Rust on Drill Press: Removal and Prevention

[cmuncy]

I was forunate enough to pick up an old Cummins C112 drill press this weekend for a song.

The only thing wrong with it is cosmetic: all of the chrome plated or steel aprts have surface rust on them. I'm slowly taking these parts off and getting the rust off then putting a light coat of 30 weight on them to keep rust from coming back.

Short of painting all of this, will the oil coating be ok or should I go to the extreme and put the buffing wheel on the grinder and go at it?

[scgargoyle]

If you're doing metal working, the oil is fine. Not so good for wood working, though, as it will stain the wood. For wood working, they usually use paste wax to prevent rust. My drill press always has so much oil on it from drilling that rust is not an issue!