I use a cold blacking solution and the last process is using a dewatering oil which seems to be absorbed into the blacking (not sure if thats what actually happens) but over the years have not had any trouble rust wise except one piece of my Stent cutter grinder but that could be down to the fact that the grinder is the least oily bit of kit that I own.

Don’t let car or furniture polish into your workshop. Apart from pure beeswax they contain silicone which is the enemy of spray painting.

On 18 April 2024 at 15:06 Sonic Escape Said:

You mean that you can’t paint over silicone?

Not recommended.  I made the mistake of using some silicone spray for sliding mechanisms in my garage once. A panel I had ready to topcoat was hanging at the other end. When I sprayed it the finish had 100’s of tiny dimples in it. A complete rubdown to the primer was needed to eliminate the problem.  Most paintable  “silicone sealers”  are actually a hybrid polymer sealant.

Whilst I’ve not used it myself, I’ve been told that Renaissance wax works well; there are other “museum waxes” available under different brand names.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

On 18 April 2024 at 14:46 Bazyle Said:

Don’t let car or furniture polish into your workshop. Apart from pure beeswax they contain silicone which is the enemy of spray painting.

On 18 April 2024 at 13:38 Oldiron Said:

I use Phillips Professional Cold Blue on many of the tools I make. Then just a smear of way oil. Not had any go rusty so far.   The trick to good blueing is to make sure the parts to be blued are spotlessly clean and oil free. I soak them in Isopropyl Alcohol for a couple of minutes then use a new wipe to dry them off.  Whatever you use follow the instructions to the letter.

+ 1 for Philips cold blue. Done lots of steel items with no rust on any of them. Need to be spotlessly clean before you start.

Steve.

Just looked up Molykote but corrosion preventatives contain some silicone so a bit of a problem if paint is involved.