Looking for suggestions to avoid corrosion

[BCRider]

Here's a picture of the fairly hard 1x6.5x12 "bench plate" I love using for an anvil like object for center punching items and doing letter and number stamping. Also shown is the hard rubber like pad I've been using for the anti skid and somewhat compliant pad to stop the plate from jumping around.



The issue is that one side of the pad is ribbed and the other has a fabric like texture. BOTH sides seem to encourage corrosion but the flat side is worse. I just cleaned up the bench top of some corrosion despite it being wet out with Fluid Film before laying the pad down. You can see the fresh swirl marks from using the flap disc. It lasted a good long while mind you. But still.......

So what I'm wondering is if any of you have any suggestions for a pad which will be firm but somewhat compliant for absorbing the energy so the plate doesn't bounce. But which will also not encourage corrosion of the steel top or steel plate?

One thought which occurs to me just before I hit the "Post" button is a carrier plate with four fairly large rubber grommets that acts as a spacer but also allows for some air circulation. I've got some grommets that are up around 1 to 1.25 diameter to fit into 16 gauge sheet. I'm open to any suggestions though.

[reggie_obe]

Probably the Sulpher in the rubber is causing this. Maybe substitute one or more layers of Indoor/outdoor or industrial carpet for the rubber.

[Paul Alciatore]

How about Rust-Inhibiting Drawer Cabinet Liners?

One source:

https://www.mcmaster.com/drawer-liners/

[BCRider]

Thanks reggie. I was not even thinking that it was something actually in the rubber. I'm not sure it IS rubber and not plastic. It's hallway runner material.

Paul, that looks very promising. Only downside is that I'm in Canada. I'd like to see if I can find something more local first. But if nothing really jumps out at me I'll email them and see if they ship directly to Canada by mail rather than the other shipping options. Fedex and UPS charge serious brokerage fees where USPS and on to Canada Post doesn't add on anything other than sometimes duty.

[SVS]

How about thin plywood?

[Doozer]

How about a red cotton rag folded in half under your steel block ?
I dunno about you, but I want my anvil blocks to be as rigid as possible.
Clamp it or bolt it to the bench. Why the rubber pad ? ? ? ?

-D

[Bob Engelhardt]

[...]
I dunno about you, but I want my anvil blocks to be as rigid as possible.
Clamp it or bolt it to the bench. Why the rubber pad ? ? ? ?

I agree. When I am beating something on the bench, it always works better when the block is over a bench leg and not in the bouncy middle. Solid is good.

[BCRider]

How about thin plywood?

How about a red cotton rag folded in half under your steel block ?

The idea behind the runner material was to have a firm interface but also be fairly non skid. But it might well be that these ideas would work just as well. Especially if the cheap plywood or rag were lightly oiled to resist holding any possible condensation and at the same time work at keeping the steel faces oiled and corrosion free.

Both of these ideas have the beauty of simplicity and use of material already on hand. I'll try them and give what seems like the winner a trial for a few weeks. Thanks for the two great but simple to the point of "why didn't I think of that" ideas.

As for the rigidity I do agree. But the drill press, big bench vise and multi stage position hold already own three of the corners. And the fourth is the spot that is right by the mill that is used for staging various tools and other items used during milling jobs. It's a pretty burly bench though. And the file card trays you see under the bench block area are full of my array of bigger fasteners. So there's easily 100 lbs of mass to absorb the impacts. And the three drawers are fairly well filled with drilling stuff in the top drawer, tap and die collection in the middle and other drill stuff in the lower which all total another 60lbs or so. Not to mention that the block itself is about 17 to 20 lbs. So when I use it there isn't a whole lot of bounce back. It's got a very nice "dead" feel in fact. Is it perfect? No it isn't. But I suspect that like me most folks would consider the feel to be good enough.

[Jerrythepilot]

You could counterbore two of the existing holes in your block, and drill and tap corresponding holes in the bench top. You just need it to keep from sliding around, so they wouldn't have to be really tightened up, and you could then easily remove the bolts and store the block when not in use.

Jerry

[tom_d]

Not sure if fluid film is the best for that application. Maybe LPS3 spray would last a bit longer and give better protection. It should be readily available in Canada. Other option, if available, is PPE Mold Saver MSP-16 or Mold Saver MSL-216. Those are the sprays often found in injection molding shops where they need something they can depend on to preserve their expensive tooling.

[ChazzC]

Thanks reggie. I was not even thinking that it was something actually in the rubber. I'm not sure it IS rubber and not plastic. It's hallway runner material.

Paul, that looks very promising. Only downside is that I'm in Canada. I'd like to see if I can find something more local first. But if nothing really jumps out at me I'll email them and see if they ship directly to Canada by mail rather than the other shipping options. Fedex and UPS charge serious brokerage fees where USPS and on to Canada Post doesn't add on anything other than sometimes duty.

Once I found ZeRust a few years ago I use their products for all my corrosion control needs (along with a dehumidifier) – drawer liners, storage bags and particularly tabs (1" x 3" x 1/16", last 2 years and slip easily into any storage box/case, like parallels, measuring instruments, etc.); most are available from Amazon so shipping shouldn't be an issue:


Zerust No-Rust Non-Slip Drawer Liner - 18 in x 96 in https://a.co/6EFBw3w



Zerust Rust Prevention Multipurpose Poly Bag with Plain Closure with Corrosion Prevention and Protection - 6" x 8" - Pack of 6 https://a.co/hojoWIL



Zerust Rust Prevention Plastabs 1" x 3" - Pack of 10 https://a.co/haf3SFz


I see that they have now partnered with Flambeau:


Zerust Rust Prevention Plastabs 1" x 3" - Pack of 10 https://a.co/haf3SFz


Any drawer liner material is soft & compressible, but that could be an advantage: it will prevent slippage and also provide firm support.

[BCRider]

Little update. I tried a piece of cheap luan plywood and pulled out the lightly oiled rag I use for wiping down my firearms at the end of a day of shooting. I didn't oil the plywood for this test. Bench top and block were wiped clean. The plywood supported the block in a way very similar to the rubber(?) mat. The oily rag was the clear winner though. It's like it was glued in place as far as side loads go.

Not done yet but a thought that occurred to me last evening is the "bounce test". I'll set up all the options that look good including just the block laid directly on the bench top. I think I'll even include a slip of card stock.

One thing with the cloth or other support separator is the result of any chips that get between the block and the steel top. This bench does see more than it's share of small chips from being near the mill and only about 18 inches away from the jaws of the big vise and the drill press. So I'd feel better with some manner of soft separator that can stop any such swarf from "imprinting" the bench or block surfaces.

Chas, the drawer liner showed as no stock. And a check on Amazon Canada for zerust didn't show the mat either. BUT! I'm intrigued enough that I'm going to add one or two of their products to my next shopping list to cover off some other rust prevention needs. So thanks for that.

[ChazzC]

BCRider Can also purchase direct from ZeRust, but I don’t know how they handle shipping to the frozen North:

zerustproducts.com

I use the tabs everywhere: since they’re thin plastic you can cut into smaller pieces to suit the available space

[BCRider]

BCRider ....I use the tabs everywhere: since they’re thin plastic you can cut into smaller pieces to suit the available space

I've already got a 10 pack of the 1x3 yellow tabs in my Amazon basket. Thanks again. It'll take the corrosion worries away from a few items I don't look at on more than a monthly basis or less.

OK, bounce test results time. I hammered on a little scrap of mild steel sitting on the bench block. The feel of how much bounce energy there was for each was felt by lightly pinching the end of the bar while being hit. The results were....

1. No separator but cleaned bench and block - low bounce with dead sound
2. The fake rubber hallway runner that started this - moderate ringing and moderate bounce
3. 1/8 luan (some call it philippine mahogany) - low bounce with dead sound and a close match to block direct on bench
4. two layers of light canvas shopping bag - major ringing with most energetic bounce of the test
5. first type of thin non skid matting - major ringing and energetic bounce
6. second non skid thin matting - major ringing and energetic bounce
7. third non skid and very thin matting - major ringing but moderate bounce
8. thin drawer liner like soft underlay foam - major ringing and major bounce perhaps on par with the canvas bag
9. 3/16" UHMW PE - low ring and low bounce than even the luan. Closest to metal on metal
10. Self healing craft/sewing cutting mat - comparable to luan plywood
11. picture frame matting card stock - better than the softer items but not as good as the luan plywood.

So it looks like I've got a clear winner with the UHMW PE. I thought it would be pretty slippery. But while not as "glued down" as the non skid mats and light canvas shopping bag it isn't bad. Actually not far off the original rubbery hallway mat and certainly better than metal on metal. Plus the deadness won't tend to make the block jump around. And clearly there won't (shouldn't?) be any risk of gassing off that promotes the corrosion I've seen with the black rubbery mat.

And if any proof was needed in support of a softer sort of mat for this use it was proven when I had to clean out about half a dozen firmly embedded proper chips from the old original rubber'y mat. Chips that would have been acting as pivot points if there was no softer sort of mat.

Hope this aids anyone out there that likes the idea of a good bench plate or block and wants a way to set it up.

I also think that this is some sort of AR style steel. Any time I've tried to mill or drill it the metal fought hard. I used it with the mill scale finish for a few years and about two or three years back took it to a local shop and had it surface ground on both sides after my attempts to mill it even with carbide showed many hard spots in the mix that ended up being little peaks on the surface. And when I tried to drill for finger holes in the ends to aid with lifting it even trying to drill shallow depressions at my lowest speed and with cutting oil took the end off the drill within seconds. I'll have to grind the finger grooves in at some point. It will dent if hit with a hammer. But nothing else I've done to it left more than a slight change to the surface reflection.

I was really hoping for Doozer's red rag to be the winner. It would have added a nice colour focus to the shop....

[JoeLee]

You could spray some clear lacquer on the bottom side.

JL................