Hi all, wanted to get advice on preparing the tube.
I bought DOM tube from a metal shop in my city and it appears to have a coating/machine grease on it. My barrings feel “gritty” when they glide across the tube. Not sure if this is normal; but before I go down the google rabbit hole, wanted to ask the community if y’all prep the tubing before use (outside of de-burring).
I intend on using some solvent to degrease, then sand with 400grit, then prime with Rust-oleum (clean metal primer), let dry, rust-oleum (flat protective enamel)
Haven’t done anything with my galvanized conduit, but the general consensus for DOM is to use, well, auto wax. A little carnuba-based paste wax just to give it a moisture barrier. Any paint you give it will get worn off almost immediately. The point loads between the bearings and the rails are immense. In fact, I’m sure it’ll wear off/squeeze out any wax you put on as well, but there’s no getting around that. You want to protect the other 99% of the rail.
The enamel is going to wear through pretty quick. Paste wax is favored here because it’s unlikely to mess with wood finishes if you manage to touch the tube then the work piece.
Stop light, empty boulevard… She had some funky Vivaldi playing, so I just cranked up the Bach and started revving my engine. Light turned green, and the rest is legend…
She just ain’t the same since the minivan happened…
Kinda funny, though, she drove a mustang when we met, and I had my little dodge hot rod. We used to engage in “spirited driving” from time to time. She used to hate me on the cooler nights because that little thing ran so damned good.
I washed my rails in soap and water to get the factory grease off. Some I coated with johnson paste wax and others I left alone. I’ve only had a bit of rust so far, but then I’m not in Houston either. I might do something if it gets worse.
If the bearings are gritty I would double check if it’s the bearings themselves and not the surface. I had some crappy bearings and I replaced them with better ones. Unfortunately it’s impossible to tell on Amazon which are gritty and which are smooth.
Well since I haven’t even bought the tube yet I shouldn’t comment, HOWEVER I live in a high humidity, high salt environment and anything left unchecked will suffer.
On the polished tube rails of my sliding compound mitre saw, and on pretty much all other machinery moving or friction parts, I use a spray garage door lithium grease. It dries invisibly and buffs a lot like paste wax, but seems to provide lubrication for a much longer time.
de-greased the DOM tubing, used white lithium grease (spray on), let it sit for a bit and then removed with microfiber cloth. Everything flows smoothly now!!
