Preserving cast iron chases
Any tips for preserving cast iron chases from rust?
All too big to go in an oil bath - well, mine anyway - the first (very old) seems to have some kind of wax (like fire grate coating?), one has remains of an enamel paint, and two have very definite signs of red lead paint, which I guess I’d better cover with something less toxic.
Really appreciated.
I wipe my chases with a cloth with a little oil on it, you can also spray them with silicone or something similar. I wipe most of my cast iron machines with an oily rag, keeps them looking brand new, things like the paper cutter bed that paper will come in contact with I don’t use oil but I use bowling alley wax.
All of my chases have rust on, the inner faces have been taken back to shiny metal with fine abrasive paper, the other sides have been treated with a rust cure.
Regular attention will keep chases from getting too rusty, but there are really only two ways to protect metal - painting and plating.
One form of preservation is use—ink and solvents in wash up will protect iron and steel surfaces. Another possibilty is to use old fashioned stove polish, available in liquid form. Chases with handles, like some C&P chases, pick up oil from hands and that will protect the metal. I’ve had my Kelsey 6x10 now for 60 years and it has next to no rust on it. Maybe because I don’t live where it is humid.
It’s really humid over here in Darwin, northern Australia for half the year. I find that a wax based polish (paste wax) coating on chases,presses,guillotines etc is a an inexpensive way to stop rust in extreme weather conditions. You have to do it on a regular basis but I guess that way at least you get ‘reacquainted’ with all your Letterpress gear every 6 months or so.
Thanks all for all this - I suspect I may use different methods per chase. (The oldest chase has more bubbles from the casting than a Crunchie bar and seems extremely brittle… hence original concern)
Appreciated!