.
Vaseline seems to work for rustproofing, with an old sheet as a
dust cover. My mill is attached to a lightweight table, with the
theory being anything that is too difficult to roll needs to be
annealed. Geo.
david - what a great idea! wd40, being an oxygen
inhibitor/replacer & not a just lubricant, doesn’t spread like
oil does & eventually solidify on the hard to reach gears, etc.
& grocery bags furnish the endless source (since you don’t
sound like the ‘starving artist’ type) & you’re recycling too!
good for you - ive
Dear ladies, I use a cheap old pillow case. It beathes and will
not trap moisture and prevents the dust from settling on the
mill. They are pretty tough and so one will last alsmost
indefinitely. Also, they can be washed. I put one over my Bonny
Doon, my band saw, my bench mate, my daps, my guillotine, etc.
From Wal-mart I think they are $2.50 for two. Here in Florida we
have quite a humidity problem, it attacks the tools. But I have
been pleased with the pillow case trick.
Debi
You'll get a lot of answers on this one. I just spray mine down with WD40 and cover it with a plastic grocery bag. (bet that'll get some response too. . .)
G'day; 'My' rolls are not mine! they're borrowed from a very
good mate who can't use them at present, so they are on extended
loan - which means I have to take better care of them than if
they were actually mine. I wipe them well before use, then
after use, clean them up if necessary and do exactly as David
does, except I use CRC556 - which does the same job as well as
WD40.
I know there are as many different methods as there are individuals
regarding covering rolling mills. I coat mine often with WD 40 and
cover with about four old pillow cases(don’t laugh). This allows them
to breath. I would never cover with plastic because of
sweating/condensation. I do the same with my concho dies and design
stamps. Coat with WD 40 and cover with oiled old diapers in my
rollaway drawers.When i am ready to use a die or stamp,I clean with
alcohol and dry. I hope I don’t sound ridiculous.Out in the nations
they don’t have the humidity we have here in Texas.Best regards John
Barton,Images
By JJ
Hi Aileen,
About the only thing a covering for a mill (or any other tool for
that matter) will keep off is dust/dirt. If you want to keep down the
rust by covering it, you’d probably have to keep it in a hermetically
sealed container. Covering metal items under plastic helps them rust.
The plastic doesn’t breath & prevents an moisture trapped under the
cover from dissipating. When the metal cools, the moisture condenses
on it and eventually cause rust/corrosion.
The best way to keep your mill clean & rust free is to oil the rolls
& cover the whole unit with some kind of cloth. I cover mine with a
piece of denim I bought at a fabric shop.
Dave
Ive, WD-40 does solidify and gets hard as a rock and is difficult to remove. Try
using a product called “Break-Free”. It is great for semi-longterm storage and is
a fine rust preventative. You can get it a Wal-Mart or(perish the thought and I’m
sorry for swearing) any gun shop.;o) RIG (Rust Inhibiting Grease) is super for
long term storage and a rag with this worked into it (stored in a plastic zip-lock
freezer bag when not in use) is a great coating for mandrels, hammers. etc to
prevent rust. You can get it at the same places.
Regards,
Skip
On this same subject, I use an old all cotton bath towel. It will prevent dust
and absorb the moisture we have from high humidity here in FL. And as Debi said,
can be easily washed. Gini
I wipe them well before use, then after use, clean them up if necessary and do exactly as David does, except I use CRC556 - which does the same job as well as WD40.
One think I might add, though. There is something in those WD40 and CRC556
lubricants that can be very irritating for some people. I’m a little sensitive to
it myself. If you handle a lot of the stuff and start to get a contact
dermititis, like I’ve seen with some individuals, then I’d go to an organic
solution. Rape-seed oil, or olive oil. You could thin it with scent-free
turpentine. My wife is sensitive to turps. . .not so good for an oil painter.
But the scentless stuff is OK for her. Still got the problem of it drying into a
hard coating though.
Another irritant I’ve found. I had this problem, and so did 3 other jewelers I
know. When working with the public, one must wash polishing compound off
constantly. There is an anti-bacterial hand soap, kind of clear orange in color,
that will turn your hands into HAMBURGER if you use it all the time. Painfull
cracking, bleeding, raw. Nasty. I’ll bet there’s a few out there have had this
problem. It took me a while to put 2+2 together and recognize that the soap was
the problem.
The only problem with WD40 as a rolling mill lubricant is the caution on the label
warning that it is extremely flammable. So if your mill is in close proximity to
your soldering station, you might want to think about it… D.
John, You are doing exactly the right thing by spraying your rollers well with
WD-40. This product is made here in San Diego and the local newspaper had a write
up on the company a few months ago. They asked the owner what did WD-40 stand for.
He replied that WD stood for WATER DISPLACER and “40” was the number of recipes
they tried before they got optimun results. So, WD-40 will DISPLACE any WATER
present on the rollers and prevent any new water from forming on them…No
Water = No Rust…YEA! Bob Williams
d. - the ‘flammable’ warning on wd40 cans is for spraying or
storing near open flames, electric heating items, or over-active
arsonists in you work area. i have sprayed an item with wd40 &
put a match to it a minute later & got only some soot on the
item from the match but no flame at all. the flammable part is
the evaporative aerosol carrier. ta, ive
Hi Gang,
The only problem with WD40 as a rolling mill lubricant is the caution on the label warning that it is extremely flammable. So if your mill is in close proximity to your soldering station, you might want to think about it.
Mill proximity to a soldering station only presents a problem
if there is a lighted torch present during the WD 40 application
phase. The flammability problem arises because WD 40 is usually
applied from as an aerosol. When spraying, the particles that
don’t collect on the item being sprayed usually remain airborne
until they settle on something else. If there is an open flame in
the vicinity any particles coming in contact with it are oxidizes
explosively. The resulting explosion then propagates through the
atmosphere to any easily combustible material.
A WD 40 coated piece of metal doesn’t present any fire hazard
after the application phase is over & all the unattached WD
particles have settle out of the air (usually less than 5
minutes).
Using any material meant to be sprayed from an aerosol can has
the potential for fire. Sins the abandonment of freon as a
propellant, many aerosols use a propellant that is combustible,
so using them in proximity to an open flame can be dangerous.
Dave
The only problem with WD40 ...
… is the smell. I hate it. Plus it may not be good for us to
have that smell round the workshop. Any thoughts along these
lines?
Bri
B r i a n A d a m J e w e l l e r y E y e w e a r
@Brian_Adam1 ph/fx +64 9 817 6816 NEW ZEALAND
http://www.adam.co.nz/ photos from Australia!!
http://www.adam.co.nz/jam.htm Jewellery Events on now
brian - just leave a sardine sandwich on a counter in your area:
voila! you’ll never notice the smell of wd-40! & considering all
the soldering fumes, airborne floaty thingys, stone dust,
particulate carbon matter & our partners’ after shave, the least
of our worries should be quick settling wd-40. besides, it
displaces water - no danger of pneumonia if you inhale too much!
ive
Hi Brian, Use any light weight oil you like the smell of. If you
can’t find one available in an aresol can, put the oil you like
in a bottle with a finger operated pump sprayer & use it to spary
the mill when desired. Dave